Taxpayer Advocate

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson today released her 2013 Annual Report to Congress. The report identifies the most serious problems facing taxpayers today and provides recommendations to fix them. For more information and access to the full report, visit the 2013 Annual Report to Congress. 

A taxpayer came to TAS for help with a defaulted offer in compromise (OIC), an IRS program that allows taxpayers to settle debts for less than the full amount owed. However, while this offer was in effect, the taxpayer’s wife died and he suffered numerous health problems, which made it hard for him to keep up with day-to-day business. Eventually, the offer defaulted and the IRS told the taxpayer he owed a large balance. Learn how this case turned out by visiting the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson recently received the National Disability Institute's Ron Smith Federal Employee Award for her continued advocacy on behalf of taxpayers with disabilities. The award is presented annually to a federal employee who works to advance the economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities. To learn more about the award, read the full press release on the National Disability Institute’s website.

Getting tax help is made easier with a new video conferencing option, particularly for those who don’t live near a Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) office. Visit the Virtual Tax Help page of the TAS Tax Toolkit to learn how you can now get face-to-face help from taxpayer advocates in other cities using high-definition two-way video conferencing. 

A victim of identity theft came to TAS for help in obtaining her 2010 refund, as the IRS had frozen her account due to the tax-related fraud. Visit the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit to learn how TAS helped. 

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People by Accounting Today. The list recognizes leaders and innovators in the tax and accounting industries. Read the excerpt to learn about the NTA’s work or visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

When one taxpayer submitted her passport to the IRS to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), she unexpectedly needed to return to her home country to attend her father’s funeral. TAS worked with the IRS to quickly retrieve her passport so she could return home to be with her family. Visit the Success Stories page on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit to read the full story. 

Years after inheriting an insurance settlement from her mother, a young woman was denied a loan to attend college due to a federal tax lien stemming from the settlement. Several failed attempts at getting the IRS to withdraw the lien led the taxpayer to a TAS case advocate. Visit the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit to learn how the case advocate was able to resolve this issue.

TAS has a tool to help small businesses determine whether they’re eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit and, if so, estimate the amount they could receive. Visit the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit Estimator page on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit for more information. 

Due to the lapse in government funding, the 2014 PTIN renewal season is delayed. Current PTIN holders will be notified of the season opening via email/letter, and the current PTIN system is still available for use to log in, make changes and secure a 2013 PTIN. Visit the Renewing or Applying for a PTIN page for more information.    Additionally, all fees for candidates who were scheduled to take the Registered Tax Return Preparer test on or after January 18, 2013 have been refunded. Learn more by visiting the Tax Preparer Regulation page.    The renewal season for Continuing Education providers is also underway, and more information is available on the Continuing Professional Education Requirements page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.  

A TAS case advocate pushed the IRS to discharge a taxpayer’s lien within 24 hours so the taxpayer could sell his property. Learn more about how TAS helped this man on the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

TAS helped a small business partnership get relief from $10,000 in penalties when it failed to file a tax return for multiple years. Read the full story about how TAS was able to help this business on the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

A taxpayer came to TAS seeking a partial abatement of the failure to file penalty for a late-filed return. Find out how TAS was able to help this taxpayer on the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

Important information and resources for U.S. taxpayers living and working abroad are now available on the Resources for International Taxpayers page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

When a taxpayer with a medical condition was penalized for filing late, a TAS case advocate and the taxpayer’s psychologist teamed up to help. Learn how they worked to obtain penalty relief from the IRS on the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

VIDEO: National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson recently discussed her FY2014 Objectives Report to Congress and more on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. Watch the video or visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit to learn more about the report and other tax topics.

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson’s FY2014 Objectives Report to Congress, released on June 26, 2013, identifies priority issues the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) will focus on during the upcoming fiscal year. The report expresses particular concern about the IRS’s unwillingness to issue full refunds to victims of tax preparer fraud, the impact of budget cuts on the IRS’s ability to meet taxpayer needs, and shortcomings in IRS procedures for assisting victims of tax-related identity theft. This year’s report also includes a special report examining the IRS’s use of questionable criteria to screen applicants for tax-exempt status. Learn more about the NTA’s priority issues on the FY2014 Objectives Report to Congress page of the Tax Toolkit.

Same-sex marriage is legal in 12 states and Washington, D.C., but the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages. As a result, domestic partners and same-sex spouses face unique challenges related to their federal taxes, such as those outlined in the pending United States v. Windsor Supreme Court case. In her 2012 Annual Report to Congress, National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson pushes for guidance from the IRS on federal tax questions that continue to cause difficulties for same-sex couples. Learn more about the most serious problems facing taxpayers today in the NTA’s 2012 Annual Report to Congress.

Two years after mistakenly allowing a taxpayer to claim the 2009 First-Time Homebuyer Credit, the IRS discovered its error. The problem was further compounded when the IRS imposed a penalty on the taxpayer due to apparent underpayment on their tax return. See how TAS was able to help on the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

When a taxpayer came to TAS for civil penalty relief assistance, the case advocate uncovered not only one, but three years’ worth of penalties. Find out how TAS convinced the IRS to correct this taxpayer’s balance to zero on the Success Stories page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. In addition, it’s key to obtain a signed copy of your tax return from your preparer to protect your tax refund, and guard against tax return fraud. Learn more about choosing a tax preparer.