Believe it or not, everything the IRS does is not necessarily bad for your health! Some folks don’t realize that they actually do have a “voice” within IRS: called the National Taxpayer Advocate.
This is an independent organization within IRS, whose mission is to help taxpayers who may be experiencing economic harm, or taxpayers seeking help in resolving problems with IRS and not having any success with the “normal” IRS channels of communication.
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is free to all taxpayers, and exists in the form of at least one local TAS office in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The usual way to start a TAS contact is to complete IRS Form 911, “Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance (And Application for Taxpayer Assistance Order)”.
And beyond helping you with your specific case situation, also look to TAS for “systemic advocacy” in helping you deal with the IRS morass. The TAS Office of Systemic Advocacy:
- addresses issues which impact multiple taxpayers
- works with individuals, businesses and nonprofits
- analyzes IRS systems, policies and procedures
- assesses taxpayer burden and taxpayer rights issues
- proposes solutions or legislative changes, and
- monitors progress toward the solutions.
Check out IRS Publication 1546 for more info on the TAS.
