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Calling The IRS


Terry D EA

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I need some suggestions from my friends here. I have two individual scenarios that I am working on. One the client may have failed to provide or did not receive some 1099R forms. They did receive a CP2000 from the IRS. I have gathered the appropriate POA and 8821, plus spoke with Fidelity and found some discrepancies. We're waiting on Fidelity to fax or mail the 1099-R forms. In the mean time, I'm trying to contact the IRS (PPL) and cannot get an answer. Always get the message due to high volume we cannot take your call and to call back tomorrow. This has been ongoing for months. My client is on a deadline and a response is due by July 1. I have prepared a statement of response to the CP2000, will get the client to sign it and fax it to the number on the CP2000. Any other suggestions with this one?

Problem number 2. The IRS claims my client received both stimulus payments. I had them gather their bank account statements. The first payment was received via direct deposit. They have not received the 2nd payment. No checks received and no direct deposits. I have their bank statements from Jan 1 thru April 30 and no deposits from the Department of The Treasury. Called the numbers on the notice CP12 and get the same crappy message. Mind you I start calling at 7:00 am, and fail to understand how they're too busy first thing. I think this is a BS routine to not answer the phone. I tried calling Friday and forgot about the new Juneteenth holiday. Different message. 

Anyone have any other numbers inside the IRS that can be used. I have a few clients, including me, that has not received any stimulus payments and as far as I know, my return for 2019 has not been processed. I have two clients who have not received their 2019 refunds. 

I wonder if any of the field offices near me are open for walk-in service.  Any other suggestions?

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7 hours ago, Terry D said:

Mind you I start calling at 7:00 am, and fail to understand how they're too busy first thing. I think this is a BS routine to not answer the phone. 

I've been trying for days to fax a response to a Letter 2626C from an Operation Manager.  The fax line is off the hook.  The telephone number given is fully automated.  My money is on you.

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Yesterday morning my cycling partner tells me his kids are coming over for Father’s Day.  He reveals to me his daughter is a customer service supervisor out of Andover.  What?  I need to talk to her.  She basically told me what I already knew.  They’re seriously backed up, too many people still working from home while trailers loaded with returns and not enough experienced people manning the phones.  Good luck to us all.

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I have a client who received a CP2000 due to a missing 1099B.  He mailed back his reply with the appropriate schedule D and statement to address on notice.    That was over 6 months ago but IRS computer keeps sending notices.   I mentioned this to my friend's daughter and all she could say was yeah, that's a problem.

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1 hour ago, FDNY said:

I have a client who received a CP2000 due to a missing 1099B.  He mailed back his reply with the appropriate schedule D and statement to address on notice.    That was over 6 months ago but IRS computer keeps sending notices.   I mentioned this to my friend's daughter and all she could say was yeah, that's a problem.

 The same thing happened to a new client couple of mine this year. They received a CP2000, handled it themselves, and made payment in agreement of all changes. The IRS computer never cleared it from its system because they failed to send back the page with the box marked agreeing to the changes.

 I was lucky to get through to an agent on the practitioner priority line who explained what happened and was able to see the payment in their system.

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@Terry D,  As for problem #1, keep trying to fax it and keep a copy of the transmission log. Also, even though you've prepared a written response with documentation, be sure to include the page that has the 3 boxes where the client indicates no agreement, partial agreement, or agrees to all the changes. See my response on that immediately above. Each of those tells the IRS' computer what  type of response you are sending to the proposed changes.

 For problem # 2 suggest either you or the client check the online transcript of account. Even though the 1st stimulus payments were made by direct deposit that does not mean that the 2nd payments were made  in that same manner. Checks could have been lost in the mail or prepaid debit cards assumed to be junk mail. I agree with Deb that a trace may need to be put on the payments if clients' accounts show they were paid.

 Several of my clients received stimulus payments that were not in even dollar amounts and they assumed that it was the prior year's tax refund, and told me they never received the stimulus payments.

Edited by jklcpa
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3 hours ago, FDNY said:

I have a client who received a CP2000 due to a missing 1099B.  He mailed back his reply with the appropriate schedule D and statement to address on notice.    That was over 6 months ago but IRS computer keeps sending notices.   I mentioned this to my friend's daughter and all she could say was yeah, that's a problem.

Yes, regarding my client above, we mailed the response to the CP2000 with a check.  IRS cashed the check, but they have not processed the letter, response form, and amended return labeled "CP2000."  I want to tell the client to ignore the 2626C, but they want us to do something.  I think it might be awesome if IRS would stop sending notices until they catch up.  Sending incorrect notices is not working.  

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My client (subject of another thread) received his first CP2000 and responded via fax (has a record of it) with his Partial Agreement stating the cost basis needed to be accounted for, including the broker copy of the formerly missing account with the cost basis shown, and asked for more time to contact me/his preparer/EA. He's a lawyer for a major bank, so his verbiage was perfect, thorough, common language. The IRS did stop sending him notices for two months.

This week, his second CP2000 arrived. Cost basis still NOT taken into account. He wants to fax his own cover letter, so I sent him instructions, talking points, and 11 pages of documentation (2 pages from CP2000, 2 pages from broker, 5 pages re Schedule D, and 2 pages of 1040, all appropriately marked up and read for his signature and cover page.

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>>>>>> I agree with Deb that a trace may need to be put on the payments if clients' accounts show they were paid.<<<<<<< How do you start this trace? My client in the second scenario has setup an account to obtain the transcripts and information. However, he screwed it up to where the passwords don't work and we cannot get in. I will ask to see if they may have received the debit card and didn't know what it was. This guy is pretty good with his banking and keeping track of it. 

Another scenario. What to do with a client (namely me) who wants to create the secure online account but their credit is frozen so the ID cannot be proven? One thought, my wife's credit is not frozen and of course, we file MFJ. That might be my only option until I can get through the PPL.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and allowing me to vent a little.

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You can unfreeze your credit temporarily so the IRS can verify your identity. The IRS uses Experian, at least they did when I had to do this. Anyone know for sure if that's still current?

By the way, neither I nor my husband can set up secure accounts. "There is something in your file that prevents..." No IRS employee has been able to get me in since the very, very old eService days prior to their redo a few years ago. And, the code they say they mail me, over and over again, never arrives. Someday I'll make an appointment at an IRS Service Center.

I read somewhere that the IRS thinks 30% of taxpayers will be able to use their secure access. Not a very high number.

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Late last week I took a free IRS online CPE class about the new Tax Pro Online System which the IRS will be rolling out next month.

The Tax Pro Online System will require both the Tax Professional and their client to have active "Secure Access" accounts set up.

A very key issue is that you and your client have to both be using the same address which has to be an exact match with the address in the IRS database.

Using abbreviations like St, Ln or Dr won't work.

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1 hour ago, Abby Normal said:

Every IRS communication I've ever seen abbreviates the street name suffixes. They also drop 'The' at the beginning of business names.

You are correct, I have never used abbreviations so I guess I will have to adapt.

 

IRS Standard Address Abbreviations

The following standard address abbreviations should always be used, unless the word is being used as a proper name.

 https://www.irs.gov/irm/part3/irm_03-024-037#idm139976714724816

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22 hours ago, Lion EA said:

By the way, neither I nor my husband can set up secure accounts. "There is something in your file that prevents..."

Have you tried recently?  I got a similar message when I tried to create a personal account a couple years ago.  I tried again last week and was able to create an account online.  I didn't even have to lift my credit freezes - they did a "soft inquiry" only.

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18 minutes ago, TexTaxToo said:

Have you tried recently?  I got a similar message when I tried to create a personal account a couple years ago.  I tried again last week and was able to create an account online.  I didn't even have to lift my credit freezes - they did a "soft inquiry" only.

I'm not Lion, but I had trouble last month and had to wait for the IRS letter in the mail to complete the process.  The IRS couldn't i.d. me even though:

  • previously had e-services setup in this name and address,
  • have lived at this address with same mortgage for 22+ years,
  • been a CPA since early 1980s with PTIN, CAF, and ERO all in same name, and
  • have had the same phone contract and same phone number since I got a bag phone in the late 1980s,  😆
  • and used the VISA credit card through AAA that I've had forever in my name, kind of like the bag phone thing.  😆 

The only thing I can think of is that the phone and credit card were initially acquired in my maiden name, but have both been in my current name since the early '90s.   With all of that matching, it's very frustrating that the IRS still can't i.d. me. 

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I tried this year, and hubby tried just a couple weeks ago.

I had the OLD e-Services since it opened, have lived in and owned and have a mortgage on this house since 1978, been an EA since the late 1990s with PTIN, CAF, and ERO, have had the same AT&T cellphone contract and same cell number since the late 1980s or early 1990s, and have a mortgage and a couple of credit cards in my name only.

Anything prior to 1994 would have had my previous last name, but all were updated to my current name in 1994. The IRS says that AT&T told them my cell is NOT in my name; but AT&T tells me that it IS in my current name, and the bills come in my current name.

The gal on the e-Help desk told me to unfreeze my Experian account, which I did each time I tried to work through this. They say I will get a code in the mail, but they've said that each time I call for years and years and years, and nothing comes in the mail. They tell me to make an appointment at an IRS Service Center, but none are open around here. Two more TAC offices open tomorrow, one of which is not too long a drive. However, the services they provide do NOT include help with Secure Access or any services to tax professionals.

I may try again after 15 October.

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