NTA Blog: FREE FILE: The Free File Program Is Failing to Achieve Its Objectives and Should be Substantially Improved or Eliminated

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog. In this week’s blog, I highlight my concerns with the IRS Free File program, which I also discussed in my 2018 Annual Report to Congress and my recent testimon...

TAS office intake numbers are being used in scam calls to taxpayers

Certain TAS telephone numbers are being used in a spoofing scam. Taxpayers are targeted by either robocalls or live solicitors claiming to be with TAS or the IRS. The caller ID displays a TAS number, but it is a scam. If you receive such a call, report it immediately to https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml. For more information, see the Report Phishing and Online Scams page ...

TAS Tax Tip: Claiming the EITC or CTC Credit this year? Here are some tips…

Are you planning on claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Child Tax Credit (CTC) on your federal tax return this year? If yes, then you should know some things have changed since last year. Child Tax Credit The first thing you need to be aware of is that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed the requirement for claiming the CTC. Eligible children must have a Social Security Number (SS...

NTA Blog: The IRS Office of Chief Counsel is Using Email to Avoid Disclosure of Program Manager Technical Advice

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog. This blog highlights problems with the transparency of the IRS Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), which I discussed in the 2018 Annual Report to Congress (ARC). I also d...

Register now for the 4th International Conference on Taxpayer Rights in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 23-24, 2019

The National Taxpayer Advocate of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service is convening the fourth International Conference on Taxpayer Rights on May 23-24, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The conference is hosted by the University of Minnesota School of Law and sponsored by Tax Analysts and American College of Tax Counsel, with technical assistance by International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation. T...

Taxpayer Advocate Service Toll-Free Line Is Experiencing High Call Volumes

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is currently experiencing very high call volumes on its toll-free telephone line. Many taxpayers facing refund delays are calling to request our assistance, and as a result, taxpayers calling to set up new cases with us are often experiencing lengthy hold times. TAS is committed to serving our taxpayers, and we sincerely apologize for these delays. We are ta...

NTA Blog: A Personal Message from the National Taxpayer Advocate

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog. On this date eighteen years ago – March 1st, 2001 – I walked through the doors of the IRS headquarters building in Washington, DC to begin my tenure as N...

NTA Blog: We’re Baaaaaack!

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog. Well. It’s been a while since we’ve sent out an NTA Blog — ten weeks, to be exact. We had intended to take a break while we finalized the Annual Re...

National Taxpayer Advocate Shares Tax Filing Season Tips, Issues and Solutions

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson recently shared tax filing tips and addressed issues taxpayers may face during the tax filing season this year during a series of interviews on the tax filing season. Ms. Olson spoke with journalists and participated in a live call-in session, offering taxpayers an opportunity to ask tax questions in a real-time setting. Throughout the interviews, Ms. Olson...

TAS assistance offered at local Problem Solving Days

  The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) will conduct Problem Solving Day events in communities throughout the country in the coming months and year. During these events, TAS employees from a local office will be available to assist taxpayers in person with tax problems they have not been able to resolve with the IRS. Generally, TAS can assist taxpayers whose problems with the IRS are causin...