Who We Are

The Taxpayer Advocate Service – “Your Voice at the IRS”
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is Your Voice at the IRS. Our job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly, and that you know and understand your rights. We offer free help to guide you through the often-confusing process of resolving your tax problems that you haven’t been able to solve on your own. Remember, the worst thing you can do is nothing at all!

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.

When to Come to TAS
If you are having tax problems and have not been able to resolve them yourself, come to us. Even if you feel like there is nowhere to turn, the worst thing you can do is nothing at all. Our advocates will ensure that your best interests are represented to the IRS.

TAS can help if you can’t resolve your problem with the IRS and:

• Your problem is causing financial difficulties for you, your family, or your business.
• You face (or your business is facing) an immediate threat of adverse action.
• You have tried repeatedly to contact the IRS but no one has responded, or the IRS has not responded by the date promised. 

If you qualify for our help, we’ll do everything we can to get your problem resolved. You will be assigned to one advocate who will be with you at every turn. We have offices in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Although TAS is independent within the IRS, our advocates know how to work with the IRS to get your problems resolved. And our services are always free.

Qualifying taxpayers will receive personalized service from a knowledgeable taxpayer 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.

To contact TAS, call (877) 777-4778 or view a list of local TAS offices.

Taxpayer Advocate Service Refocuses Workload: TAS is temporarily limiting its acceptance of cases when the taxpayer’s problem solely involves an IRS delay in processing certain tax documents, beginning October 1. If the taxpayer is not currently facing an imminent threat of enforcement action or otherwise experiencing situations that meet the definition of an economic burden, TAS will refer the taxpayer to the appropriate IRS function specializing in return processing issues, rather than accepting the problem as a TAS case. TAS will prioritize cases to ensure effective service to taxpayers who most need TAS’s assistance or whom TAS is best suited to assist. More details.
 

Fast Facts

• TAS received nearly 299,000 new cases in fiscal year 2010 (10/1/09 - 9/30/10), or almost ten percent more than in the last fiscal year.
• The three most common types of issues in TAS's case inventory for FY 10 were (1) document processing, (2) audits, and (3) refunds.
• TAS cases come from individuals; small, medium-sized, and large businesses; and tax-exempt organizations.
• Congress has enacted numerous legislative recommendations from the National Taxpayer Advocate's Annual Reports to Congress.