Taxpayer Advocate Service Available to Those Needing Help With IRS

For the past couple of weeks, we have been giving you what we hope is helpful information when it comes to filing your tax returns this year.

Now we want to tell you about another source you can access if you are having any sort of trouble with your 2014 tax returns.

It’s called the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

According to Kenneth Hopson, Atlanta Campus Taxpayer Advocate, their job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that you know and understand your rights.

And with the new cutbacks at the Internal Revenue Service, Hopson said it will be harder for taxpayers to get their cases resolved by the IRS in a timely manner.

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“Whenever the IRS experiences any kind of problems, taxpayers will have problems getting their tax issues resolved,” Hopson said. “With the IRS cutbacks, taxpayers may not be able to get through to the IRS by phone, they may have delays in getting their refunds. So, that’s when they need to come to us.  As a result, we are expecting an increase in our workload this year.”

If you are having a tax problem that you haven’t been able to resolve on your own, the Tax Advocates may be able to help.

Hopson said you may be eligible for help if your IRS problem is causing financial difficulty or you believe an IRS procedure just isn’t working as it should.

“When people are experiencing hardships, like a job loss, or financial problems and they can’t pay their rent, and they need their refund as quickly as possible. We can circumvent some avenues to go to the people that need to assist them in an expedited manner,” Hopson said. “Also, they may not be pay the taxes they owe so they need help so the IRS won’t levy their bank account, that’s when they come to us It’s not just refunds, it’s assistance with the IRS.”

There are two Tax Advocate offices in Georgia, both in the metro Atlanta area.  To speak to an advocate, you can toll-free (877) 777-4778.
Or you can go online for more information to www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov.