keep imagining. here are a dozen things an irs portal could do for taxpayers and tax pros.
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as taxpayers and tax practitioners enter yet another tax season of uncertainty and turmoil, the issue of needed improvements at the irs lingers like a hangover with a viral infection.
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are we facing another year of delays, doubts, and unanswered questions? will paying taxes ever become a smooth and efficient process?
imagine a world in the distant future where a common, ordinary taxpayer can pull a computer from a pocket, link into everybody’s favorite revenue service and…
- quickly get answers to life’s troubling tax questions,
- upload and download documents,
- receive messages and alerts,
- review all their irs correspondence,
- check the status of their return or amended return,
- receive notifications and explanations of delays,
- receive specific, actionable instructions to resolve a problem,
- chat with a revenue agent or appeals officer,
- resolve since issues, such as math errors,
- link in with a tax practitioner,
- schedule a phone call,
- calculate, schedule, or make payments,
- order a complimentary federal pizza, and
- listen to their choice of music while conducting all the above.
new capabilities
such a world is tantalizing imminent yet still frustratingly out of reach.
the irs is trying, it really is. online irs accounts exist, and digital self-service options include the irs2go app, where’s my refund, where’s my amended return, and taxpayer digital communications. last year the irs launched several new capabilities for individual taxpayers, allowing them to
- authorize power of attorney or tax information authorizations,
- view notices issued within the online account,
- view and manage child tax credit payments, and
- create a short-term payment plan, including a new option for a 180-day plan.
paralytic disruptions
these improvements are nice, but they still seem a little paleolithic in a world where people can go online to pay bills, change account information, order products, change orders, conduct banking, invest in markets, chat with customer service reps and order pizza—all with a high degree of security. in fact, 57 percent of american households prefer online banking to stand-in-line banking.
the paralytic disruptions at the irs brought about the covid pandemic spotlighted the urgency of more functional online accounts. the potentials are enormous, and implementing them would do so much to free irs agents to take care of more human-based functions, such as answering the phone or untangling complicated situations.
a recent survey found that 76 percent of respondents felt that government services should be similar to or better than those provided by private sector organizations. and the irs agrees.
so why isn’t it happening?
the usual culprits
the culprits are the usual suspects: congress and inadequate funding. the former is responsible for the latter, and though the latter has improved a bit in the past couple of years, it still falls short of allowing the irs to upgrade its information technology from the level of a studebaker to that of a tesla model s.
irs online accounts are still in their infancy. they involve various unlinked apps and portals. interactive functions are very limited. chats are not possible. there are no links to assistance at low-income taxpayer clinics, the taxpayer advocacy service, or volunteer income tax assistance. information is often vague, responses to the effect of
q: “where’s my refund?”
a: “well, it’s around here somewhere.”
the irs plans to integrate the where’s my refund status functionality into the online account application as soon as it can afford to. such an integration would not only be convenient, but it would increase data security since taxpayers would need to authenticate their identify more rigorously.
all of the imaginary online services listed above are well within the capability of today’s technology. the taxpayer advocate service says it can be done and is recommending that the irs prioritize online functionality, telling congress
“online service offerings are even more important for taxpayers as the irs continues to deal with processing disruptions, low levels of telephone service, delays in correspondence, and limited options for walk-in assistance – taxpayers simply do not have many viable options for offline service.”