Taxpayer Bill of Rights Right to Quality Service

Item two in the recent Taxpayer Bill of Rights issued by IRS is The Right to Quality Service. The IRS says taxpayers have the right to receive prompt, courteous, and professional assistance in their dealings with the IRS, to be spoken to in a way they can clearly understand, and to receive clear and easily understandable communications from the IRS, and to speak to a supervisor about inadequate service. This is going to be a challenge for IRS.  Wait times on IRS phone calls are over an hour in many cases. This is on a line dedicated to tax practitioners who represent taxpayers before the IRS. I called as I started writing this post and the recording said my wait time was greater than one hour so who knows  how long that will be. When I ultimately get through (I don't ever give up) there is a good chance the person who answers the phone will be courteous and professional. I will generally get the information I need.  Taxpayers who contact the IRS directly tell me they experience long wait times as well.  IRS notices are often long and confusing so there is work to be done in that area. We can explain to you what your IRS notice means if you need assistance. You can generally speak to a supervisor in a 24 hour period if the agent isn't helpful or won't provide the necessary information. However, I have had instances where the agent refused. I never give up so I will get that conference with a supervisor even if the agent refuses. If there is not a pressing need to talk to the IRS immediately  I can generally get a power of attorney on the IRS system in about 5 days. I can avoid the telephone delay and get what I need on line to proceed with a course of action. This is an excellent alternative to the telephone delay.  Whatever it takes is what I'm going to do to get the necessary information so we can move forward on a course of action to address your tax problems. I Never Give Up!

Robby