Tax Tip 2024-18: All taxpayers have the right to quality service from the IRS

IRS Tax Tips

March 20, 2024

Issue Number: Tax Tip 2024-18

All taxpayers have the right to quality service from the IRS

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights defines 10 fundamental rights of every taxpayer. One of these rights is the right to quality service. Let's take a closer look at the right to quality service and what it means for taxpayers.

Right to quality service

Taxpayers have the right to:

Receive prompt, courteous and professional assistance from the IRS.
Be spoken to in a way they can easily understand.
Receive clear and easily understandable communications from the IRS.
Speak to a supervisor about inadequate service.

What taxpayers can expect

When taxpayers interact with the IRS, they can expect IRS representatives to:

Listen objectively. They will consider all relevant information prior to giving the taxpayer an answer.
Answer questions promptly, accurately and thoroughly
Give the taxpayer information on recourse options and applicable appeal rights.
Treat people with courtesy.
Generally, only contact taxpayers between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Provide the taxpayer with information about how to get help from the Taxpayer Advocate Service in all statutory notices of deficiency.
Provide information about options for legal help if someone is eligible for assistance from a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.

IRS representatives will not:

Contact the taxpayer's employer if they know the employer doesn't allow such contact.
Make aggressive phone calls that threaten arrest or prison time.

Taxpayers can find answers to most tax questions on IRS.gov. Taxpayers can also contact the IRS directly by calling the number on the top right corner of all notices and letters.

More information

Subscribe to IRS Tax Tips

Thank you for subscribing to IRS Tax Tips, an IRS e-mail service. For more information on federal taxes please visit IRS.gov.

This message was distributed automatically from the IRS Tax Tips mailing list. Please Do Not Reply To This Message.

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

This service is provided to you at no charge by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

This email was sent to [email protected] by: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) · Internal Revenue Service · 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. · Washington, D.C. 20535

Useful Links:

News Essentials

The Newsroom Topics

IRS Resources

Issue Number: Tax Tip 2024-18