While the IRS strives to provide accurate and complete service, some taxpayers experience delays in having Federal tax problems resolved. Other taxpayers may be suffering or about to suffer a significant hardship because of the way Internal Revenue laws are being carried out. If you are faced with such circumstances, you can get help from the Taxpayer Advocate Program. Before requesting this assistance, you should first attempt to use existing administrative or formal appeal procedures that are available to help you. Most problems are resolved through regular channels. However, if any of the following circumstances apply to you, you may ask for assistance from the Taxpayer Advocate Program:

• You are suffering or about to suffer a significant hardship,
• You are facing an immediate threat of adverse action,
• You will incur significant costs if relief is not granted (including fees for professional representation),
• You will suffer irreparable injury, or long term adverse impact if relief is not granted,
• You have experienced a delay of more than 30 calendar days to resolve a tax–related problem or inquiry,
• You have not received a response or resolution to your problem by the date promised,
• A system or procedure has either failed to operate as intended or failed to resolve your problem or dispute within the IRS.

If one or more of the above applies to you, the Taxpayer Advocate may issue a Taxpayer Assistance Order to suspend, delay, stop, or speed up IRS actions to relieve your hardship. While Taxpayer Advocates cannot change the tax law or make a technical tax decision, they can clear up problems that resulted from previous contacts and ensure that your case is given a complete and impartial review.

You may gain quick access to the Taxpayer Advocate Program by calling their toll–free number 1–877–777–4778, or you can call or write to your local Taxpayer Advocate, whose address and phone number should be listed in your local telephone directory. If you write, please be sure to include your social security or employer ID number, your return address and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day. Include with your letter copies of any correspondence you have received from the IRS.