An official website of the U.S. GovtEvery year, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) helps thousands of people with tax problems. This story is only one of many examples of how TAS helps resolve taxpayer’s tax issues. All personal details are removed to protect the taxpayer’s privacy.
Two taxpayers claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for the same dependents. This created a complicated case that required TAS’s advocates to use all their knowledge to figure out who was actually eligible for the credit. Based on the EITC rules, the taxpayer who came to TAS for help should have received the credit. However, the case advocate needed one missing piece of information — a court-ordered custody agreement. The taxpayer promised to provide the information but did not send it or respond to a follow-up letter and phone calls. The case advocate did not give up and made one more contact to the taxpayer – who, as it turned out, had been out of town due to a family illness. The taxpayer quickly faxed in the information and the case advocate promptly shared it with the IRS, successfully advocating for the EITC and granting the taxpayer his refund.
Learn more about the Earned Income Tax Credit.
If you need information on a specific tax topic, visit the TAS Get Help resource. It offers a step-by step guide on what you can do to settle some IRS issues on your own, what your taxpayer rights are and other options available to help you get resolution. Most issues can be resolved directly by working with the IRS. However, if you have tried, but are still unable to resolve an IRS issue, learn more about whether TAS can help you: TAS eligibility.
When working with the Taxpayer Advocate Service, each individual or business taxpayer is assigned to an advocate who listens to the problem and helps the taxpayer understand what needs to be done to resolve their tax issue. TAS advocates will do everything they can to help taxpayers and work with them every step of the way. Occasionally we feature stories of taxpayers and advocates who work together to resolve complex tax issues. Read more TAS success stories.
