TAS Persistence Helps Taxpayer Suffering from Medical Condition Avoid Penalties

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....

National Taxpayer Advocate on C-SPAN

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....

NTA Releases FY2014 Objectives Report to Congress

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...

NTA on Same-Sex Marriage and Taxation

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 Tax...

TAS Convinces IRS to Forgive Penalties Due to IRS Error

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....

TAS Advocates for Penalty Relief; Protect Your Tax Refund

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 fr...

Upcoming Closures for TAS and IRS

Due to the current budget situation, including the sequester, all IRS and TAS offices will be closed on May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and Aug. 30, 2013. Tax-filing and payment deadlines will remain the same. More information about the impact of the shutdown is available on IRS.gov. ...

Return Preparer Test Refund Update

Some preparers made appointments to take the test to become a registered return preparer, and paid the required fee. Since a U.S. District Court issued an injunction stopping the testing, the IRS is refunding those fees. Learn more about this news and related information on the Registered Tax Return Preparer Test page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit....

New Success Story: TAS Saves Taxpayer’s Car from Repossession

When a taxpayer whose return was being delayed by the IRS was facing a possible repossession of his vehicle, TAS stepped in to help. See how his TAS case advocate saved the day on the on the Success Stories page of the Tax Toolkit....

NTA makes the case for regulating tax preparers

Each year, taxpayers hire paid practitioners to prepare and file nearly 80 million individual tax returns, due to the overwhelming complexity of the tax code. Efforts by the IRS and Treasury to regulate preparers were halted when a U.S. district court found, in the Loving v. IRS case, that Treasury lacked authority to issue such standards. The National Taxpayer Advocate believes the district ...