Where is my tax refund? And who can help?
If you are expecting a tax refund, still haven’t received it and facing a financial hardship or feel your rights have been violated, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) may be able to help. They are an organization with in the IRS to be your voice when you are not getting help from the IRS.
Taxpayers often report they have repeatedly tried to contact the IRS and aren’t getting clear answers if any at all. Sometimes they feel like they aren’t being respected and don’t know what to do. It could be time to contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).
It has been said that there is a high volume of incoming requests. You may face a high call volume and have a long waiting time. The early morning seems to be the most congested time. We suggest trying to reach out at a later time in the day.
Call the Taxpayer Advocate Service (877) 777-4778
Before you reach out to the TAS, make sure you know how they can help. There is a Taxpayer Bill of Rights that protect you! Check the Tax Advocate Service Toolkit to see more about the TAS. Or go straight to the Taxpayer Advocate office.
Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS)
It is free. They can review actions that have been taken or need to be taken by the IRS to resolve problems.
Congress established the office of the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) as an independent organization that functions within the IRS is to assist taxpayers who have difficulty getting solutions to their problems or getting timely and appropriate responses to their inquiries.
The job of the Taxpayer Advocate is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that they understand their rights as a taxpayer.
Criteria
There is criteria that qualifies taxpayers for assistance and it is used as a guide to determine whether they will accept a case. You will need to describe your hardship and be prepared to provide documentation to verify. The TAS won’t take all types of cases.
Financial Hardship
This is when an IRS action or inaction is causing or will cause an economic burden or negative financial consequences. You will need to describe the hardship and be prepared to provide documentation to verify.
- Experiencing or are about to suffer financial hardship.
- Facing immediate threat of negative action.
- You will incur significant costs if no action.
- You will suffer irreparable injury or adverse impact.
IRS System Problem
This is when an IRS process, system, or procedure has failed and as a result they have failed to timely respond to or resolve an issue.
- Delay of more than 30 days to resolve a tax account problem.
- Not receiving a response or resolution by date promised.
- A system or procedure has either failed to operate as intended, or failed to resolve the taxpayer’s problem or dispute within the IRS.
Local Taxpayer Advocate
Each state has at least one Local Taxpayer Advocate who is independent of the local IRS office and reports directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate.
Go here to find the phone number and address of the Taxpayer Advocate Service office nearest to you. Local Taxpayer Advocate