Status: Closed
Completion Date: 09/30/2023

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continued looking for ways to expand our outreach efforts with a focus on reaching the underserved and giving taxpayers the tools to help resolve their issues sooner. Each Local Taxpayer Advocate (LTA) in TAS developed and implemented Outreach Plans including global quarterly outreach goals specific to Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day, Pre-Filing Season Awareness, First-Time Filers, Small Businesses and Self-Employed, International/Taxpayers Living Abroad, and taxpayers with disabilities. We used Microsoft Teams to develop, publish, and deliver outreach materials for First Time Filers and Pre-filing Season Awareness Day. TAS will continue to develop outreach materials for underserved populations and update digital platforms once published.

2nd Quarter: TAS used social media, the TAS website, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to encourage attendance at problem solving days and outreach and education events. Also, we partnered with community organizations, congressional offices, and new stakeholders to conduct these events to reach underserved populations including the financially distressed, first time filers, the houseless, Seniors, Veterans, new graduates, small business owners, self employed taxpayers, and first time filers. Further, we accommodated taxpayers’ schedules of individuals, small businesses, and the self-employed by partnering with the IRS on Saturday Face-to-Face Taxpayer Experience Days. TAS provided in-person assistance with account issues, answered tax questions, and opened new cases for those taxpayers facing financial hardships, long-term adverse impact, or systemic hardships.

3rd Quarter: TAS continued using technology to complete virtual outreach events with multi-city/state managers and stakeholders. We have identified a project manager who will lead and develop an overarching strategy to better use resources when executing our outreach program. Further, we partnered with new external stakeholders to conduct problem solving days and education and outreach events, and reach underserved populations including the financially distressed, the unhoused, Seniors, Veterans, new graduates, small business owners, self employed taxpayers, and first time filers. Also, we used social media, the TAS website, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to encourage attendance and complete educational events and problem solving days.

4th Quarter: During the fourth quarter, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) leveraged technology to complete virtual outreach events with multi-city/state managers and stakeholders. TAS used social media, the TAS website, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to encourage attendance and complete educational events and problem solving days. Also, TAS’ Executive Director, Case Advocacy capitalized on technology to conduct a Town Hall with Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Clinicians to explore how to improve partnerships to better serve underserved populations.

Lastly, while the IRS did not complete Hearing All Voices campaign, TAS partnered with IRS to support 16 face-to-face Saturday events overall.

This activity is closed.

Status: Closed
Expected Completion Date: 06/30/2023

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continues to support the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) by communicating TAP member availability for providing grassroots taxpayer insights, promoting relationships between TAP members and their Local Taxpayer Advocates (LTAs), and providing support to TAP with assistance with TAP newsletters, new releases, publications and TAP annual report.

2nd Quarter: TAS continues supporting the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) to provide the taxpayers’ perspective on critical tax administrative programs used by the IRS and continuously looks for opportunities to identify grassroots issues through outreach conducted by the TAP members (460 issues were received in the 2nd quarter). The TAP volunteers work to gather independent taxpayer comments and suggestions regarding IRS service, customer satisfaction, and process improvements. Also, the TAP released its 2022 Annual Report and it is now available to the public. The annual report highlights some of the work and accomplishments from TAP members. Lastly, the TAP recruitment announcement is currently open to help to fill upcoming vacancies projected for the 2024 membership.

3rd Quarter: TAS assisted the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) through outreach efforts made by the TAP members during the third quarter, 350 issues were received and TAP volunteers collected feedback from unaffiliated taxpayers on IRS services, client satisfaction, and process enhancements. Also, members of the TAP staff along with management officials from TAS are evaluating the skillsets of potential 2024 TAP members and alternates. Appointments will be made by the IRS Commissioner and Department of Treasury sometime in December 2023.

This objective is closed.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: 09/30/2024

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continues to support the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) through several activities including partnering with the IRS to develop additional strategies to reach underserved taxpayer populations, analyzing current LITC coverage data, conducting outreach to stakeholders, identifying new strategies to expand services, conducting joint LITC-Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) practitioner kickoff meetings, working with tribal leaders to encourage them to apply for an LITC grant, and exploring opportunities for outreach and meetings with stakeholders. To meet these challenges during the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023,we have presented information to citizens of different tribes to discuss TAS and LITC, discussed the availability of LITC grants to serve citizens of tribal nations, and pursued new LITCs in multiple states.

2nd Quarter: TAS continues to support the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) and the Program Office with staffing and budgetary support. The Program Office continues to identify new ways to expand services and decrease underserved populations including, implementing a pilot program to attract organizations to the clinic program funded by the increased budget to IRS, opening a program to allow organizations that provide the majority or all of its representation through volunteers, and including a legislative recommendation in the Congressional Affairs Program materials for Local Taxpayer Advocates to discuss with their congressional partners. Further, the Program Office expects organizations will apply to provide education and then consider expanding to provide representation.

The Program Office continues to assist with outreach to historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) to encourage them to consider starting an LITC. The staff attended a symposium in Washington, DC where they met and talked with a number of professors and students from various universities including two HBCUs.

3rd Quarter: The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) office continues to partner with IRS to develop strategies to reach underserved taxpayer populations. During the third quarter, we collaborated with the IRS Tax Exempt/Government Entity (TEGE) office regarding our new clinics that will be serving tribal communities in some parts of the country. Also, we received applications from 11 organizations during the supplemental grant period to bring additional coverage to Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

We continued to work to develop a more robust definition of the underserved population for the LITC program by using IRS data about low income filters and identifying likely non-filers and those experiencing enforcement or audits by geographic areas. Further, TAS used census data for Limited English Proficiency taxpayers to gather additional data. In addition, to filling geographic gaps, we are identifying additoinal areas where communities experience higher than average interactions with the IRS and determining whether those areas would benefit from additional access to representation, education and advocacy.

4th Quarter: This objective will continue in Fiscal Year 2024.