How to Get Help with an Audit

Taxpayer Advocate Service (a division of the IRS)

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS whose role is to represent taxpayers with difficulties resolving their tax issues through normal IRS channels. TAS is a free-of-charge service which was established in 2002 to address “grass-roots” issues (those raised by the TAS panelists and the general public) and improve the customer service of the IRS.

The TAS panel is composed of volunteers appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury for each state, totaling approximately 100 members nationwide. The panel is divided largely into two committees: Area, which solicits grass-roots or local issues and submits recommendations based on their findings to the IRS, and Issues, which addresses national initiatives or issues and their impact.

You could be eligible for this service if you are:

• experiencing financial hardship or difficulties affording appropriate professional representation
• not hearing a response or resolution from the IRS at the promised date
• experiencing a delay in resolution for more than 30 days.

To receive this service you will need to provide the following:

• Name, address, and Social Security Number (or an Employer Identification Number)
• Type of tax return for the pertinent years.
• Mode of contact (telephone number, email, availability, etc.)
• Detail on current difficulties and previous attempts to resolve the issue(s), office(s) that have been contacted.

The TAS will provide the following:

• Contact information of the advocate assigned to your case; your advocate will be your “voice” to the IRS and will continue to provide his or her services til your tax issues are resolved
• A detailed review of the problem and updates on the case
• Pertinent advice to your case

You can contact TAS via

• Toll-free phone number at 1-877-777-4778 or TTY/TDD 1-800-829-4059
• Local contact information via Publication 1546, Taxpayer Advocate Service-Your Voice at the IRS.
• File a Form 911, request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance (Application for Tax Assistance Order)

Source:

“The Taxpayer Advocate Service Should Reevaluate the Roles of Its Staff and Improve the Administration of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel.” 29, 9 2009. Department of the Treasury, Web. 10 Nov 2009. <http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2009reports/200910121fr.pdf>.

“Who Qualifies?.” TAS News and Information. 24, 9 2009. IRS, Web. 10 Nov 2009. <http://www.taspresskit.irs.gov/who-qualifies/>.

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Charles Park

From an early age, I've always imagined myself in a role that served people in need. My sole satisfaction would be the knowledge that lives were better off thanks to my services. These musings didn't stem from careful deliberation nor obedience to a certain philosophy. Of course, there clearly was naivete within these musings. My service needed to be acknowledged and appreciated and for such service to be worthy of appreciation it needed to be grandiose in scale. Adoring crowds seemed to be the main purpose seemingly as the ultimate goal. As I spent most of my younger years in a small town, Macon, GA, these musings remained musings as I conveniently reasoned that there was a lack of an appreciable crowd. Yet, the unquestioning urge to serve still remained through high school. I became interested in volunteering for the less fortunate. I avidly participated in an organization called Meals on Wheels which home-delivered meals to senior citizens and the invalid. Through this experience, I was exposed to a vast clientele with diverse backgrounds. The clients that struck me most were those burdened both physically and financially by illness. While weaving through the clutter of life-sustaining equipment in a cramped apartment, I still can't forget the smile the bedridden gentleman gave as I delivered his dinner. Safe to say, from then on, I started to understand and appreciate the significance of such seemingly small and trivial acts in people's lives. I have been committed ever since. I'm currently a junior majoring in Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill and still strive to serve the less fortunate in small but significant ways. I am currently volunteering as staff in the Orange County Rape Crisis Center. I also volunteer as a companion with the non-profit group A Helping Hand. A Helping Hand is a companionship service for senior citizens and temporarily or permanently disabled citizens. When I don't muse about the various differences I could and should be making in people's lives, I enjoy hiking and playing tennis. I am deeply interested in the current health care reform debate and hope to pursue a career in medicine. I also wish to continue writing about the evolution of health care and its socioeconomic impact on the lives of everyday Americans.

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