03/26/2025
Celebrating Our Collaboration and Impact in Indiana!
Indiana Legal Services’ Low Income Taxpayer Clinic is profoundly grateful to our local IRS Taxpayer Advocates (TAS) for their invaluable collaboration and partnership. In 2024, TAS assisted on 14% of our cases, ensuring that low-income Hoosier taxpayers receive the justice and relief they deserve. Your dedication and expertise have been instrumental in resolving so many of the most complex and challenging tax controversy cases we encounter. Your commitment to fairness and your ability to navigate the intricacies of the IRS has made a huge impact in the lives of our clients and our community.
The cases we bring to TAS are often the most daunting and multifaceted, requiring a level of skill and persistence that TAS consistently delivers. For example, you have helped resolve situations where the IRS erroneously added an extra zero to a taxpayer’s income, creating massive and unjustified tax liabilities. You have also stepped in when the IRS mistakenly attributed someone else’s income to a taxpayer’s account, leading to erroneous liabilities. In a case where the IRS cashed a taxpayer’s check but failed to properly record the payment and then pursued enforced collection action for tax liabilities already paid—TAS is our steadfast ally to help rectify these errors. Your involvement has been equally critical in addressing tax identity theft, tax preparer fraud, and other schemes that victimize unsuspecting taxpayers, as well as in recovering stolen stimulus checks and resolving tax refund delays that stretch for one or two years or more.
Our collaboration and success have reached unprecedented heights in recent years, thanks to the creation of dedicated TAS Advocates specifically assigned to work on LITC cases. This innovative approach has transformed the way we handle cases together, enabling us to operate more efficiently and effectively than ever. We have streamlined communication, reduced delays, and ensured that taxpayers receive the support they need.
This initiative has not only strengthened our partnership but has also highlighted the incredible work TAS does in Indiana. Indiana TAS has become a role model for best practices, demonstrating how collaboration between TAS and LITCs can achieve remarkable results. The success of this model has sparked interest across the country, with LITCs in other states reaching out to their local TAS offices asking to replicate the outstanding work being done here in Indiana.
We take great pride in sharing our story and showcasing how this partnership has made a marked difference for low-income Hoosier taxpayers. Together, we are setting a new standard for advocacy and service, proving that when TAS and LITCs work hand in hand, we can achieve extraordinary outcomes for taxpayers in Indiana.
We extend our deepest thanks to each of you for your unwavering support, tireless advocacy, and commitment to helping Hoosier taxpayers. Together, we are making a meaningful impact, one case at a time.
