National Taxpayer Advocate Public Forum Transcripts

"[You] ask people, okay, if you had the choice between trying to find the answer to a government question online, yourself, or just picking up the phone and calling somebody, which would you prefer? Sixty percent of people say they prefer to pick up the phone, including half of millennials."  — Rick Parrish, Senior Analyst serving Customer Experience Professionals, Forrester...

Tax Scams: Don’t be fooled

Don’t be fooled by scammers pretending to be the IRS. Scammers target taxpayers and tax professionals each year in growing numbers. Oftentimes a scammer will contact you by telephone and alter the caller identification to make it look like the IRS or another official agency is calling. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a notice in the mail. Scammers may...

Important News: Some 2016 refunds won’t be released until after February 15

One of the biggest changes for taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) on federal tax returns for tax year 2016 is that any credit or refund will not be released until on or after February 15. This is just one of many changes made under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, enacted December 18, 2015. Individual taxpa...

Learn about claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit, and help spread the word!

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) puts money in the hands of hard-working taxpayers and can be a significant financial boost for individuals, their families, and local communities. It can return as much as $6,269 to families earning less than $53,505. IRS esti­mates that only four of five eligible workers claim and get their EITC. The one-fifth eligible worker could be you, your neighbor,...

National Taxpayer Advocate Releases Annual Report to Congress focusing on a taxpayer-centric Future State that improves voluntary tax compliance

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson recently released her 2016 Annual Report to Congress recommending that the IRS revamp its “Future State” plan to adopt a taxpayer-centric focus, and urging Congress to emphasize simplification when it considers tax reform later this year.In this report, the National Taxpayer Advocate details her vision for a taxpayer-centric 21st century tax ...

Do you have everything you need before you file a federal tax return this year?

There are several changes that might require some up-front actions by you, so that you are ready to file your federal tax return this coming year. The IRS has provided a listing titled Get Ready on IRS.gov. Reviewing this list now can help you avoid return processing delays or last minute scrambles for information you will need to prepare your return. Number one on that list is Individual Taxpa...

The 2nd International Conference on Taxpayer Rights convenes in Vienna, Austria March 2017

The second International Conference on Taxpayer Rights will be held in Vienna, Austria, on March 13-14, 2017. The conference will be hosted by the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law at WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and sponsored by Tax Analysts. The conference is convened by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s Taxpa...

The 2016 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums a huge success for TAS

Each year, the IRS sponsors the Nationwide Tax Forums, a three-day series of tax education and networking conferences for tax professionals in cities around the country. The 2016 Forums featured the latest information from the IRS, news about tax law changes, a chance to meet with software vendors, and the opportunity to attend seminars presented by IRS and TAS employees in addition to members ...

2016 Nationwide Tax Forum Seminars available for CPE credit

If you did not attend the 2016 Nationwide Tax Forums this year, it's not too late to earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits. There are 13 interactive, self-study courses now available for view at the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums Online site, including downloadable PowerPoint slides and transcripts for each seminar. Certain courses may be viewed at no cost, allowing you to obtain pert...

Four online ACA estimators help you prepare for tax time

Taxpayers and businesses can use these before filing their federal tax returns. Tax filing season will be here before you know it. As you plan and prepare your information over the next few months, don’t forget TAS has four online Affordable Care Act (ACA) estimators that can help you. These four easy-to-use tools are designed to help taxpayers estimate ACA credits and payments. They can ...