Case Advocacy

Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) case advocates assist taxpayers in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and at each IRS campus. Although TAS is independent within the IRS, our advocates know how to work with the IRS to get your problems resolved. Qualifying taxpayers will receive personalized service from a knowledgeable 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.

Below are some fast facts about TAS case advocacy:

• TAS received nearly 299,000 new cases in the 2010 fiscal year.
• TAS provided full or partial relief to the taxpayers in nearly 74 percent of the cases.
• TAS cases involving audit issues rose by more than 42 percent.
• Of the 2010 cases, approximately 120,000 involved taxpayers who experienced an economic burden –18,000 more than in fiscal year 2009.
• Despite the growth in economic burden cases, most taxpayers contact TAS because they are experiencing a systemic burden: caused by a process, procedure, or system within the IRS that failed to operate as intended or failed to resolve the taxpayer’s problem.

By the Numbers
The top 12 issues in TAS case inventory for fiscal year 2010: