A Successful Start to the 2024 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums

July 25, 2024 – The IRS Nationwide Tax Forums are back and in full swing this summer, and the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) just successfully concluded the first forum held in Chicago from July 9-11. There are many reasons to attend the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums, including getting continuing education credits, attending workshops, participating in focus groups and having your voice heard, networking, and learning from cutting-edge knowledge sessions. Each forum offers unique opportunities to gain access to key IRS executives and decision-makers and network with others in the practitioner community.

As your National Taxpayer Advocate, I look forward to the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums as one of the highlights of my calendar because I get to hear from you. During the forum we present key updates on TAS, share how we’re advocating for you through timely case resolution, and update you on our processes to identify systemic issues and make key legislative recommendations – all to make the IRS a better partner to work with you.

Attend the National Taxpayer Advocate Town Hall Series

During my town hall, I reaffirmed what TAS is – a fierce advocate for taxpayers serving as an independent voice for the taxpayer community, and as that independent voice, we’re able to identify and make both procedural and legislative recommendations directly to Congress – an unique opportunity and a very powerful tool at our disposal.

During discussion at the Chicago Town Hall, I heard directly from the tax professional community about what’s going on and how the IRS actions (or non-actions) are impacting the clients you represent.

“I feel your pain – telephones are sadly the number one thing I hear about when chatting with Tax Pros.”

I wish I had all the answers to fix the many issues facing taxpayers, and as I said during the Q&A portion of my Town Hall, I never thought I’d spend so much of my time over the last four years discussing the IRS’s telephone system. I repeatedly hear the frustrations you (and your clients) experience while trying to reach someone at the IRS and get the information you need. This is why I shared that we will again include telephones as a Most Serious Problem in this year’s Annual Report to Congress, as we did in the 2023 report. TAS will continue to advocate for the IRS to make substantive changes on how it measures and applies telephone resources and how it needs to improve its service to all taxpayers, including tax professionals.

I also shared information about Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs). So many of you attending the forums already give back through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, the Tax Counseling for the Elderly program, pro bono efforts, or an existing partnership with an LITC. I want to thank you and give you a big shout out for your efforts helping those in need. For those who have not yet volunteered, I encourage you to step up and make a difference working just one case for a needy client via the LITC Program. The rewards are priceless, and you can make a difference to that one individual or that one family in need.

Representatives from both LITC and the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) were in attendance in Chicago and will be available at all of this summer’s tax forums to engage with tax professionals and provide information about the programs.

Like I have said time and time again, we need the expertise and input from the tax professional community to improve IRS services and tax administration. I encourage you to volunteer with an LITC in your community. You can also make a difference by submitting your suggestions to help TAP make recommendations to improve the IRS and highlight areas it needs to focus on to become a more user-friendly, customer service focused organization for all.

You can also stop by the TAS booth in the expo hall. We have TAS employees there to answer your questions about TAS and explain how TAS can help assist your clients who need help resolving issues with the IRS.

TAS’s Case Resolution Room – A Resounding Success!

TAS’s Chicago Case Resolution Room: 73% of issues resolved on site.

Long considered a crown jewel of the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums, the TAS Case Resolution Room allows tax professionals to meet one-on-one with my staff to resolve your toughest cases for your clients. New this year, we’ve deployed an online booking feature for each location where you can select your time, receive confirmation of your scheduled appointment, and upload your documentation for your toughest cases. We are excited to streamline the process to make it easier for you!

Once you’ve registered for an IRS Nationwide Tax Forum, you will receive your registration number, which will allow you to reserve your time at the Case Resolution Room. This year, tax professionals made reservations in advance using our online scheduler and uploaded relevant documents needed to resolve their client cases.

Online booking for the TAS Case Resolution Room opens for one week, from Wednesday to Wednesday, before the start of each tax forum. Online booking for the Baltimore tax forum opens on July 31. Please visit the Case Resolution Information page for details about all of the remaining tax forums. If you are not able to prebook a reservation don’t worry. We will take some in-person appointments at each tax forum. Look for our table near the conference registration or outside the Case Resolution Room.

During the Chicago Tax Forum, we provided much-needed help for more than 200 taxpayers. We provided closure and relief on the spot for 73 percent of the taxpayer issues raised during the event and will continue to work to fully resolve the remaining 27 percent of taxpayer issues.

For future events I encourage IRS Nationwide Tax Forum registered participants to sign up for a Case Resolution appointment in advance online and upload the key documents to improve the experience.

Conclusion

As your National Taxpayer Advocate, I embrace serving as “Your Voice at the IRS” and encourage you to attend a forum, ask questions, share your experiences, and hear my thoughts on TAS and how we’re advocating for you, policy changes, and legislative changes. There’s still space left to register for two of the upcoming Tax Forums: Baltimore (August 13-15) and Dallas (August 20-22). Check the website for registration fees and related timeframes. I hope to see you there!

Resources

Register for the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic site locator tool
Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
Annual Report to Congress

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