Taxpayer Advocate

The National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) and her employees appreciate the commitment, dedication and sacrifice of the U.S. Armed Forces. Information on special tax provisions and resources for military members in now available on the Military Members page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit. Resources include information on identity theft, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the First Time Homebuyer Credit (FTHBC). 

Refund theft by some tax return preparers is an important issue for TAS and the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA). Recent media coverage has focused on legislation that would increase penalties for tax preparers who defraud taxpayers. Now, you can learn about how TAS helped two victims of tax-related fraud receive correct refunds on the Success Stories page of TAS’s Tax Toolkit.

The IRS announced it will limit the issuance of all Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) to one per responsible party each day, a change from the current limit of five per day, on May 21, 2012. Learn more about EINs and other Business Tax Basics on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. In addition, information about upcoming IRS webinars for small businesses is available on the Small Business Tax Help and Resources page.

The IRS announced the expansion of its Fresh Start initiative by extending the terms in the Offer in Compromise (OIC) program to reach and assist extremely financially distressed taxpayers. The IRS is also helping college-bound students complete the FAFSA form in much less time with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. In addition, information about Form W-2 reporting of employer-sponsored health coverage is now available on the Business Tax Basics page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means on May 8, 2012, about tax fraud and identity theft. Read her testimony. For more tax information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

The IRS announced today the opening of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) grant application period. The LITC program awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations to develop, expand or maintain an LITC. LITC supports organizations serving low-income people dealing with tax controversy with the IRS along with those providing outreach and education to taxpayers speaking English as a second language (ESL). Learn more about LITCs on the LITC page of the Tax Toolkit. 

New information about Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) seminars and focus groups at the 2012 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums is now available on the TAS at the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums page on the Tax Toolkit. Seminars will include presentations on assisting clients who have experienced domestic violence and abuse and helping clients understand their rights, and focus groups will include conversations surrounding the Automated Collection System (ACS), IRS automated processes and how to improve interactions with the IRS. 

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson testified before Congress on April 19, 2012, about tax compliance and identity theft. Watch a video of her testimony  or read her testimony. For more tax information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

 

New information regarding 2013 medical expense deductions and Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) standards is now available on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.    In addition, please note, if you receive the Tax Toolkit RSS Feed via Feed My Inbox, you will need to take action to continue receiving these updates, as Feed My Inbox is shutting down in early January. Visit the RSS feed page for instructions.  

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson discussed the complexity of the tax code, tax issues facing taxpayers and the role of the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on April 16, 2012. Olson also proposed virtual face-to-face audits to improve the IRS correspondence examination process, something she discusses in her latest blog post. Watch her interview. The NTA has also recently been featured in articles from Bloomberg and Christian Science Monitor. For more tax information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

As Tax Day approaches, the IRS has posted information about what you should do if you can’t file or pay your tax debt by the April 17 deadline. In addition, the IRS has posted YouTube videos with last-minute filing tips in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. For more tax tips and information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson proposes a prescription to cure the IRS’s ailing correspondence examination process, using technology to communicate more effectively with taxpayers through virtual face-to-face audits in a new blog post on the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Blog. 

Video of National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson’s recent testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth is now available. In addition, the IRS recently announced a delay in the processing of enrolled agent renewal applications. For more tax-related tips and information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson testified about identity theft before the Senate Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth on March 20, 2012. You can read her testimony by visiting the Speeches and Testimony page on the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit. In addition, the IRS recently launched a new online search tool, Exempt Organizations Select Check, to help users more easily find key information about tax-exempt organizations, such as federal tax status and filings.

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson questions whether correspondence examinations (or audits) are as effective as the IRS thinks in a new blog post on the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Blog.

The Internal Revenue Service is helping struggling taxpayers with new penalty relief to the unemployed and by making Installment Agreements available to more people. Learn more about the expanded Fresh Start Initiative. For more tax-related tips and information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit. 

The IRS recently issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” ranking of tax scams, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud. For more tax-related tips and information, visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit.

The IRS recently announced the recipients of more than $9 million in matching grants for 2012 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC). More information about the LITC program, which is administered by the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), can be found on the TAS Tax Toolkit.

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson stresses the need to enact a Taxpayer Bill of Rights in a new blog post on the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Blog. 

Updated information for tax professionals regarding renewing or applying for a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and continuing professional education requirements is now available on the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit.