About TAS

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) - "Your Voice at the IRS"

Mission Statement: As an independent organization within the IRS, we help taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS and recommend changes that will prevent the problems.

TAS employees assist taxpayers who:

• Are experiencing economic harm,
• Are seeking help in resolving tax problems that have not been resolved through normal channels, or
• Believe that an IRS system or procedure is not working as it should.

Taxpayers may be eligible for assistance if they:

• Are experiencing economic harm or significant cost (including fees for professional representation),
• Have experienced a delay of more than 30 days to resolve their tax issue, or
• Have not received a response or resolution to the problem by the date promised by the IRS.

TAS services are free, confidential, tailored to meet taxpayer needs, and available for businesses as well as individuals. There is at least one local taxpayer advocate (LTA) in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and at each IRS campus. Because advocates are part of the IRS, they know the tax system and how to navigate it.

Qualifying taxpayers will receive personalized service from a knowledgeable advocate who will:

• Listen to their problems,
• Help them understand what needs to be done to resolve the problems, and
• Stay with them every step of the way until the problems are resolved.

Fast Facts

• TAS received more than 274,000 cases in fiscal year 2008 (10/1/07 - 9/30/08), an increase of 37,000 from the last fiscal year.
• The three most common issues in TAS's case inventory for FY 08 were (1) processing amended tax returns, (2) levies, and (3) other refund inquiries or issues.  
• TAS cases come from individuals; small, medium, and large businesses; and tax-exempt organizations.
• Congress has enacted numerous legislative recommendations from the National Taxpayer Advocate's (NTA) Annual Reports to Congress.
• TAS maintains LTA offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and at each IRS campus.
  • List of TAS offices: IRS Publication 1546, Taxpayer Advocate Service - Your Voice at the IRS (available in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese).
• LTAs are independent of the local IRS management and report directly to the NTA.
• TAS grew out of the Taxpayer Ombudsman Office, which the IRS established in 1979.
• The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate replaced the Ombudsman Office in 1996. In 1998, Congress renamed the "Taxpayer Advocate" the "National Taxpayer Advocate" and granted the office expanded authority to assist taxpayers.

For more information, visit the TAScast Videos page of this site.

 

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