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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…

July 18, 2024 – I’ve discussed the good and bad IRS responses to the administrative recommendations in my 2023 Annual Report to Congress. Now, it’s time to address the concerning responses that need improvement. Two Most Serious Problems – international information return (IIR) penalties and compliance challenges faced by taxpayers abroad – had disappointing responses from…

July 16, 2024 – Part of my job as the National Taxpayer Advocate is to hold the IRS accountable for operating in a manner that is fair, transparent, and efficient while upholding the rights of taxpayers. My 2023 Annual Report to Congress included several recommendations to improve IRS operations and protect taxpayer rights. To its credit,…

July 16, 2024 – Each year, I submit the National Taxpayer Advocate Annual Report to Congress with recommendations for administrative actions the IRS can take to resolve the most serious problems encountered by taxpayers. The IRS is statutorily required to respond to our recommendations, and while most of its responses are good, some are bad, and…

Don’t get taken in by shady solar panel scams   You may have heard stories about people being misled and fed false information by solar panel salespeople. Falling prey to these scams can end up costing you thousands of dollars.  Make sure you do your due diligence before purchasing solar panels for your home.  …

If you’re one of several thousand people who were affected by a brokerage acquisition over-withholding, you may be issued a Form 1042-S. This has been an issue for a significant number of taxpayers, so here are the steps to take to recover the over-withheld amount. If a brokerage firm issued you a Form 1042-S for…

July 8, 2024 – The IRS is in the midst of reinventing itself by offering taxpayers several new customer service options, including: Expanding document digitalization; Implementing chatbots to assist taxpayers; Adding more customer service representatives; Expanding the use of online taxpayer accounts; and Conducting a direct file pilot program. These enhancements will undoubtedly provide better customer…

July 1, 2024 – On June 26, 2024, I submitted to Congress the National Taxpayer Advocate Fiscal Year 2025 Objectives Report to Congress, which outlines the 2024 filing season and identifies key objectives my organization will undertake for the upcoming fiscal year. The report identifies our key objectives for the upcoming fiscal year, including 11 systemic…

National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins today released her statutorily mandated midyear report to Congress. The report says the tax return filing season generally ran smoothly this year, but it identifies delays in issuing refunds to identity theft victims, misleading telephone measures that lead to poor resource allocation decisions, and delays in processing Employee Retention…

On June 20, 2024, the IRS announced delays in posting payments made through the Electronic Federal Payment Posting System (EFPPS). This means the IRS experienced a higher volume than normal of electronic payments, which has caused a significant delay in processing payment records for payments received on or after April 18, 2024.   Taxpayers can use…