Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continued working on activities to adopt emerging options for digital interactions with customers to reduce burden and gain efficiencies. These include drafting a plan to test a variation on the Documentation Upload Tool (DUT) that adds the ability for Taxpayer Facing Employees (TPFE) to generate a unique code to give to customers. The team plans to implement the test in a limited number of TAS offices in time for the filing season. Also, we are developing a project related to digitized forms starting with the Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Assistance (And Application for Taxpayer Assistance order). Further, the TAS request for IRS to publish the new TAS Virtual Assistant (VA) was completed by the vendor on December 2, 2022. Additionally, TAS’ partnered with IRS’ Online Services function to present technology options to other TAS executives as part of the planning for service improvements. The functions then held a strategic planning meetings and will collaborate in the second quarter for potential adoption of interactive chat.

In the second quarter, TAS will evaluate the benefit of the possible secure, two-way communications with taxpayers capability over other options such as encrypted e-mail attachments and DUT. The digital communication project has several priorities absorbing their capacity for new work, including integration with Online Accounts, followed by integration with Enterprise Case Management, and Taxpayer Journey Mapping. Lastly, funding for the Case Status Advisor position is still pending.

2nd Quarter: TAS continued to adopt emerging options for digital interactions with customers to reduce burden and gain efficiencies through several activities during the second quarter of 2023 including evaluating options for electronic communications with taxpayers, including increased adoption of the Documentation Upload Tool (DUT) and the variant DUT for Taxpayer Facing Employees (TPFE), IRS approved funding for updates to the Systemic Advocacy Management System (SAMS) to better align SAMS workflows with large increases in submissions of concerns or recommendations for IRS process and policy issues, met with Online Accounts and TDC to identify processes for business case submission and prioritization, completed its analysis of the intake process and delivered its initial recommendations to the NTA and other TAS senior leadership, and published a Virtual Assistant (VA) on the Taxpayer Advocate website.

The VA is designed to help taxpayers apply TAS case acceptance criteria in a user-friendly series of questions. More than 8,000 customers navigated through a chat and reached a knowledge article. Additional enhancements, such as interactive chat, are pending additional analysis of the business need and opportunities and the role of live agent interactions with the chat feature remain pending TAS evaluation of the role of Intake in future telephone operations.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continued upgrading our Service Level Agreements (SLAs) by Negotiating a new Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) entry with Appeals and completing the annual IRM renegotiations with other IRS functions. Also, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) agreed to the closure of Planned Corrective Action TIGTA 2007-10-068 3-1-1 which confirmed the IRS had centralized Operations Assistance Request (OAR) routing to the extent possible as reflected in their SLA.

2nd Quarter: TAS continues to review our Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and plans to continue our work with IRS to create new sections of the Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) with the IRS’ Business Operating Divisions (BODs). We are continuing our negotiations with IRS’ Deputy Commissioner or Services and Enforcement (DCSE) involving our IRM on the Taxpayer Assistance Orders (TAOs) and plan to wait until the negotiations are complete before negotiating with them regarding the SLAs.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) encouraged the IRS to develop secure digital communication tools for taxpayers during the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. This included the initial TAS Virtual Assistant. It was successfully deployed and will be in place for public use immediately after the end of the quarter. This guided help chat-bot will provide taxpayers with a self-service evaluation of their readiness for a TAS case and a guided path to other IRS and TAS resources. TAS is exploring options to expand virtual assistance into interactive chat or phone chat. Also, digitization and electronic processing of the Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance (And Application for Taxpayer Assistance order), will increase the efficiency of TAS case intake processes. TAS is collaborating with enterprise projects to capture more taxpayer submissions in a digital format.

2nd Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service has worked with the IRS to expand the process for allowing taxpayers with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) the ability to authenticate themselves through ID.me. In December 2022, the IRS started accepting ITIN credentials from ID.me, allowing ITIN holders access to the IRS Secure Access Digital Identity (SADI) protected applications. As part of this change, the IRS has expanded on their allowable proof of ownerships documents, which now includes either a bank statement or Computer Paragraph (CP) 565, Assignment Notice. TAS will continue to work with the IRS to improve the processes available to taxpayers outside the United States. More information can be found on the ID.ME website: “What if I don’t live in the United States”.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continued to review taxpayer needs during the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 by developing a list of IRS notices, including information regarding whether a response is not necessary, is required, or is optional. We also issued a report from our IRS Tax Forum focus groups with preparers discussing their experiences, as well as the experiences of their clients, with using the IRS Online Account.

2nd Quarter: TAS continues to research taxpayers’ needs and preferences for establishing online accounts with the IRS and authenticating secure access to those accounts through multiple activities including, quantifying the number of notices mailed out to determine the reasons for non-response and preparing screener and moderator guides for taxpayer interviews, as well as to prepare the necessary documentation for Office of Management and Budget approval documents to conduct the taxpayer interviews.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: During the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) worked on developing and implementing a plan to improve the efficiency of case processing as identified in the FY 2022 Lean Six Sigma evaluation. This plan is being developed by our internal functions and we are continuing to identify case processing efficiencies. Further, we are making certain taxpayer issues are resolved efficiently by forming a diverse team to test the new Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system and provide recommendations for improvements.

2nd Quarter: TAS evaluated the Taxpayer Advocate Management Information System (TAMIS), casework processes, and current technologies to identify existing technologies TAS may easily and cost-effectively integrate to improve case processing efficiencies and employees’ and taxpayers’ experience.

Status: Closed
Expected Completion Date: 12/31/2022

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) continues to work with IRS to explore new scanning technologies that will assist in processing returns. The National Taxpayer Advocate plans to include three Most Serious Problems (MSP), Processing Delays, E-File and Free File, and Online Access for Taxpayers and Tax Professionals, in her Annual Report to Congress (ARC) to highlight the issues for taxpayers and inform congress on the concerns. TAS will track the progress of the recommendations through our internal systems and continue to work with IRS to implement actions to help in better processing of paper filed tax returns. Further, in the coming quarters, TAS will create a team to analyze the Systemic Advocacy Management System (SAMS) to identify obstacles for achieving widespread participation in using IRS digital services offered by the IRS. We plan to conduct focus groups at IRS forums with tax practitioners to identify the online needs for them and their clients.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: In the coming quarters, TAS will create a team to analyze the Systemic Advocacy Management System (SAMS) to identify obstacles for achieving widespread participation in using IRS digital services offered by the IRS and we will conduct focus groups at IRS forums with tax practitioners to identify the online needs for them and their clients.

2nd Quarter: TAS’ Digital Services Team, which is comprised of Systemic Advocacy Analysts with program areas in Exam, Collection and Submission Processing, continues to discuss SAMS issues and other technology initiatives in various program areas to identify hurdles impacting taxpayers ability to use digital services offered by the IRS.  We plan to continue to search for opportunities to address obstacles and advocate for improved digital services for all taxpayers.

Status: Open
Expected Completion Date: TBD

Quarterly Update:
1st Quarter: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) has continued to work with IRS on this objective. We are continuing our collaboration with them to quantify unauthorized accesses in online accounts during the second quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Further, we issued a report from the IRS Tax Forum focus groups with preparers discussing their experiences, as well as the experiences of their clients, with using the IRS Online Account.

2nd Quarter: TAS continues to work to quantify unauthorized access in online accounts and will continue our research throughout fiscal year 2023. Further, we are preparing a screener and moderator guide for taxpayer interviews, as well as creating necessary documentation for Office of Management and Budget approval to conduct the taxpayer interviews.