The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an organization set up by Congress to help organizations and individuals dealing with issues with the IRS. It is not always the best option if you have problems with the IRS as we will discuss here.
What is the TAS?
The TAS is an independent body run by the IRS that has been set up to both represent individuals and organizations with tax problems, and where there is a trend that arises, can ask the IRS to resolve the problem on behalf of that group of individuals or organizations.
According to the TAS website, there are four typical examples where it will step in to support your dispute with the IRS:
- Where taxpayers experience some financial hardship, emergency, or difficulty, and the IRS must move a lot faster than it normally does (or even can) under its normal procedures.
- Where several different IRS units & steps are involved, & the case requires a “traffic cop” or “coordinator” to ensure everybody does their part.
- Where the taxpayer has been trying to resolve an issue via normal IRS channels, but those channels have broken apart.
- Where the taxpayer’s presenting unique issues or facts (including legal issues), and the IRS is applying an approach that’s “one size fits all”, isn’t listening to the taxpayer, or does not recognize that it needs new guidance
These cases are subject to acceptance and you may have to carefully explain your problems in order to not fall through holes in their acceptance criteria.
Where will the TAS refuse to help?
The TAS does not accept several types of issues with the IRS and you would have to come to a tax debt company like Defense Tax anyway.
According to the TAS again, these are examples where you will be refused assistance: “…the processing of original tax returns, amended returns, rejected and un-postable returns, and injured (but not innocent) spouse claims.”
Defense Tax can do better!
Tax attorneys and CPAs can support you from end to end of your tax dispute with the IRS. This does include filing original tax returns should these be critical to bringing the IRS to the table. The IRS will not negotiate an offer in compromise or an installment plan with you unless you have all your historical tax returns in with them for example.
We also help resolve rejected tax returns and can even get penalties lifted for returns the IRS deems ‘late’ in those circumstances.
Where a spouse is injured but ‘not innocent’ in the eyes of the TAS a firm like Defense Tax can in some cases successfully argue that the spouse is innocent in this case.
A good tax debt company can also deal with complex affairs that include multiple scenarios that are covered both in the ‘will-do’ and ‘won’t-do’ lists we detail above.
One key thing to remember is that in hiring a tax attorney you will be taking on someone who is not in the pay of the government as the agents at the TAS are. That warrants complete independence from the IRS itself and you can be assured that you will have someone representing you who will not be in any way swayed by people they know well in the IRS!
Contact Defense Tax today
In most cases, those with tax debt problems will be considered for help by us at Defense Tax. Our team has many years of experience in dealing with a wide range of tax debt issues and other disputes with the IRS and you can be assured we will work on your behalf to resolve them. For an idea of whether we can help, fill out this form, or contact us directly on the phone or via our website here.