The Taxpayer Advocate Service
The IRS is not exactly known for being particularly taxpayer friendly (well duh, Captain Obvious), however, in recent years they have taken steps to try to shine up that image a bit.
One such step that has been around for several years now, but is little known, is the establishment of what is called the Taxpayer Advocate Service. According to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, or TAS, they are an independent organization within the IRS and are "your voice at the IRS".
TAS states, "We help taxpayers whose problems are causing financial difficulty. This includes businesses as well as individuals.", adding, "We ensure you are treated fairly, and know and understand your rights. If you are having tax problems and have not been able to resolve them with the IRS, you may be eligible for free TAS assistance."
If you have a tax problem of some kind, you may be eligible for TAS help if you've tried to resolve your tax problem through normal IRS channels and find those efforts to be unsuccessful, or you believe an IRS procedure just isn't working as it should.
Part of the job of the TAS is to ensure that you know and understand your rights as a taxpayer. Did you know, for instance, that the IRS has adopted a Taxpayer Bill of Rights?
This includes these 10 fundamental rights that every taxpayer has when interacting with the IRS, and you should know these:
- The Right to Be Informed.
- The Right to Quality Service.
- The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax.
- The Right to Challenge the IRS's Position and Be Heard.
- The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum.
- The Right to Finality.
- The Right to Privacy.
- The Right to Confidentiality.
- The Right to Retain Representation.
- The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System.
The TAS also provides what they call the TAS Tax Toolkit at TaxpayerAdvocate.irs.gov, which can help you understand these rights and what they mean for you.
The TAS Tax Toolkit has basic tax information, details about tax credits (for individuals and businesses), and much more. It also has examples that show how the Taxpayer Bill of Rights can apply in specific situations.
If you seek and qualify for TAS help, you will be assigned to one advocate who will be with you each step of the way. And the TAS service is always free.
One nice feature of the TAS is that they have at least one local taxpayer advocate office in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. You can directly call your advocate, whose number is in your local directory, printed in IRS Publication 1546, Taxpayer Advocate Service — Your Voice at the IRS, and on the website at irs.gov/advocate. You can also call us toll-free at 877-777-4778.
TAS also can handle large-scale or systemic problems that affect many taxpayers. They ask that if you believe you know of one of these broad issues, to please report it to them at www.irs.gov/sams.
TAS is also in tune with the new digital age and social media. You can get updates regarding TAS at facebook.com/YourVoiceAtIRS, Twitter.com/YourVoiceatIRS, youtube.com/TASNTA. While I'm sure we won't all be going out and "liking" or "following" them, this could be helpful to know, especially in times of difficulty.
TAS states on their website that they are "here to help you, because when you're dealing with a tax problem, the worst thing you can do is to do nothing at all."
I have to say with regard to that last statement, I can't agree more. Hopefully you will never have to use the services of the TAS, but should you ever have an IRS problem you can't resolve, they just may be what you need.
