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Understand the process

Status of Projects

Since its creation, the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) has provided more than 2,039 recommendations to the IRS to improve taxpayer service and satisfaction with IRS services, products and procedures. These projects are derived from direct taxpayer feedback as well as projects the IRS asked the TAP to work.

1

Active

The project has been opened, but no recommendations to the IRS have been made yet.

2

Elevated

The project has one or more recommendations that have been sent to the IRS.

3

Monitoring

One or more recommendations have been adopted and require monitoring, one or more recommendations have been considered but aren’t yet complete, or TAP is still reviewing the IRS’s response(s).

4

Reconsideration

At least one recommendation for this project has received a response, to which TAP has sent a counterresponse for IRS reconsideration.

5

Closed

All recommendations under this project have been closed.

Phases of Recommendation Process

After TAP submit recommendation(s), IRS program areas review the recommendation and implement it if appropriate and feasible. While the IRS gives serious consideration to TAP recommendations, it is sometimes limited in its ability to implement recommendations due to cost, legislative or regulatory restrictions, a difference in philosophy, or the need to balance relieving taxpayer burdens with their responsibility to efficiently collect proper tax revenues owed. Below are definitions various status of a Project referral

Our committees

TAP is governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), a public law that guides boards or committees established by federal offices and agencies to provide advice, ideas or opinions to the federal government.

TAP establishes project committees, with nationwide membership, to identify and propose solutions for IRS customer service issues. The project committees are closely linked to the IRS Wage and Investment (W&I) and Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) operating divisions program owners.

TAP members are divided into six separate Project Committees that focus on specific issues. The Joint Committee (TAP’s governing body) is made up of representatives from each Project Committee. These committees are empowered to work directly with the IRS to provide observations or recommendations on issues and areas for improvement and monitor the status and progress of issues.

Outcomes of a recommendation

Each TAP recommendation has a status code per the IRS response. Below describes the disposition of the recommendation by the TAP.

Recommended

The IRS is looking at the recommendation and may or may not accept or implement it in the future. Needs to be monitored.

Adopted

The IRS indicates the recommendation is fully accepted. The recommendation may or may not be implemented, but the IRS has agreed to the recommendation.

Partially adopted

The IRS indicates the recommendation is partially accepted. The recommendation may or may not be implemented but the IRS has agreed to the recommendation in part.

Not adopted

IRS has indicated the recommendation is rejected and will state the reasons in the response.

Terminal

Either the recommendation was resolved earlier, or the IRS did not respond timely, and TAP has decided not to pursue the recommendation further.