What Is the Taxpayer Advocate and How Can They Help Me?

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Are you feeling overwhelmed and ignored by the IRS?

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Do you feel like your tax problems are just being swept under the rug

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with no clear path to resolution?

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Well, today we're gonna discuss how the taxpayer's advocate

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service, or TAS, or TAs, as they're called, can be your lifeline.

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In these challenging times, we're gonna explore what the TAs is, how it can help

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you, and why understanding this service can alleviate your financial stress.

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So if you're in need of a helping hand with your taxes.

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Stay tuned today because this show is for you.

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The question we're going to be answering is what is the taxpayer's advocate

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service and how can they help me?

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Welcome to the show.

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I'm Ralph, your financial evangelist, and I am so glad you joined me today.

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I appreciate you taking the time to be here.

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And I promise today's topic is going to make a real impact on your financial life.

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It's going to be a very practical discussion.

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Our theme here is always about helping you escape that cycle of financial shame.

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We want you to escape that with confidence.

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So today we're going to focus on a crucial resources that can help you

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navigate the complex world of taxes with greater ease and understanding.

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So listen, if you've ever felt lost or overwhelmed by tax

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issues, today's show is for you.

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We're going to be discussing the Taxpayer's Advocate Service.

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That's a powerful ally within the IRS that can help you resolve your tax

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problems and truly ensure fair treatment.

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And here's my promise for you.

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By the end of the show, you're going to have a clear understanding of how to

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access this service and the steps you can take to alleviate your tax related stress.

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So stay engaged.

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Thanks.

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Bye bye.

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And let's get into some key takeaways that will help you move beyond

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your current financial challenges.

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Yesterday we talked about how to maintain your faith during

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difficult economic times.

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So if you missed it, we discussed the importance of trusting in God's plan and

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finding strength in prayer and community.

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You can catch up on that and all of our episodes at AskRalph.

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com Now today we've got a listener question that hits really

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close to home for many of us.

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So here it is.

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Dear Ralph, I've been struggling with my taxes for months now.

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I've tried contacting the IRS multiple times, but I feel

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like I'm not getting anywhere.

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I've submitted all their required documents, followed their procedures,

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and even tried to speak with different departments, but it seems

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like the IRS just doesn't care.

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I'm starting to feel overwhelmed and I'm starting to feel hopeless.

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I'm losing sleep over this and it's affecting my daily life.

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Is there any service or resource that can help me navigate

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this maze and get some relief?

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Please help.

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And that was signed by Joyce in Ohio.

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Well, Joyce, let me start by saying thank you so much for reaching out.

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I can't imagine how frustrating and overwhelming it must feel

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like when you're stuck in this never ending loop with the IRS.

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Sounds like you've tried to resolve the issues, but it

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seems like it's getting nowhere.

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It seems like nothing's working.

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Well, first thing I want you to know is you're not alone in this struggle.

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Many people face these similar challenges and it truly is easy to feel overwhelmed.

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It's easy to feel hopeless, but today I want to give you hope and

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I'm going to give you some concrete steps to help you navigate this

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situation because here's a truth.

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I've been in your shoes.

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I've been there both personally and with many clients, and I've seen firsthand

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how these tax issues can cause immense stress and immense financial strain.

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But let me tell you right now, there is a way out and that's where the taxpayers

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advocate service can come in and help you.

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This service is designed to help taxpayers just like you find

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relief and find a resolution.

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So let's move into what the TAS is and how it can help you today.

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Before we drill down into the details, let's turn to the Bible for some

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guidance in the book of Philippians chapter four, verses six to seven.

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It says this, and I love to use this one on the show, probably

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use it at least once a week.

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do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer

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and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the

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peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts

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and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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What a beautiful verse.

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And you see this verse reminds us that even in the midst of our struggles, even

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in the midst of those difficult, those trying times, we can find peace and

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comfort when we simply turn to God, when we face financial or tax related issues.

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It's easy to become anxious.

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It's easy to become overwhelmed.

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Joyce, I know that's what you're feeling right now.

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I've worked with clients in the exact same situation you're in, but by

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trusting God and seeking his guidance, we can find strength and clarity.

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We need to navigate those challenges.

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And I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to help people

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like you, Joyce, help people find relief from their tax burdens.

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The Lord has blessed me with experience and.

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Understanding to assist others in overcoming these financial

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challenges from a place of faith.

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And I am thankful, and it might sound a little silly, but I'm thankful

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for the taxpayers advocate service because it provides a valuable

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resource that really seeks to ensure fairness and support for taxpayers.

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It's a reminder that we are never alone in our struggles and that help is

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available when you know where to look.

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And that's exactly what we're going to talk about on today's show.

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Well, now let's get to the meat of today's topic and that's

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the taxpayers advocate service.

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Let's talk exactly what they are They're an independent

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organization within the IRS.

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They are actually a part of the IRS They sort of sit on the sidelines of

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the IRS and they are designed to act as a dedicated voice for taxpayers

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Their mission is pretty simple.

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It says it's to ensure that Every taxpayer is treated fairly and understands their

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rights as outlined in the tax law.

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Now that in practice, that might be a little difficult to come by.

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And this service has become invaluable for those who have diligently tried to resolve

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their problems through standard IRS channels, but have encountered roadblocks.

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And I just want to start by parking right here for a second.

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The TAS or the Taxpayers Advocate Service is not designed to be

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your first point of contact.

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If you try to do that, they are going to deny you from opening a case with them.

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These people are there to help you once you've tried to work

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through the normal channels.

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And I just want to park here for a second to explain that because a lot

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of people hear this, Oh, taxpayers advocate, this is where I can go

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and get all my tax issues resolved.

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Yes, but not until you've exhausted those other things.

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So Joyce, I want to share a personal story with you that can illustrate

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just how powerful this TAS group is.

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A few years ago, I worked with a client, and we'll call him Damien.

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Now Damien was this hard working, he's a small business owner, and he found

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himself in a tax dispute with the IRS.

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I don't even remember the specifics of it, but he had tried

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Everything to resolve this issue.

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He submitted letters, he submitted documents, he made phone calls, but he

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felt like he was spinning his wheels.

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He just wasn't getting anywhere and the stress of that situation was taking a toll

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on his personal health and it was taking a toll on his business because he was

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so distracted by this and their threats of levy and their, their threats of tax

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liens that he just threw his hands up.

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And eventually reached out to me.

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And one day he came to me and he was in tears.

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I mean, he was feeling completely hopeless at this point.

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He had received yet another notice and these notices were so confusing to him.

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This one from the IRS.

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And he really didn't know what to do.

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And I listened to his story and I could, I could feel his pain and his frustration.

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He told me about all the things he had tried in the letters.

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He brought in a file had to be four inches thick of Ralph.

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I started with this notice and then I respond to that and they sent me this one.

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And then I responded to it and it seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere.

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So then I called them and I talked to this person and this was the person's name.

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And this was their ID number.

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He said, but Ralph, I just keep going deeper.

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And deeper.

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And I just sat back and I said, you know what, Damien,

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let me see if I can help you.

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Cause I knew that he needed more than just my advice.

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Now he needed an advocate.

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I could help him, but the problem was his issue was really, he needed

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somebody at the IRS to move on it.

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I looked at his paperwork and he was absolutely right in the things he

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was trying to convince them of, but they just weren't moving forward.

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So what I do, I introduced him to the taxpayer's advocate service.

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We contacted Taz and immediately they stepped in to help.

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They clarified the nature of the issue.

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They explained what the required actions would be.

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And they guided Damien through the next steps.

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And this is what TAS does.

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They act as a liaison.

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They act as a liaison between the client and the IRS or the taxpayer and the IRS,

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in this case, between Damien and the IRS.

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And they are there to make sure that his voice was heard and

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that his rights were protected.

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Now, didn't happen overnight.

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I'll be very clear about that.

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Most people think, Oh, I'm going to contact these people and tomorrow

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I'm going to have a resolution.

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Usually it doesn't play out like that, but within a few months, which, Hey,

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listen, Damien had been in this mix for like two years, but within a few

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months, Damien's tax issue was resolved.

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It was finally resolved.

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Some of the tasks took the handle and they ran with it.

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They got it up through the channels at the IRS and Damien was finally able to

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focus on his growing business again.

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And let me just tell you.

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I saw this transformation in Damien's life.

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And it was incredible.

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He actually became a monthly client from us.

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And he went from feeling overwhelmed and feeling hopeless.

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And then all of a sudden he felt empowered and he felt like he was

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in control of his financial future.

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And my friends, that's the power of the taxpayer's advocate service.

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It provides a crucial pathway for taxpayers who might be feeling

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otherwise lost or overwhelmed or, or just feel like they're not being heard.

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They help you navigate the complexities of the tax situation.

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Or the tax system.

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So if you're in a similar situation, here's the first thing I'm gonna

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tell you, just like you wrote today, Joyce, don't lose hope.

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The TAS is there to help you.

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the TAS is there to help you.

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And I'm going to give you some concrete action steps to help you get started.

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So let's talk about the common issues that TAS helps resolve, because like

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I said at the beginning, you need to understand what their role is.

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TAS can assist you with various tax issues, including some of these things.

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I'm just going to highlight a bunch of them today on the show.

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Number one thing, complex IRS communications, just like Damien, I

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got taxpayers often receive notices and letters from the IRS that are confusing.

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They're difficult to understand.

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Many times they're overlapping.

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I love this one.

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I love when you get a letter from the IRS.

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It says, yes, we got your notice, but it's going to take

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us some more time to resolve it.

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And then maybe the next day you'll get a notice.

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It looks like it totally contradicts that.

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Well, that's one of the things that TAS can do.

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The TAS can help you clarify the nature of the issue you're facing.

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They can explain the required actions and guide you on the

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next steps you need to take.

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So that is really their first role.

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If you've got a confusing situation, you've got a confusing notice.

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They can help you navigate through that and help you get

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to the resolution you need.

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The second thing TAS will do is.

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Help with payment challenges.

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Sometimes individuals and families are struggling to meet their tax obligations.

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Hey, it happens.

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I'm going to be talking about that later in the show.

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You like, what do you do if you can't afford to pay your taxes?

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And TAS can help you.

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If you're having this situation where you're struggling or you've

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got some financial hardships, TAS can help explore some potential options.

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They can help you with an installment agreement or.

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Help you do an offering compromise.

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They can provide guidance on how to approach these situations and

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work towards a resolution that fits your financial circumstances.

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Now I'm going to be honest, this is not for where you start this process.

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The IRS has channels for doing payment plans for installment agreements.

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And for those, uh, when we're trying to reduce that tax debt.

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Now, if you're hitting a brick wall, if the.

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Iris isn't responding to you.

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That's when you can go to TAS.

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And I'm going to talk a little bit later in the show about

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how exactly that you do that.

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But once you've exhausted those areas, once you've tried to what they call work

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through the normal Iris channels, because when you ask for help from TAS, that's

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the first thing you're going to say to you is like, what have you done so far?

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Let's see the correspondence that you've already used to get to this thing.

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Let's look at number three and that's tax return errors.

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The truth is mistakes on tax returns happen.

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And they need to be resolved.

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So one of the things that TAS can do is they can help you in

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assisting and resolving those errors.

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It can help you address those general tax related questions

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that haven't been resolved through the standard IRS processes.

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I've seen this happen from time to time when a taxpayer made an error, then they

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submitted an amended return, but it's like the IRS doesn't, isn't listening.

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They're not.

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Processing this.

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So we reached out to TAS after we had tried letter upon letter

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and call after call, and they can help you resolve those areas.

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They will tell you, okay, we need to talk to this division in the IRS.

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Let me send a letter for them, or let me send a letter to them.

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Let me tell you, here's a follow up.

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That's one thing that's great about TAS, and I'll just mention that here.

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They're very good at giving you follow up dates.

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They'll say to you, okay, Ralph, we're going to do this,

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and I'm going to 30 days.

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I'm going to respond back to you in 15 days.

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It really depends.

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On the situation and the importance of that particular situation.

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Now, another thing TAS can do is they can help you with tax refund delays,

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because sometimes people get delayed in receiving their tax refunds.

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I don't know about you, but a lot of people are waiting for that money.

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So sometimes TAS can step in and help track the status of a

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tax refund and understand what could potentially holding it up.

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Again, this is not the where's my refund starting point.

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This is if you've done that and maybe it's been months or it's, Hey, I hate to say

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this, but maybe it's been years and the IRS just isn't issuing you your refund.

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You've provided them with correspondence.

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You provided them with what they're asking for, but you're

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just not getting a resolution.

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That's where TAS can step in and help you get to that resolution.

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One of the things I see Taz doing a lot of is small business tax issues, because

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just like Damien, small businesses often face unique and complex tax issues.

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Sometimes those things are a little bit more complicated.

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There may be a payroll related issues.

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There may be payroll taxes and all that sort of thing.

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And if the iris isn't responding to you, if they're not being proactive and

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actually trying to help you, Taz can offer some specialized support that are

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tailored to the needs of small businesses.

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Maybe it helps you like I talked about with understanding employment taxes,

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or maybe there's an issue with some business deductions that the IRS is

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disallowing, but you're saying, wait a minute, the IRS code says I can do this.

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And that's where TAS can help you step in and resolve some specific

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tax problems that are impacting the operations of your business.

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Or maybe the IRS is threatening to levy your accounts or somehow

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come after you with a tax lien.

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Another thing that TAS can do is help with international tax issues.

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I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about that, but taxpayers with

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international tax obligations sometimes run into some other issues when they're

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working abroad or living abroad.

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And Taz can step in and help you with some dedicated resources and

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some guidance to navigate these.

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And these things aren't simple.

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So these are an area where if you've tried to work through normal Iris channels and

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the person at the other end of the Iris just isn't understanding the, the degrad,

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the, you know, How big an issue this is from an international perspective.

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And I've seen clients that had to do that.

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They had a very interesting, like maybe they're living overseas

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or they're working overseas.

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That's where TAS can step in and help.

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Another great thing that TAS does is they can help in disaster relief issues.

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Sometimes you have tax related issues arising from federally declared disasters.

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You know, maybe you've got an extension on the amount of time, or

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you can't get to your paperwork, or maybe your paperwork was destroyed.

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And you've tried to explain this to the, the normal channels at the IRS,

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but they're just not listening to you.

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Well, TAS can step in and offer some specific tax related guidance

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and support to help those who are affected by natural disasters.

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Individuals and businesses.

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And they also are cleanly aware of some disaster relief tax provisions,

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and they can give you assistance in navigating these and filing

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claims related to disaster losses.

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And if you've ever been through one of those, I haven't personally been

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through one of those, but I've had some clients that have been through those.

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Those can be really difficult situations to get through.

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Now, another thing that TAS does is they'll help low income taxpayers,

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many low income taxpayers and individuals over the age of 60.

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They need help with their taxes.

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Well, TAS actually offers some volunteer tax assistance programs

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for those people who need free tax preparations and assistance.

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Again, I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about it,

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But the TAS people can connect you with qualifying individuals.

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Maybe they, they offer free tax preparation, or maybe there's

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some assistance programs.

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Maybe you've gotten yourself into tax debt, but you just can't

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afford to pay somebody to help you.

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They can help you and ensure that those who might be struggling to

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afford professional tax help will still have access to accurate and

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reliable tax preparation services.

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Really one of the big takeaways that I get from working with TAS

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and I've worked with them, I think I've been doing this for 30 years.

Ralph:00:17:05

This is something I've, and I've worked with them many times and

Ralph:00:17:08

most of the time, they're great.

Ralph:00:17:09

They'll give you resources.

Ralph:00:17:11

They really try to help people navigate situations, which

Ralph:00:17:14

leads me to the next thing.

Ralph:00:17:16

They can help you with tax disputes and representation, because

Ralph:00:17:19

listen, this is going to happen.

Ralph:00:17:21

Sometimes disagreements or disputes happen with the IRS.

Ralph:00:17:24

And in that case, you know, maybe you've worked through the channels,

Ralph:00:17:27

you provided everything the IRS said that you needed to provide, but

Ralph:00:17:31

they're just not listening to you.

Ralph:00:17:32

You're not getting anywhere.

Ralph:00:17:33

Well, TAS can provide you assistance in helping you navigate these

Ralph:00:17:36

situations and help work to a mutual beneficial resolutions.

Ralph:00:17:41

One of the things that they mentioned here, when I did my research for the

Ralph:00:17:44

show, they, they offer, uh, taxpayers, low income taxpayer clinics, where they

Ralph:00:17:49

help people who are struggling with income issues with the tax situation.

Ralph:00:17:54

Maybe they offer some low cost or, or free legal representation

Ralph:00:17:58

in these tax disputes, because sometimes people are going through

Ralph:00:18:01

tax issues, don't have the resources.

Ralph:00:18:04

Maybe.

Ralph:00:18:04

They've been disabled.

Ralph:00:18:06

Maybe they're in a situation where they just, you know, they're not working.

Ralph:00:18:08

They've lost their job.

Ralph:00:18:09

Maybe they've had a major disaster and they can't go out

Ralph:00:18:12

and afford to pay somebody.

Ralph:00:18:13

And they've, they've tried, they've called the IRS number.

Ralph:00:18:16

They've sat on hold for hour upon hour.

Ralph:00:18:19

They've sent in all the information that they need.

Ralph:00:18:21

And now the final thing, and I love this about TAS, TAS will

Ralph:00:18:25

help with systemic tax problems.

Ralph:00:18:26

In other words, they'll look at things that are issues with the system,

Ralph:00:18:30

with the IRS system in general.

Ralph:00:18:32

I have had many TAS representatives say to me, Hey, you know what I can see

Ralph:00:18:37

where this is affecting many people.

Ralph:00:18:39

It's having an impact on many people.

Ralph:00:18:41

And that's where actually I believe that TAS kind of likes these even better.

Ralph:00:18:45

They'll, deal with the individual situations, but they love to analyze

Ralph:00:18:49

patterns with taxpayer problems.

Ralph:00:18:51

And that's the great part of this.

Ralph:00:18:53

They can recommend changes to both the IRS And to Congress,

Ralph:00:18:56

you'll see annually, the taxpayers advocate will go meet with Congress.

Ralph:00:19:00

They'll testify before Congress, and they'll start to give Congress some ideas

Ralph:00:19:05

of how to improve the tax situation so that people are being treated fairly.

Ralph:00:19:10

Nothing that Taz does.

Ralph:00:19:11

Is they are taxpayer right advocates.

Ralph:00:19:14

They ensure that taxpayers rights are protected and upheld.

Ralph:00:19:17

One of the champions of this is TAS.

Ralph:00:19:19

They act as a champion for taxpayers.

Ralph:00:19:22

They're working, like I said, a few minutes ago, they're working to

Ralph:00:19:24

ensure that you've got fair treatment.

Ralph:00:19:27

They're working to make sure that the IRS is doing what they

Ralph:00:19:30

say they're supposed to do.

Ralph:00:19:31

They're, they're meeting your fundamental rights throughout

Ralph:00:19:34

that tax administration process.

Ralph:00:19:37

So now I feel like you've got a really good idea, Joyce, of what TAS does.

Ralph:00:19:40

Well, let's talk about specifically, how do you get TAS to come to bat for you?

Ralph:00:19:45

Well, the first thing you want to do is you want to gather all your

Ralph:00:19:47

information before you contact TAS, gather all the relevant information

Ralph:00:19:51

and documents, because once you get on the phone with them, or once they

Ralph:00:19:54

reach out to you, you're going to want to have your information in

Ralph:00:19:57

order related to that tax issue.

Ralph:00:19:59

Now, again, Remember, they are not your, for your first level of, of assistance.

Ralph:00:20:04

This is after you've gone through IRS channels.

Ralph:00:20:07

So one of the things you want to be aware of is keep track of all your phone calls.

Ralph:00:20:11

Keep track of every letter you've spent.

Ralph:00:20:13

Keep track of every piece of correspondence you receive from the IRS.

Ralph:00:20:17

Make sure you have that well laid out, have copies of those notices.

Ralph:00:20:21

And here, this is the thing you're going to understand.

Ralph:00:20:23

When you ask TAS for help, you want to give them a clear explanation of

Ralph:00:20:28

the problems you're facing and the steps, and this is important because

Ralph:00:20:31

you need to lay it out for them.

Ralph:00:20:33

You need to lay out the steps you've already taken to try to resolve it.

Ralph:00:20:36

You know, I called the IRS on this date.

Ralph:00:20:38

I sent the IRS this notice on this date.

Ralph:00:20:40

I sent them this letter.

Ralph:00:20:41

I provided this information.

Ralph:00:20:43

Here's their follow up.

Ralph:00:20:44

Here's their lack of follow up.

Ralph:00:20:46

The second thing.

Ralph:00:20:46

So once you've assembled all that information, you're going

Ralph:00:20:49

to submit a request online.

Ralph:00:20:50

That's the best way to do it.

Ralph:00:20:52

It's the most convenient way to do it.

Ralph:00:20:54

You can go online through the TAS website and I'll put some links in

Ralph:00:20:57

the show notes to how to get to that.

Ralph:00:20:58

But basically they have their own taxpayer advocate site and there's

Ralph:00:21:03

a, there's a request form that you can submit a request from.

Ralph:00:21:06

It's actually a form nine 11.

Ralph:00:21:07

So you can also fill that out.

Ralph:00:21:09

You can download that directly from the IRS website, fill it out and send it in.

Ralph:00:21:13

But here's the thing you need to make sure of, make sure you include

Ralph:00:21:16

all of your contact information.

Ralph:00:21:18

Make sure you include the nature of your problem.

Ralph:00:21:20

And the form really kind of walks you through this.

Ralph:00:21:22

It'll say, what steps have you taken?

Ralph:00:21:24

What was the result of those steps?

Ralph:00:21:26

And I like this on the phone.

Ralph:00:21:27

It's sort of cut to the chase.

Ralph:00:21:29

They say, what is it that you want the TAS group to do?

Ralph:00:21:33

So once you send that, if you don't get a response, you can actually

Ralph:00:21:36

contact their local TAs office.

Ralph:00:21:38

You can be more, you know, direct on this.

Ralph:00:21:40

You can contact them.

Ralph:00:21:41

There's a list of phone numbers on their website.

Ralph:00:21:44

You can find the local office and then call.

Ralph:00:21:46

You can actually go and visit them.

Ralph:00:21:48

I'm not sure, since Covid, whether you can actually go and visit them.

Ralph:00:21:50

You might be able to set up an appointment, but you can discuss

Ralph:00:21:53

their issue with an advocate.

Ralph:00:21:55

They've also got an 800 number.

Ralph:00:21:57

You can contact them.

Ralph:00:21:58

I'm gonna give that number and it's a bunch of seven, so get ready.

Ralph:00:22:00

It's 1 8, 7, 7.

Ralph:00:22:02

8, but I'm going to put that in the show notes and you can actually speak

Ralph:00:22:08

to a representative right there.

Ralph:00:22:09

But again, be prepared, be prepared to explain your issue, be prepared to

Ralph:00:22:15

discuss what you've already done and provide them with all the necessary

Ralph:00:22:19

details about your tax problem.

Ralph:00:22:21

Because if you're not prepared, what you're going to hear is they're

Ralph:00:22:24

going to say, that sounds good.

Ralph:00:22:26

We'd love to help you, but you need to go and get your homework done first.

Ralph:00:22:30

Taz isn't going to help you try to figure out.

Ralph:00:22:33

What, you know, what happened in the past, they will help you move forward,

Ralph:00:22:36

but you've got to do the due diligence.

Ralph:00:22:38

You've got to do the legwork to get started.

Ralph:00:22:40

So Joyce, you might be saying, well, what can I expect after I file a complaint?

Ralph:00:22:44

Well, the way that it works with TAS is there's, it starts with a case assignment.

Ralph:00:22:48

So once your case is accepted by TAS, and again, you have to get past that hurdle

Ralph:00:22:52

of, are they going to take your case?

Ralph:00:22:53

Have you tried to work through the normal channels?

Ralph:00:22:56

Once that happens, you're going to be assigned a dedicated advocate

Ralph:00:22:59

and that person's going to serve as your point or your primary point

Ralph:00:23:02

of contact throughout the entire process of resolving your tax issue.

Ralph:00:23:06

They're going to contact you.

Ralph:00:23:07

They're going to discuss your case in detail.

Ralph:00:23:09

They're going to walk through all the information.

Ralph:00:23:12

They're going to gather any additional information that you need, and

Ralph:00:23:15

they're going to give you a realistic timeline, which I think is great.

Ralph:00:23:19

They're going to say to you, okay, Ralph, here's what you can expect.

Ralph:00:23:21

Or let's say Joyce, Joyce, here's what you can expect.

Ralph:00:23:24

We received your case.

Ralph:00:23:25

Here's your case number.

Ralph:00:23:26

Here's the issue you're telling us.

Ralph:00:23:28

Here's the things you've already done, and here's what you want us to do.

Ralph:00:23:32

So once they give you that information to give you follow up dates, then

Ralph:00:23:35

they're going to start working on assistance and resolution.

Ralph:00:23:38

They're going to work with you to understand the issue.

Ralph:00:23:40

They're going to help you.

Ralph:00:23:42

So that TAS does.

Ralph:00:23:43

It's a tool that you can use to help you navigate through the different

Ralph:00:23:47

departments in the IRS that can help you get to where you need to get to.

Ralph:00:23:51

One of the things I think is great about TAS is they will help keep

Ralph:00:23:54

you informed about the progress of your case and they'll tell you what

Ralph:00:23:58

steps are being taken to resolve it.

Ralph:00:24:01

So that is really, uh, in a nutshell, what TAS does.

Ralph:00:24:04

Taz does.

Ralph:00:24:05

We talked about why you do it.

Ralph:00:24:07

So if you are in that situation, I'm going to talk in a few minutes about

Ralph:00:24:11

some, some key takeaways from today.

Ralph:00:24:13

But if you're in that situation, Taz is really a great group to help you.

Ralph:00:24:17

But before I finish today, I want to encourage you to

Ralph:00:24:20

subscribe to our newsletter.

Ralph:00:24:22

You know, I talk about on this show, how to do different things and how to

Ralph:00:24:25

be engaged in this Christian finance.

Ralph:00:24:27

But one of the things I want to really encourage people to do is to

Ralph:00:24:30

subscribe to our newsletter, because by joining our community, you're going

Ralph:00:24:33

to gain access to exclusive content.

Ralph:00:24:36

That's going to help you stay fine.

Ralph:00:24:37

I always end the show and say this, stay financially savvy and informed.

Ralph:00:24:40

Well, our newsletter does that.

Ralph:00:24:42

Our newsletter is designed to keep you empowered.

Ralph:00:24:45

It's going to give you valuable insight.

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It's going to give you.

Ralph:00:24:47

And when you subscribe, you're going to receive regular updates on the

Ralph:00:24:52

latest financial trends and strategies.

Ralph:00:24:54

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Ralph:00:24:57

better decisions about your money.

Ralph:00:24:59

You're also going to get special access to special offers and

Ralph:00:25:02

promotions that can save you money.

Ralph:00:25:04

And improve your wellbeing.

Ralph:00:25:05

So I'm going to encourage you don't miss out on this opportunity, stay connected

Ralph:00:25:09

and grow in your financial journey by joining me at ask Ralph podcast.

Ralph:00:25:14

com slash newsletter.

Ralph:00:25:15

It's real simple.

Ralph:00:25:16

When you hit that webpage, it's going to ask you for your

Ralph:00:25:18

name and your email address.

Ralph:00:25:20

And it's really that simple.

Ralph:00:25:21

And you'll be joining a community of like minded individuals who are committed to

Ralph:00:25:25

helping you achieve financial success.

Ralph:00:25:27

And don't forget.

Ralph:00:25:28

I also write a daily blog post.

Ralph:00:25:30

I do this every day when I, when I record the show, I go back and I write a blog

Ralph:00:25:34

post based on the content of the show.

Ralph:00:25:36

So in today's blog, I'm going to go even deeper into the details of

Ralph:00:25:40

the taxpayer's advocate service.

Ralph:00:25:41

I'm going to give you those numbers.

Ralph:00:25:42

We talked about, I'll give you their website.

Ralph:00:25:44

I'm going to talk about some additional resources you can use,

Ralph:00:25:47

and I'm going to talk to you.

Ralph:00:25:48

How about I created this show, all the additional resources that were

Ralph:00:25:51

used and how I was able to uncover the different components to the show.

Ralph:00:25:55

And you'll find all of those things.

Ralph:00:25:57

At ask Ralph podcast.

Ralph:00:25:59

com slash blog.

Ralph:00:26:01

Well now Joyce, let's get to our reflection questions.

Ralph:00:26:03

Cause I want to leave you with some reflection questions to help you meditate

Ralph:00:26:07

on the key topics we discussed today.

Ralph:00:26:09

And the first one's this, and this may not affect you today.

Ralph:00:26:11

Today's show might be one of those.

Ralph:00:26:12

You're like Ralph, I'm not having tax issues, but here's what I'm

Ralph:00:26:16

going to encourage you to do.

Ralph:00:26:17

You might know somebody who's having tax issues or you might

Ralph:00:26:20

have these taxes in the future.

Ralph:00:26:21

So share the show with somebody bookmark the show, but somebody might be going

Ralph:00:26:25

through tax issues with the IRS and you could be a huge encouragement with them

Ralph:00:26:30

if you just share the show with them.

Ralph:00:26:32

So let's start with our first reflection question.

Ralph:00:26:34

That is what specific tax issues are causing you the most

Ralph:00:26:37

stress and anxiety right now?

Ralph:00:26:39

What are those things that You're, you're bothered by, you know, what

Ralph:00:26:42

are the things that you're trying to work through the normal IRS channels,

Ralph:00:26:45

but you're not getting anywhere.

Ralph:00:26:46

My second reflection question kind of follows along with that.

Ralph:00:26:49

And how can the taxpayer's advocate service help alleviate some of that stress

Ralph:00:26:53

and provide you with the support you need?

Ralph:00:26:56

And number three, if you find yourself in this situation.

Ralph:00:26:59

You know what I say on the show, it's all about action.

Ralph:00:27:01

So what action steps will you take today to reach out to TAS and

Ralph:00:27:05

start resolving your tax problems?

Ralph:00:27:07

Well, now, Joyce, let's talk about the key takeaways from today's show.

Ralph:00:27:10

I was like to sort of recap this at the end, in case you missed it.

Ralph:00:27:14

The Taxpayers Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS.

Ralph:00:27:18

And I know that sounds kind of contradictory, but they sort

Ralph:00:27:20

of ride alongside the IRS.

Ralph:00:27:22

Their main thing, the main goal of them is they.

Ralph:00:27:25

Advocate for taxpayers.

Ralph:00:27:26

They ensure fair treatment and help taxpayers understand their rights.

Ralph:00:27:31

TAS can help assist with various tax issues, as we talked about, including

Ralph:00:27:34

deciphering complex communications.

Ralph:00:27:36

Those notices can sometimes be like, you feel like you got to have a

Ralph:00:27:39

rocket science degree to, to figure them out, but they can help you

Ralph:00:27:42

decipher those complex communications.

Ralph:00:27:44

They can help with resolving tax errors and addressing payment challenges.

Ralph:00:27:48

We talked about how to reach them.

Ralph:00:27:49

You can submit a request online.

Ralph:00:27:51

Like I said, that is really the best way to do it.

Ralph:00:27:54

You can contact their local office or you can call their toll free helpline.

Ralph:00:27:57

Again, that will be in the show notes.

Ralph:00:28:00

Taz also addresses systemic problems.

Ralph:00:28:01

And like we talked about, that's one of the things that I think

Ralph:00:28:03

they really do a great job of.

Ralph:00:28:05

They, they address systemic problems within the tax system.

Ralph:00:28:08

So if you know an issue, maybe it's something that you're

Ralph:00:28:10

like, why did the IRS do this?

Ralph:00:28:12

I don't understand this.

Ralph:00:28:13

You can reach out to Taz and say, Hey, The next time you go, uh, to go, you know,

Ralph:00:28:18

go meet with the Congressman or go meet with, with, with people in the know there,

Ralph:00:28:22

Hey, why don't you think about this?

Ralph:00:28:24

And that can help contribute to potential improvements for all taxpayers.

Ralph:00:28:29

So again, I want to remind you one more time, join our newsletter so that

Ralph:00:28:32

you can stay up to date with the show.

Ralph:00:28:34

That's at askroutpodcast.

Ralph:00:28:36

com slash newsletter.

Ralph:00:28:38

Now, tomorrow we're going to be discussing another fascinating

Ralph:00:28:41

topic, and I'd love this one.

Ralph:00:28:43

When I, when I started thinking about the show for tomorrow, I said, you

Ralph:00:28:46

know what, one of the things that my grandfather said, always used

Ralph:00:28:49

to say is you get what you pay for.

Ralph:00:28:50

So tomorrow's show is going to be, is cheap advice really worth the price?

Ralph:00:28:55

That's a nice rhyme there, but that's what we're talking about.

Ralph:00:28:57

Is cheap advice really worth the price?

Ralph:00:28:59

We're going to explore the value of professional advice.

Ralph:00:29:02

And why investing in quality guidance can make a significant

Ralph:00:29:05

difference in your financial life.

Ralph:00:29:07

So don't miss out on that important conversation.

Ralph:00:29:10

So Joyce and everyone else, thank you so much for joining to me today.

Ralph:00:29:13

I'm grateful for your time and your support of the show.

Ralph:00:29:16

Remember my passion is to help you achieve financial success.

Ralph:00:29:20

I want to see you live out your dreams and I want to see you grow in your faith.

Ralph:00:29:23

And together we can master your finances from a Christian perspective.

Ralph:00:29:27

So as always in this show, stay financially savvy out there and

Ralph:00:29:31

may God bless you abundantly.