Taxpayer Advocate (TA)

[Anonymous]

Get Tax Help

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is here to help
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is Your Voice at the IRS. Our job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly, and that you know and understand your rights. We offer free help to guide you through the often-confusing process of resolving your tax problems that you haven’t been able to solve on your own. Remember, the worst thing you can do is nothing at all!

When to Come to TAS
If you are having tax problems and have not been able to resolve them yourself, come to us. Even if you feel like there is nowhere to turn, the worst thing you can do is nothing at all. Our advocates will ensure that your best interests are represented to the IRS.

TAS can help if you can’t resolve your problem with the IRS and:

Your problem is causing financial difficulties for you, your family, or your business.
You face (or your business is facing) an immediate threat of adverse action.
You have tried repeatedly to contact the IRS but no one has responded, or the IRS has not responded by the date promised.
If you qualify for our help, we’ll do everything we can to get your problem resolved. You will be assigned to one advocate who will be with you at every turn. We have offices in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Although TAS is independent within the IRS, our advocates know how to work with the IRS to get your problems resolved. And our services are always free.

Qualifying taxpayers will receive personalized service from a knowledgeable taxpayer advocate who will:

Listen to their problems,
Help them understand what needs to be done to resolve the problems, and
Stay with them every step of the way until the problems are resolved.
How to Reach a Taxpayer Advocate
You can find the address and phone number for your local Taxpayer Advocate Service office on our website at http://www.irs.gov/advocate. You can also:

Call our toll-free line at 1-877-777-4778.
Ask an IRS employee (in person or over the phone) to complete the form on your behalf.
Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance (And Application for Taxpayer Assistance Order), is available by phone at 1-800-829-3676, or on http://www.irs.gov.
 

Taxpayer Advocate Service Refocuses Workload

TAS is temporarily limiting its acceptance of cases when the taxpayer’s problem solely involves an IRS delay in processing certain tax documents, beginning October 1. If the taxpayer is not currently facing an imminent threat of enforcement action or otherwise experiencing situations that meet the definition of an economic burden, TAS will refer the taxpayer to the appropriate IRS function specializing in return processing issues, rather than accepting the problem as a TAS case. TAS will prioritize cases to ensure effective service to taxpayers who most need TAS’s assistance or whom TAS is best suited to assist.

[Meghan Witt]

Why can’t I get a TA?
Can anyone recommend what steps to take to me or any advice?

I have to file by mail due to the system thinking I have an IP pin that I was told by the IRS in person I do not have..

So on 4/14 I filed by certified mail,
was signed for on 4/16.

5/1 I get the first bar on WMR, a week later, all bars are gone and I have the processing message.

I call the IRS a few days later and was told it just will take longer due to the IP pin but that I don’t need to verify my identity since I just did in February for 2017s taxes.

I call the TA hotline because I can’t make rent and get the answer of “sorry but we can’t override the IRS on an IP pin issue”.

Since then it’s been silence, no letter, no update, transcripts stuck at “no refund filed” or just 00.00…however it lets me order a transcript for my return and view it online.

I’m at a loss here, I see people say reach out to a congress rep, what do you say when you do? Or I’ve seen people who say it’s easier to get a TA if you visit your local irs office.. any help welcome.

[Lydia Alvarado]

Can you please tell me how long it takes to get my hardship return after the TAS comes in the picture ?

[Lydia Alvarado]

Anyone know how long it takes for the TAS to get your refund in your account

[Marcia Leventhal]

i had an ammended retrun for 2013 for a hctc. sent it documentation on time april 13, 2017…
they asked for info twice i sent it. they said it was completed july 14th.
now i call they said it was closed out with no explaination. claled your service today and they gave me a case number. it makes no sense. they asked me for an eligiblity letter say 2013. ALBANY SENT IT immediatley. i sent it certified mail and they said it was closed out. and it’s too late to reamend. makes no sense. i sent it ontime and sent all info they requested.

[bc25]

so I filed 1/19 21 dayspased and the bars on WMR disappeared. it then said my return was being processed and a refund date will be provided blah blah blah I called & they said I was under review . wait 45 days, 45 days came and left finally I received a cp05 form & was told I should know something by 4/21/2016 (my sons fifth birthday is 4/23 on top of the eviction notice I received already I have 15 days to vacate any who got a tax advocate person she said that I need to send in a w-2 . faxed that in Friday 4/2 just waiting to see what now . I will keep you guys posted on what happens.

[bc25]

so I filed 1/19 21 days passed and the bars on WMR disappeared. it then said my return was being processed and a refund date will be provided blah blah blah I called & they said I was under review . wait 45 days, 45 days came and left finally I received a cp05 form & was told I should know something by 4/21/2016 (my sons fifth birthday is 4/23 on top of the eviction notice I received already I have 15 days to vacate any who got a tax advocate person she said that I need to send in a w-2 . faxed that in Friday 4/2 just waiting to see what now . I will keep you guys posted on what happens.

[Serenity]

I just called the irs about my amended return and the lady told me that at the end of March 2016 will put me in another 16 week timeline . I’ve been waiting OVER 16 weeks for my refund . The TA has told me something totally different from what the IRS rep has . I need this DELT with ASAP !! I also feel I need to be compensated for all this patient waiting . Can I sue ? This is so stressful . Where are the professionals ?

[Serina]

I Verified 0n 3/5/15. Waited another 12 weeks and nothing, so gotta a tax adv that second week after i talk to the IRS, My tax adv call and said they are still checking my refund. So she said we should know something 6/3/15. which is in too days. Me while rent is behind, Had to park my truck and my electric bill is outta this world.i just hope it good news when she contact me. Im tired of waiting for my funds that i worked for. We had a big family, So this waiting game is killing me. I need to buy my children clothes and things, AND PAY THE RENT SO WE WONT BE OUT IN THE STREET.feeling frustrated

[De5670]

The bank rejected my refund on 2-13 because of mismatched name. I got a cp53a notice dated 3-9 it stated the reason why my refund was rejected and it also stated it would take 8 to 10 weeks before I get my check. Well I finally got tired of not getting any answers from the IRS so I call for TA on 3-5. So, the TA called me on 3-9 she told me what the actual hold up was the IRS is holding my refund because of the education credit I claimed. She had me to fax over my 1098T statement that shows how much tution I paid. And, she had me to fax over my disconnection notice for my utilities to show my hardship. So, I faxed everything over to her on 3-10 she received it the same day. My question is now that I have a TA how much longer its going to take before I get my check? This is all to stressful.

[Glenn]

I am still wait on my 2013 Refund from Feb 8,2013
I have call the IRS every month and the IRS still send me the run Around & now on June 4,2013 I get a letter for TA say that the need some Documentation so they can Release my refund a TA agent contact me on June 20 ,2013 but I didn’t get any call WTF is going on

[Jb]

Tax payer advocates are completely full of shit. Not only is the TA a liar so is her manager. I’ve been going through identity theft on top of a hardship. The TA manager said all my stuff was in the hands of the examiner and their is nothing she can do until the examiner is finished. They told me the only way they can contact the examiner is through email. I asked if I could speak to the examiner and she told me absolutely not. So finally I got to speak to an examiner today and if my TA would of picked up the phone and called my problem would be cleared up by now. The examiner said the TA can most definitely call them. So has I’ve been sitting here for over 4 months waiting on them to fix my problem, I have also caught my TA in a bunch of lies and called them out on it and then they would lie again. They are useless and full of shit.

[KATHY]

well seem like everyone is having the same problem well I fially contacted a TA AFTER ALL MY TIME WAITING ON IRS..SO I FINALLY TALK TO MY TA IN MAY AND IT IS NOW JUNE AND WHEN I TALKED TO HER ON MAY 30 SHE TOLD ME SHE WILL CONTACT ME ON JULY 2..WTF ALL I WANNA HEAR ON JULY 2 IS MY CHECK IS IN MY BANK ACCOUNT..I BEEN WAITING SINCE JANUARY.SHE ASKED ME TO FILE A 1040X AND I DID ON JUNE 10TH SO OW IM JUST WAITING ,IVE LOST MY CAR ABOUT TO BE EVICTED FROM MY APARTMENT,,,SO I HOPING BY JULY 2 I HAVE MY REFUND

[azia]

Ifiled a 1040x butI also have a TAI need my money now finna getevcited been waiting since 2/2turns outincome numbers werewrong filed a 1040x Thursday of lastweek waiting to hear from TA anyone knows will I have to wait the full 6-8 weeks??shesaid shewas gonetry to see if they can process it faster because of thehardship I’m in anyone knows if TAScan do THATPLEASEHELP

[Kendra]

How long does it take after you give the TA your income verification for your refund to come? I did not have hardship but have been waiting and decided to have the TA to handle my issue. All the IRS needed was a letter from my employer stating my wages and withholdings. I was told this on Friday 3/21 from the IRS. On Monday 3/24, my TA called (first time speaking with her) and told me the exact same thing, I faxed all my information (w2’s last pay stubs, letter from employer) to my TA and she said she will get it over to the IRS as soon as possible. She then proceeded to tell me that she will “follow up” with me on April 21st…..WHAT??? REALLY??? She then proceeded to tell me that hopefully everything will be settled by June 13th. Has anyone that has used an advocate had these crazy dates? Are you still waiting or are they just giving crazy dates for “just in case” purposes?
Thank you for your help!

[Anonymous]

Do I need an advocate?
I filed 1/26 and was accepted, ddd of 2/20! Nothing!! Received a letter that $117 was taken out for previous taxes and that the remaining money will be sent to me(which i knew i owed and expected it so it was no surprise). I have called twice and was told no additional informatin or paperwork is needed from me and i have to wait 60 days! I did nothing different from the last couple of years (i claimed my same 3 children and my husband and i have not changed jobs!) I was also told by one rep that the computer randomly picks 15-20 out of every 100 people to review!! I was one of them. This is not fair. I am still waiting! My husband has lost his job and everything is falling on me. Meaning i have to support 5 of us until he finds work.
so i just saw my transcripts and this is what it has:
code
150 ——–cycle 20140705 refund filed 3/3 (BUT I filed 1/26)
806 ——-states credit with a date of 4/15
766 ——-states a credit with a date of 4/15
768 ——states a credit with a date of 4/15
826——the amount i owe the irs with a date of 3/3 after taking out what i owe the irs
971——notice issued a date of 3/3
846——$$$$ issued 3/3
841——–refund cancelled 3/3
570——–additional account action pending $0 with a date of 3/10
Anyone understand?

[lasheka scooter]

what will i need to prove eic

[Anonymous]

Yes the Taxpayer Advocate Service is an organization which is build to help people in resolving their tax related problems. They can handle any type of issue related to tax. Moreover it provides free and confidential service to taxpayers who need any type of help resolving IRS problems that they have not been able to resolve by their own.

[Broke]

I wonder what state the other responders are from? I’m in Geoegia and my return is on hold because they hadn’t received my 2010 tax return. Which is a lil confusing since last year I was not told this, before receiving my 2011 return. The Taxpayer Advocate assured me the IRS works rather swiftly when facing a hardship such as myself. I sincerely hope he is right! I faxed the info he needed on the 13th and he submitted it that day. Our next contact date is the 29th, but he said I should receive something before that. Idk, I hope he’s right. ?????

[Anonymous]

Is it a safe assumption to say that the TA’s are really not helpful? I filed 1/26, married filing joint, no 8863, no EIC, just me, my husband, and 1 dependent. It’s now 3/18, and I have no ddd or anything. No letters received, it has just been me and my husband calling at least once a week, usually every other day. We do not get the same story twice, and now since I decided to go back to school in 2013, I have gotten a message from my financial aid department that I need to provide them with the 2012 transcript or link my FAFSA within 30 days. The IRS customer service rep is the one who told me to contact an advocate, but with the horror stories I have read, it doesn’t really look like it is going to help!

[Anonymous]

Okay so an update on my situation. Reviewed for HOH and EIC. After faxing all my info and waiting the prescribed 2 weeks from the date the advocate sent it to irs review department, I got a phone call this morning saying that they approved my refund, that the info I sent was sufficient (33 pages). Now they have to input it back into the computer system and let it process, wait 21 days, which I think is BS because I have my return transcript with the full credit on it. I know that my refund has been processed and is awaiting them to release it, which I hope takes less than a week. TAS is a load of crap, I sent in a three day notice with my info and it has been 3 weeks already, the review department took the entire two weeks that they had to approve and now I am just waiting again. Seems to me they could have just looked at the info and released the refund by now. Guess I should consider myself blessed that I do not have to wait 45 or 60 days like some people are. it is hard though to consider oneself blessed when facing eviction. Next year I will definitely not plan on using my refund for essentials, then I will not have this problem.

[Anonymous]

Okay so an update on my situation. Reviewed for HOH and EIC. After faxing all my info and waiting the prescribed 2 weeks from the date the advocate sent it to irs review department, I got a phone call this morning saying that they approved my refund, that the info I sent was sufficient (33 pages). Now they have to input it back into the computer system and let it process, wait 21 days, which I think is BS because I have my return transcript with the full credit on it. I know that my refund has been processed and is awaiting them to release it, which I hope takes less than a week. TAS is a load of crap, I sent in a three day notice with my info and it has been 3 weeks already, the review department took the entire two weeks that they had to approve and now I am just waiting again. Seems to me they could have just looked at the info and released the refund by now. Guess I should consider myself blessed that I do not have to wait 45 or 60 days like some people are. it is hard though to consider oneself blessed when facing eviction. Next year I will definitely not plan on using my refund for essentials, then I will not have this problem.

[Anonymous]

I faxed my info (all 32 pages) over on the 17th, advocate sent it on the 20th to review team. I continued calling my advocate to get answers and was finally told that once they get the info to the review team they have until the end of business on the 10th business day to complete the review and make a determination. Which would be the 6th but because they have until the end of their business day which is 5pm and the advocate works only until 2pm I should expect to hear from her on the 8th if the review team uses all of their time. hoping for something sooner but definitely expecting nothing to happen until the last minute.

[Anonymous]

Faxed everything over on Monday (2/25) she said the IRS would have 5 work days to respond and allow up to 2 weeks to get my refund. So we shall see what happens.

[Adam]

I faxed my stuff in the 27 and the advocate said give him 2 weeks……..I’m gonna just make it so I owe the govt at the end of the year. They can wait on my check

[Anonymous]

I filed 1/17, accepted by IRS 1/24. Since then have got the run around. Spoke with many reps the first two weeks that said i was processing and to just wait the 21 days. Finally weeks later i recieved a letter which was dated 2/1 stating i was under review. This was fustrating to me since not one rep informed me of this letter being sent. The letter states my return is being reviewed and to wait 60 days. WMR still says processing wait 21 days. About 2 weeks ago, I started working with a Tax Advocate that had me send in my w-2s and last three pay stubs for each w2. She stated once she submitted documents to IRS the next day that they would have three weeks to make any corrections needed and release hold. Two weeks has passed now and nothing has changed. It is very aggrivating to not know if next week which is the third week will even be the time they release this review. Anyone else working with an advocate and whats happened thus far? anyone know of anyone under review that has recieved a deposit date.

[Anonymous]

I send over all information requested to the tax advocate, along with a 3 day notice to pay rent or quit. Then she asks for the letter the IRS sent me, so I fax that also, now the faxed paperwork they have received is 33 pages. When I call to confirm that she received the fax she tells me yes and she will send the info over either this day or the next and I should expect to hear from her by March 6. What part of 3 day notice does she not understand?? How freaking long can it take to verify the info and release the funds, my refund is already credited to my account just let it go already.

It has been 2 weeks since first contact and 10 days since I sent over my info, does any one have any resolution from a tax advocate yet? Or even some good news. Shouldn’t I be at the top of a stack of reviews, according to the IRS manual I should. With an imminent threat to my shelter, you would think they would move forward quickly.

[Karen]

the Tax advocate is yes a free IRS rcsviee however, it is not for resolving your tax debtthe office is available to help you resolve tax issues you have not been able to resolve with the normal IRS channelsit is a small office, not a big work force and very busyif you have a $16000 tax debt, you only options are to pay it, get an installment agreement or try the Offer in Compromise which you can do yourselfthe latter is not often accepted and not a hugely successful option

[Author]

Replies