Daily News Feeds

Upcoming Closures for TAS and IRS

Due to the current budget situation, including the sequester, all IRS and TAS offices will be closed on May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and Aug. 30, 2013. Tax-filing and payment deadlines will remain the same. More information about the impact of the shutdown is available on IRS.gov. ...

Return Preparer Test Refund Update

Some preparers made appointments to take the test to become a registered return preparer, and paid the required fee. Since a U.S. District Court issued an injunction stopping the testing, the IRS is refunding those fees. Learn more about this news and related information on the Registered Tax Return Preparer Test page of the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Tax Toolkit....

New Success Story: TAS Saves Taxpayer’s Car from Repossession

When a taxpayer whose return was being delayed by the IRS was facing a possible repossession of his vehicle, TAS stepped in to help. See how his TAS case advocate saved the day on the on the Success Stories page of the Tax Toolkit....

NTA makes the case for regulating tax preparers

Each year, taxpayers hire paid practitioners to prepare and file nearly 80 million individual tax returns, due to the overwhelming complexity of the tax code. Efforts by the IRS and Treasury to regulate preparers were halted when a U.S. district court found, in the Loving v. IRS case, that Treasury lacked authority to issue such standards. The National Taxpayer Advocate believes the district ...

TAS Case Advocates: Your Voice at the IRS

TAS case advocates assist qualifying taxpayers nationwide in resolving problems with the IRS. Identity theft was the most common issue in TAS casework during fiscal year 2012 (10/1/11 – 9/30/12) and rose 61 percent over the last fiscal year. TAS also found an increasing number of taxpayers were defrauded by tax preparers. Learn more about TAS Case Advocacy on the Taxpayer Advocate Servi...

National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson Testifies on IRS Budget

In her recent testimony before Congress, National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson notes the IRS could only answer 57 percent of calls on tax day – an “F” in any grading book. Learn more about IRS budget issues and the NTA’s recommendations in her testimony before Congress on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s Tax Toolkit....

Taxpayer Advocate Service: Advocacy in Action; Improvements to Online PTIN System

TAS received nearly 220,000 new cases in FY2012. In addition, identity theft-related cases rose 97 percent. Learn more about TAS’s mission and work on the Who We Are page of the Tax Toolkit. In addition, learn about the recent improvements to the IRS’s online Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) system on the Renewing or Applying for a PTIN page....

NTA Interviewed on Tax-Related Identity Theft; Video Explains What to Expect From TAS; New Tax Reform Comments Available

In a recent interview on Federal News Radio, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson outlines the recent dramatic increase in tax-related identity theft, discusses how TAS and the IRS are working to help victims and the proposed new civil penalties for those who commit identity theft. In addition, new tax reform comments submitted by members of the public are now available on the Tax Reform Sug...

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson Testifies on Tax Fraud and Tax ID Theft

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on April 16 about several key tax issues, including tax fraud, tax identity theft and tax reform. Read her testimony on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit....

2013 Tax Forum Registration, PTIN Renewal Applications Update

Each year, TAS participates in the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums, a three-day series of tax education and networking conferences for tax professionals. Learn about registration, dates and locations for the 2013 Forums on the TAS at the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums page on the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s (TAS) Tax Toolkit. In addition, all enrolled agent renewal applications for SSNs ending in ...