Meet Erin Collins, Nationwide Taxpayer Advocate for the IRS

In the event you’re one of many thousands and thousands of Individuals grappling with IRS points, you could not notice there’s an alternative choice on your unresolved issues.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service, often called TAS, is an impartial group inside the company, offering one-on-one steering and combating for systemic adjustments.

Erin Collins, the nationwide taxpayer advocate, leads about 80 nationwide workplaces for struggling filers, consults inside the IRS, studies yearly to Congress on the company’s greatest issues and presents legislative proposals.

Taking the reins in March 2020, she’s had a front-row seat for the pandemic’s devastating results, contributing to “probably the most difficult 12 months taxpayers and tax professionals have ever skilled,” as described in her 2021 annual report to Congress. 

The Nationwide Taxpayer Advocate hotline fielded almost 3 million calls between Oct. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021, a 990% improve from the earlier 12 months, and obtained 264,343 new instances.

And at the moment, the IRS is buried by a backlog of tens of thousands and thousands of unprocessed returns, which Commissioner Charles Rettig expects to clear by the end of 2022.

CNBC spoke with Collins about her key position throughout an unprecedented time for the IRS. The interview has been condensed and edited for readability.

Kate Dore: I might love to listen to about your profession path to turning into the nationwide taxpayer advocate.

Erin Collins: You make me smile whenever you ask like I actually deliberate this. Once I was in legislation faculty, considered one of my professors, who I feel at all times needed to work for the IRS Chief Counsel, pointed me in that course.   

I wasn’t actually positive what I used to be doing, however in hindsight, it was an incredible alternative. So I went proper from legislation faculty to the IRS Chief Counsel. I labored there for about 15 years and wore a number of hats that had been very useful for my present position.

After which I joined [accounting firm] KPMG of their IRS controversy apply, which was attention-grabbing as a result of it is altering from one aspect of the desk to the opposite. They have a look at tax utterly otherwise than the IRS.

KD: You joined the Taxpayer Advocate Service in March, 2020. What made you most on this position?

EC: So I had simply introduced my retirement with KPMG, and I actually was pondering of retiring. I had no intention of going again into the tax discipline. And when the place got here up, it was the one job I might have thought-about for popping out of retirement.

I feel it is a captivating place, and I am very privileged to be serving because the nationwide taxpayer advocate. We will be impartial, step again and have a look at issues a little bit bit otherwise than our IRS colleagues.

KD: Your 2021 annual report back to Congress outlined quite a few IRS suggestions. Which of the instructed adjustments are we most definitely to see within the close to time period?

EC: Boy, that is a tricky one. There are an terrible lot of suggestions, and a few they’ve already carried out. 

One was for automated assortment notices. We really useful that the IRS postpone or droop these till clearing the correspondence backlog. They just lately agreed to suspend a lot of those notices, which I feel has been an enormous assist for taxpayers.

One of many issues I’m a agency believer in — and I feel the pandemic actually highlighted the necessity for — is a sturdy on-line account for particular person taxpayers and companies.

I feel it is the IRS’ intention to proceed rising on-line account performance. It is simply going a little bit bit slower than I would love.

KD: What are the most important obstacles to attaining all of the enhancements you have instructed?

EC: The most important problem for expertise is sustained funding. It is very troublesome to tackle a big IT venture if you do not know what your finances shall be 12 months to 12 months. It is the most important problem the IRS faces on really modernizing and attending to the place I consider they need to be.

I feel they need these with a smartphone or laptop to have entry to IRS representatives or chatbots for solutions to fundamental questions.

Whether or not it is importing paperwork or submitting returns, if a big proportion of taxpayers can try this on-line, that’d liberate the telephones for many who really want it.

KD: Is there a selected part of your web site that you simply’d advocate as a place to begin for somebody with an IRS subject?

EC: We’ve a qualification section of the web site that I might advocate. We’ve what I might name two buckets: these with monetary hardship and people with systemic points. 

For instance, to illustrate the IRS stated they’d course of your correspondence inside 60 days, and now it is 90 or 120 days previous that time frame. You’d qualify for TAS’ providers. 

Sadly, this previous 12 months or two, that could be a very giant variety of taxpayers. There are thousands and thousands who qualify for our service.

KD: Is there the rest that is vital for readers to know concerning the Taxpayer Advocate Service?

The final two years have been extremely troublesome for taxpayers and tax professionals due to the stock backlog challenges, and quite a lot of taxpayers are nonetheless ready for his or her refunds.

One of many misconceptions isn’t understanding our authority. For instance, if there’s an error in your return and the IRS is inaccurate, we’ll work with you. However we don’t have the authority to repair the problem. We refer it over to our colleagues on the IRS and advocate in your behalf.