Tax Controversy & Resolution: Communication Tips with the IRS
Dealing with the IRS
Generally, your odds of success when handling tax issues or seeking tax resolution will be heavily influenced by being able to concisely, accurately, and persuasively communicate with the IRS and its employees or agents.
Tips when Dealing with IRS / State Tax Agent Representatives:
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Remain friendly and empathetic with their position (most are severely overloaded and understaffed). Being confrontational will likely make the IRS agent less forthcoming to accommodate your tax resolution or be supportive. Although the IRS may have limited resources, the IRS generally does not have the same timing restrictions in resolving all cases as quickly as possible.
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Be patient. The IRS can be repetitive and immaterially detail-oriented at times. This can become tedious and frustrating to most. However, working cohesively with the IRS can be a necessary part of the tax resolution process, and complaining will not further your situation.
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If you recently relocated, you should notify the IRS by filling out their change-of-address form (IRS Form 8822). This will ensure that you get important notices on time and help keep you from missing deadlines.
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Always respond promptly to notices or letters from the IRS. However, ensure you fully review the information to be provided based on the specific requests in the IRS letter (and nothing more than necessary).
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Ask for the name and ID number of any IRS employee who contacts you, and confirm their identification through the mailing correspondence sent by the IRS. In general, the IRS does not contact taxpayers directly by phone call or email during the initial investigation. To be safe make sure that you are actually dealing with a verified IRS employee(s) and do not give any detailed information until you confirm that the call is legitimate.
It is understandable that you might be nervous when being contacted by the IRS, regardless of merit However, displaying nervousness may give an impression that you may have something to hide. Thus, using professional tax consultation like AndreTaxCo to properly communicate and guide the IRS agent throughout their inquiry is often essential for successful outcomes.
You will almost always be at a disadvantage when dealing with the IRS alone. Most taxpayers have little or no experience in handling such tax issues, tax negotiation & resolution, and the IRS collection process. IRS agents are specifically trained to dealing with taxpayers like yourself. And, while most people know very little about the details and nuances of the tax code, the IRS will attempt to leverage every rule and tool to be used against you.