One of the main reasons TAS exists is to help taxpayers with tax problems who are also suffering financial hardships. When taxpayers owe past due taxes, their refunds automatically offset to pay the amount that they owe. If taxpayers are suffering a hardship and need the refund to pay for necessary living expenses such as rent, utilities or medical expenses, TAS can work with the IRS and get part or all of the refund to help pay for the expenses – in certain situations.

The minute TAS can provide relief to a taxpayer in a hardship situation, it acts quickly like it did when helping this taxpayer get part of her refund that the IRS was about to apply to past due federal taxes. When the taxpayer contacted TAS, the case advocate worked closely with the taxpayer to obtain the necessary, required documentation to submit to the IRS, asking it to issue the taxpayer a refund up to the amount of the documented hardship. Once TAS received all the necessary paperwork, it negotiated with the IRS and obtained permission to issue the taxpayer’s refund which TAS quickly prepared and submitted for processing.

Although there were some setbacks along the way, TAS did everything it could to have the refund issued to the taxpayer as quickly as possible. The case advocate persisted and after much empathy, advocacy and perseverance, the IRS processed the refund and the taxpayer successfully received it at a time when she needed it most.