IRS Appeals - The Process
Have you received a letter from the IRS to ask you to cough up enormous amounts of money in the form of taxes or tax penalties? Worry not, for you can make IRS appeals. You can appeal against the results of the tax audit done by IRS, against the penalties, interest that sounds exorbitant, adjustments against employment tax, or against any other levies or liens and even Offers-In-Compromise, which were rejected by the IRS. There is a local IRS Appeals office where you can apply for justice. For those who are in a dilemma about how to appeal an IRS decision, here is some IRS appeals-help. The IRS appeals process is also discussed here for your convenience. IRS appeals are generally done in the form of a conference with the officer of Appeals. It is the duty of the IRS examiner to prepare the requisite documentation for you as well as for the IRS. Following this, the IRS will send you details about their stand as well as the instructions that detail the procedure of how you can schedule your IRS appeals.
You now have the option of IRS appeals in an appeals conference of IRS Fast Track Mediation (FTM), though some eligibility criteria have to be met to get into the process of fast track mediation. Fast Track Mediation is a process, available since 2002, that makes the IRS and taxpayer reach a fast settlement that is satisfactory for both. To avail Fast Track Mediation you are required to sign an 'Agreement to Mediate'. This should then be forwarded to the FTM program manager. Thankfully, you are always free to move from Fast Track Mediation to an appeals conference, as and when you want. The next aspect to be considered about IRS appeals is if you want to plead your case yourself or if you want to make a representation through a tax professional such as an attorney or someone enrolled to plead before the IRS. Iti recommended that you choose to make a representation through a tax professional, although you have the option not to take assistance from a tax professional, if you want to plead yourself. IRS Appeals is an independent body and in no cases can the IRS influence its objectivity. The Appeals officer tries to reach the best possible compromise, without any compromise in the interests of either that of the taxpayer or that of the federal government. It expects that you pay due care when IRS personnel tell you about your appeal rights and the process as well as provide all necessary information, which will be helpful for your case, as well as inform you about the points of disagreement. If you fail to reach a decision in IRS Appeals, you always have the option of going to the federal courts. |