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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…

June 18, 2024 – Electric vehicles, typically referred to as “EVs,” are all the rage these days, not just because of environmental friendliness but also because of the significant financial incentives available to buyers. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 amended IRC § 30D for new clean vehicles and added IRC § 25E for previously owned…

From smartphones to social media algorithms and virtual assistants, artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated nearly every aspect of our lives, even taxes. But advice you get from an AI chatbot may not be as good as you think it is. In reality, AI is a rapidly evolving new technology, and may not be able to…

June 6, 2024 – No one asks to become a victim of identity theft. When taxpayers deal with these challenges, the last thing they need is an unreasonable delay in receiving their tax refunds. Yet sadly, hundreds of thousands of taxpayers each year discover they are victims of tax-related identity theft when they electronically submit…