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.
TAS received a call from a taxpayer who was frantic and nearly in tears. All of the taxpayer’s plans for a new home were about to go astray, although her federal taxes were paid and the closing was scheduled for the following day. She had requested several times for the IRS to provide a letter showing the status of her tax payments, but they had been unable to do so and the mortgage company would not accept the tax transcripts TAS provided several days earlier. The closing had already been changed once and the mortgage company was adamant that no further extension would be granted.
TAS quickly reviewed the taxpayer’s account information and determined, through no fault of the taxpayer, the accounts were full paid, but the payments were not applied correctly; however the transcript didn’t fully explain the taxpayer’s account status. TAS advocates collaborated to prepare and fax a letter to the taxpayer detailing her payment status. The mortgage company accepted her information and allowed her to proceed with the closing. TAS continued to advocate for the taxpayer and made sure the IRS made necessary adjustments to apply the payments correctly.
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.
