How to File a Complaint With the IRS

This article was co-authored by Cassandra Lenfert, CPA, CFP®. Cassandra Lenfert is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in Colorado. She advises clients nationwide through her tax firm, Cassandra Lenfert, CPA, LLC. With over 15 years of tax, accounting, and personal finance experience, Cassandra specializes in working with individuals and small businesses on proactive tax planning to help them keep more money to reach their goals. She received her BA in Accounting from the University of Southern Indiana in 2006.

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To file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you must contact either the Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) (also available by phone at (800) 366-4484) or the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate (also available by phone at (877) 777-4778). A complaint against someone working for the IRS or posing as an IRS agent for the purpose of obtaining personal or financial information should be sent to the TIGTA whereas the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) can help you resolve a problem with the IRS.

Filing a Complaint With the TIGTA

• You should also file a complaint if someone you know has committed a specific offense, such as trying to bribe IRS personnel, assaults and/or threats against IRS employees, attempted fraud involving computer technology or mail that falsely impersonates the IRS and any misconduct by IRS employees.

• Call (800) 366-4484 to file a complaint by phone.
• Mail a written complaint to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Hotline at P.O. Box 589, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044-0589.
• Email a complaint to Complaints@tigta.treas.gov, which goes to the TIGTA Hotline Complaints Unit.
• Complete and submit the online complaint form here.

• You will also need to provide detailed information in your complaint about the nature of the complaint and what exactly you witnessed in terms of wrongdoing or false representation.

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Provide your contact information. Supply your name, phone number and email address in the event the TIGTA needs to contact you for additional information. [4] X Research source

Filing a Complaint With the TAS

• If you own a small business and are unable to meet your financial expenses, such as payroll, you can also contact the TAS via a complaint. Also, if the IRS is preventing you from providing for basic necessities like housing, transportation, or food, you should contact the TAS.

• You can also complete Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance, available here. You can mail or fax the completed form to your local Taxpayer Advocate Office. The advocate can also complete Form 911 for you during your call or in person visit to the Taxpayer Advocate Office.

• The advocate will provide his name, phone number, and badge number. He will give you an impartial and independent review of your issue and a time frame for what will be done and when it will be completed. He can also give you advice on how to prevent any future federal tax issues and provide an update on any progress on your problem in a follow up call or contact.

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• Keep in mind the TAS is independent within the IRS, and the law requires each TAS office to act independent of other IRS offices. The TAS has the discretion not to disclose any of your information to the IRS or to inform the IRS that you have contacted the TAS. However, in the event of assistance or relief provided by the IRS, the TAS will likely have to disclose your information to the IRS.
• If you would like another person, such as an attorney or other tax expert, to discuss or receive information about your case, you can mail or fax in a completed Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, available online here or Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization, available online here. You can also get these forms at your local IRS office, or by calling 1-800-829-3676.

Expert Q&A

Cassandra Lenfert is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in Colorado. She advises clients nationwide through her tax firm, Cassandra Lenfert, CPA, LLC. With over 15 years of tax, accounting, and personal finance experience, Cassandra specializes in working with individuals and small businesses on proactive tax planning to help them keep more money to reach their goals. She received her BA in Accounting from the University of Southern Indiana in 2006.

You can file a complaint against a tax preparer with the IRS by filing Form 14157-A (Tax Return Preparer Fraud or Misconduct Affidavit) and Form 14157 (Complaint: Tax Return Preparer). However, you can only file it if they did one of the following: 1) Filing an individual Form 1040 without your knowledge or consent; 2) Altering your tax return documents; 3) Using the wrong filing status to increase your refund; 4) Making up dependents or exemptions to increase your refund, 5) Creating or omitting income to increase your refund; 6) Making up false deductions, expenses, or credits to increase your refund; or 7) Misdirecting your refund. If your tax preparer did one of these things, mail the 2 forms with your supporting documentation to the IRS. You may also report the tax preparer to the state agency if they're licensed in your state. For instance, you could report a CPA to your state's Board of Accountancy.

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