The demise of the Practitioner Priority line and the rise of enQ

[Drphibes]

There has been a dramatic inability to get into the IRS since a company called callenq.com came about. They robocall the IRS numbers, get in on hold, and then transfer that spot to one of their subscribers who has requested that particular number. They figure there will always be a subscriber waiting for one of their calls.  They do this for about 20 different IRS numbers, robocall after robocall day and night. They want $300/mo for up to 1200 minutes speaking with the IRS (not charged for the on hold time). That fee is up about 300% from 6 months ago with the warning on their website sign up page that it is about to go up again. Congress has already been warned about them and the AICPA has sent a strongly worded message to the IRS on Aug 8th about the inability to get in on the Practitioner Priority line. I tried to get through 5 days in a row and on the 5th day (today about 2 hrs before they closed for the long weekend) got on hold with a 15min to 30min anticipated wait time. Waiting on hold for 1 1/2 hrs got me hung up on and could not get back in on hold before they closed. 

If this is allowed to continue, what other numbers will go this way?  Social Security, State Revenue, etc...

[IRonMaN]

That kinda sucks but there is always someone out there trying to make a quick buck at the expense of other folks.  At $300/month, they obviously are greedy little b*st*rds.

[BobKamman]

I asked my Congressman when they were going to give enough money to IRS so they could answer the phone.  He told me that with 87,000 AK-47s, IRS could discourage most of those people from calling in the first place.  

[Drphibes]

The last guy I saw that gave it his all trying to get at the front of the line at the IRS:

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19crash.html

[BobKamman]

That guy had a WISP.  "Walk In Substitute:  Plane."  

In a letter to employees sent August 23, IRS Commissioner Rettig wrote that the agency would conduct risk assessments for each of the IRS’s 600 facilities and evaluate whether to increase security patrols along building exteriors, boost designations for restricted areas, examine security around entrances and assess exterior lighting.

Everyone was too polite to ask him what he was going to do about drones.  

[qbteachmt]

"If this is allowed to continue, what other numbers will go this way?"

Pizza Hut. "Oh, you wanted to have pizza for lunch today? I misunderstood you."

[Susana370]

Actually I have a question: Are the agents that answer the phone qualified?
I was able to reach an agent. The agent went back and forth researching the issue. After 1 1/2 hour on the phone, and sending proof, Etc., Etc., Finally, the agent sent the info up to a higher level. He told me it will take 30 days for a response. The issue was really simple: the 8812 has an error. (Which it does not).
I have not heard from IRS yet
Thanks
Susana

[sjrcpa]

Are the agents that answer the phone qualified?"

What do you mean by qualified? 😉

At IRS I  think it means breathing, able to answer the phone, and not much more.

But hey, you actually got a person on the line!

[Drphibes]

Ya, that is a near miracle these days.  I went 7 working days trying to get in only to be put on hold and hung up on after 90min of a 15-30min hold message. 

Am getting such strange notices these days.  Missing estimate payments, penalties and interest on amended returns that were filed and paid (along with paying interest and penalties shortly thereafter) 1.5 years ago, IRS not seeing e-filed amended returns, etc...  I'd say at least 30% of notices have no real merit, just errors on the IRS's side.

[BobKamman]

That does not sound like an issue that should be handled with a phone call.  If you are sure that it is IRS that made the mistake, put it in writing and document when and where it was sent.  Then expect to wait for months (which is now what you should expect if your phone call doesn't go astray, which it probably will). 

[Drphibes]

Problem with that is the IRS timeline for NOD's, possible accounts frozen, having to go to court to rectify, etc... keeps marching on and you can't get in to the IRS to quickly ask for an extension of time to resolve the situation.

[BobKamman]

If a Notice of Deficiency has been sent, it's already too late.  IRS has a form for agreeing that it be rescinded, but no one has ever seen that done.  Clients should be told that they should not have let the case progress to that point (although sometimes, of course, it was not their fault) and they should be prepared to pay the $60 Tax Court filing fee.  81% of Tax Court cases are "pro per" -- I think many of the petitions must involve help from professionals not enrolled to practice there.  Do your own research on what state law allows.  

[Drphibes]

So, you send in a written response with evidence that completely clears up the case but it takes the IRS so long to get to it an NOD is generated, what then?  I have a notice 6 months after the original CP2000 that an NOD had been issued (taxpayer has not seen one) so they can't abide by the amended return that was filed before the due date of the original CP2000 notice.  It is cr-p like this that just ends up being tremendous time eaters.

[BobKamman]

This gets back to the recent discussion that filing a 1040-X in response to a CP-2000 is the wrong wrong wrong thing to do.  But a written response or a phone call would still delay the case until the computer said it was time to issue the SNOD. 

[Drphibes]

Despite the fact that the CP-2000 says specifically you can file a 1040X if you want?  Written responses not getting read and the topic title says it all on trying to get a call in to about 20 IRS phone numbers due to enQ robocalling in.

"There's a hole in the bucket dear Liza, dear Liza..."

[BobKamman]

The last CP-2000 I saw said "It is not necessary to file an amended return (Form 1040X) if you don't agree with our changes.  We'll review your response and make any applicable corrections.  However, if you choose to file an amended return, write 'CP2000' on top of it and attach it behind your complete Response form."  (Bold face in original.)   

The problem these days is that people want to file the 1040X electronically, and it ends up somewhere like Ogden, while the CP-2000 is being worked somewhere like Kansas City.  The 1040-X is designed for IRS clerks to do data entry, not for IRS examiners to figure out what happened.  If you want to tell your mother you love her, don't send her a form with three columns to explain how much.  Use the English language she (probably) taught you.  

[Username is two words]

They always say it will take 30 days. I've had issues where it really was resolved in 30 days. Most times, no, so I call back. During one repeat call, the agent told me they are instructed to say "30 days" but in reality it's longer. She said, call back in another 30 days. Before the second 30 days was up, the issue did get resolved. Don't expect to hear from them or to get an explanation. I still have an issue with a 2020 return that isn't processed. On my last call, the agent said "yes we received it, we see there was a refund for xxx and we agree with the refund but haven't sent it." To which I said, that is why I'm calling. He told me he'd put in a "referral" and to wait 30 days. It takes many tries to get through but I keep trying and eventually get through. Once I'm in, I ask them to please not put me on hold, to mute me instead because I've been on hold and gotten disconnected. They are agreeable to this.

[BobKamman]

@Username is two words

Patience! Will be rewarded. Remember back in early 2021 when IRS finally admitted that the $125,000 income limit, for exclusion of unemployment benefits, was the same for MFS as MFJ? And some of us were filing superseding returns to change from joint? I had clients who did that. Of course IRS screwed it up. They didn’t split the ES payment, so they sent a bill instead of a refund check to one spouse. We pointed out the error, and just last week the clients received most of their refund, with lots of interest included. And it only took about 18 months.

I had another MFJ return that would have saved from switching to MFS, but based on the amount reported on the 1099-G the savings would be only about $500 and the return was complicated with Schedules C, D, E and SE. After the filing deadline, the state sent a corrected 1099-G with about twice as much income reported. So we filed an amended return in September 2021, once the refund on the original return was paid, with a $500 payment. In August 2022 IRS sent a bill for an additional $420, with no explanation. We invested $60 in a Tax Court filing fee, and of course IRS is disputing that the CP22A is a notice of deficiency. But they admit that the tax examiner who processed the 1040-X used the wrong worksheet, figuring the tax without considering qualified dividends and LTCG.

Filing a Tax Court petition didn’t prevent IRS from collecting the illegal assessment from the 2021 refund. But the Counsel attorney managed to get this refunded before filing a motion to dismiss late last month. I filed an objection to that motion, and the Court has given Counsel until next week to respond. My return preparation fees include assistance with IRS problems, and this was the quickest way to solve one. I’m not that patient.