Taxpayer advocates have the power —mandated by Congress—to cut through red tape and help you. There are 2,300 employees of the Taxpayer Advocate Service spread across the United States. In a recent year, they received 200,000 cases.
The IRS claims that nearly half of all requests for help from the Taxpayer Advocate’s Service are resolved satisfactorily to the taxpayer, in under five days. Complex problems take ten to 30 days—still good by normal IRS standards! The Taxpayer Advocate Service was formerly called the Problems Resolution Program.
The IRS has a program called Problem Solving Days. These are sessions for taxpayers or their representatives to bring in matters they haven’t been able to resolve through normal IRS channels. Senior people there have the power to cut through red tape and get to the bottom of things. You can walk in or, better, make an appointment ahead of time. Call 800-829-1040 to see if the program is offered in your area. Or, check the IRS website at www.irs.gov. Don’t expect miracles, but the feedback on this program has been positive. It’s worth a shot—and it’s free.
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