Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Local IRS offices

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Local IRS offices

    Are local IRS offices still available for personal meetings for payment solutions for a client? I a seminar I learned that one should never call the 800 number for collections unless one wants to be abused (which happened to me in a discriminatory manner because of my German accent - and yes, I have reported the incident). Instead one should go to the local IRS office...BUT this was before everything got down the drain with IRS and local offices.

    #2
    Originally posted by Gretel View Post
    Are local IRS offices still available for personal meetings for payment solutions for a client? I a seminar I learned that one should never call the 800 number for collections unless one wants to be abused (which happened to me in a discriminatory manner because of my German accent - and yes, I have reported the incident). Instead one should go to the local IRS office...BUT this was before everything got down the drain with IRS and local offices.
    The answer is maybe. Depends on where you are located and if your local IRS office has a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Fortunately I have one within driving distance. My clients make use of it all the time.

    To check go to this site: http://apps.irs.gov/app/officeLocator/index.jsp

    My local IRS TAC offers the following services:


    Account inquiries (help with letters, notices and levies on your wages or bank account)

    Adjustments (changes to tax account information or payments)

    Alien clearances (Sailing Permits)

    Assistance with Affordable Care Act tax provision questions for individuals

    Basic tax law assistance January 1 - April 15 (answers related to your individual Federal Tax Return) (Topics)

    Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance

    Help with Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return (tax law & submission of tax return)

    Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers and Form W-7 (More Information)

    Multilingual assistance (over 150 languages translated)

    Payment arrangements

    Payments (check or money order only)

    Procedural inquiries

    Solutions to tax issues

    Tax forms (based on availability)


    *Does not accept cash payments
    Last edited by ATSMAN; 05-26-2015, 10:45 AM.
    Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

    Comment


      #3
      Collections Alive and Well

      Gretel, you are quite correct about the functionality of the local offices being hampered, in fact some of them have been closed.
      I remember the days when you could take your issue to an IRS employee at a local office and he/she could get it solved for the
      taxpayer. Sort of a "customer service" approach. No more.

      However, there ALWAYS seems to be someone available to discuss collection issues. Even the government has got sense enough
      to not slam the door in the face of incoming money. I'm certain the IRS has an office in Billings and will have a collection agent
      available to you. If your client is having problems paying, be prepared to bring a 433A with you.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by ATSMAN View Post
        The answer is maybe. Depends on where you are located and if your local IRS office has a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Fortunately I have one within driving distance. My clients make use of it all the time.

        To check go to this site: http://apps.irs.gov/app/officeLocator/index.jsp

        My local IRS TAC offers the following services:
        It's a walk-in office with taxpayer assistance. How do you know what an office offers? Where did you get your list from? Thanks for the link.

        Comment


          #5
          You can find the nearest IRS office at http://www.irs.gov/app/officeLocator/index.jsp

          Locals are not going to want to deal with a case that is assigned to the automated collection system but can take a request over the counter. A Form 9465 with a proposed payment of 1/60th of the liability per month with less than $25,000 due should flow through without any trouble.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Gretel View Post
            Are local IRS offices still available for personal meetings for payment solutions for a client? I a seminar I learned that one should never call the 800 number for collections unless one wants to be abused (which happened to me in a discriminatory manner because of my German accent - and yes, I have reported the incident). Instead one should go to the local IRS office...BUT this was before everything got down the drain with IRS and local offices.
            Gretel: I disagree with the advice given at the seminar with respect to calling collections on the phone. My experience in calling them has been overwhelmingly positive over the years. I generally verify that the client is available, call collections, go through the menus, then put the line on speaker while I do something productive. Whenever the IRS comes on the line, I request permission to conference the client in and then we proceed.

            There have been a small number of times when I got an arrogant jerk, but most of the time the person I dealt with was pleasant and task-oriented - they just want to get the case cleared or payment plan set up and move on. On the few occasions I ran into someone who was disagreeable, I just found an excuse to get off the phone and then called right back to get someone else. Incidentally that's something you'd find impossible to do if you walk into one of their offices.

            It's been a few months since I made a call like this, and maybe they've loaded the phone lines with ogres since my last experience. But I think calling them is much less stressful than going to the trouble to travel to an office.
            "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Gretel View Post
              It's a walk-in office with taxpayer assistance. How do you know what an office offers? Where did you get your list from? Thanks for the link.
              Same link that I provided. Just drill down! As a matter of fact IRS has a whole page of services provided at MA locations. Get one for your state from that link.
              Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

              Comment


                #8
                I have found that If you go with the taxpayer to the local TAC the agents are helpful and they seem to get things resolved because now you have a name to call. Make sure you have the POA signed and in hand before walking in. Also when taxpayers call the IRS they generally don't get to the issue at hand and probably confuse the agent at the other end. Some are so emotional that they don't even make sense. If you are there with the taxpayer to explain the matter it helps IRS resolve it or point you in the right direction.

                I learned this almost 20 years back before we had internet!
                Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

                Comment

                Working...
                X