Given the current state of politics in America, the IRS is being underfunded.  No, I am not just talking about the fact that there is a desire to have the government spend less money- but spending less money for an agency that is responsible for collecting the government’s money doesn’t really make sense in the first place.

The IRS budget is deliberately being starved as a means to starve funds for Obamacare.  But, like all political acts that start as vengeance, no one considered the true effects of that action.

This lack of resources leaves the IRS unable to “man” their help desks.  The general public finds that two or three hour waits in the queue when calling the IRS are the norm.  Licensed practitioners that are supposed to get priority (it’s even called the Priority Practitioner Line) wait 30 to 50 minutes routinely.  (Yes, that means my clients are going to be paying more money when I have to interact with the IRS, unless I am lucky enough to get through to someone quickly.  I do have a few tricks up my sleeve, but only a few.)

The first big change- you will receive automated responses when you call the IRS.  Of course, they may just be responses and not answers.  Therein lies the rub.  (Of course, you could call us for real help…)

If you were calling the IRS to help prepare your taxes (Really? Folks do that still?), you will now be directed to volunteers who have sites around the US.  Or, you will be referred to the IRS Free File program (which means YOU do it, filling the forms out on the web)- but your income has to be less than $ 58000. You also should know that filing your state taxes may NOT be free and not always part of this program.   (That’s how the companies providing the service make money, folks.)

The IRS also now provides a “Get Transcript” service.   You will need to know certain facts (the IRS thinks that will stop Identity Theft- I don’t) before you get copies of the last two or three years of your tax filings.  The information you can receive include a tax return, your account at the IRS (listing payments, penalties, interest, etc.), non-filing status, and wage and income data.

The IRS has always done a pretty good job (automated) regarding Tax Refunds.  Now, they’ve added “Amended Tax Return Status” to the deal.  This happens to be the one area where automation makes perfect sense, and the IRS picked up the ball and ran with it. “Where’s My Refund” is the place to go, when you’ve filed ELECTRONICALLY  in the past 21 days.  (This is the current turnaround the IRS provides for refunds after filing.  Not as fast as before, but still darned good.)  If you filed by paper, don’t bother checking for at least TWO WEEKS- and then the refund can take up to 6 weeks to be found in your bank.  (If you expect it in your mailbox- you should be waiting EIGHT weeks.)

And, then we come to the reason why many folks call the IRS.  Questions about the law– filing status, exemptions, taxable income.  If the IRS considers that a complex question (it’s my belief complexity will be a function of how many people are in the queue at any given moment), you will be referred to their various publications.  You remember the old software manuals?  (The ones we don’t even get anymore?)  Well, the IRS publications use those same authors.   So, that means unless you know the subject, the manual won’t be much help.

Ah. for the “good old days”…

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