Ben Franklin said it first “... in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”  It’s mid-April and the good news is that if you’re reading this, the first of these options doesn’t apply to you. The bad news is that the second does.

I grumble my way through tax season and frankly, I’d like to treat the federal government like any other business I might patronize. For example, if I purchase an item and there’s a problem with it, I can return it and get my money back. If I’m not delighted with the job the government is doing, I should be able to get some of my tax dollars back. At the very least, they should provide someone who can navigate the bureaucratic morass and act on my behalf. Wouldn’t it be great if the IRS actually had some sort of customer service?

They do!

It’s called the Taxpayer Advocate Service and they are an independent organization within the IRS. And just as you’d expect from customer service, they are there to resolve problems, helping individual taxpayers, businesses, and even exempt organizations.

The Advocate also provides a report to Congress each year that identifies the top 20 issues facing taxpayers. In past years, these have included identity theft, problems with tax return preparers, and the need for a Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Even more importantly, the Advocate is a “safety net” for those who are having problems with the IRS. The Taxpayer Advocate helps when problems with the IRS or an IRS process are causing financial difficulties or not working properly.

According to its website (https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/about/who-we-are), when contacted by a taxpayer, the Advocate steps in to help the IRS move quickly to prevent financial harm. When many different IRS units are involved, it acts on behalf of the taxpayer to pull all the players together and make sure each is doing what they are supposed to do.

If a taxpayer has tried to resolve an IRS issue on their own but hasn’t been able to, the Advocate will step in. And finally, when the taxpayer’s situation is unique but the IRS is trying to apply a standard response, doesn’t understand the taxpayer, or has failed to understand that a different approach is needed, the Advocate will act on behalf of that taxpayer.

I know the service works because over the years in a previous profession I had occasion to ask the Advocate for help on behalf of taxpayers.  They have the ability to search the records on specific cases or returns.  Often, they were able to provide an update over the phone before the taxpayer received the written notification from the IRS.

So, if you find yourself wrestling with the IRS over an issue that isn’t being resolved, consider reaching out to the folks at the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Here in Maine, they are located in Augusta in the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building at 68 Sewall St., Room 313. You can reach them by phone at (207) 480-6094.