Publication 550
taxmap/pubs/p550-030.htm#en_us_publink100010765You can get help with unresolved tax issues, order free publications
and forms, ask tax questions, and get information from the IRS in several ways.
By selecting the method that is best for you, you will have quick and easy
access to tax help.
taxmap/pubs/p550-030.htm#en_us_publink1000250190The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization
within the IRS. We help taxpayers who are experiencing economic harm, such as
not being able to provide necessities like housing, transportation, or food;
taxpayers who are seeking help in resolving tax problems with the IRS; and those
who believe that an IRS system or procedure is not working as it should. Here
are seven things every taxpayer should know about TAS:
- The Taxpayer Advocate Service is your voice at the IRS.
- Our service is free, confidential, and tailored to meet your
needs.
- You may be eligible for our help if you have tried to resolve
your tax problem through normal IRS channels and have gotten nowhere, or you
believe an IRS procedure just isn't working as it should.
- We help taxpayers whose problems are causing financial difficulty
or significant cost, including the cost of professional representation. This
includes businesses as well as individuals.
- Our employees know the IRS and how to navigate it. If you
qualify for our help, we'll assign your case to an advocate who will listen to
your problem, help you understand what needs to be done to resolve it, and stay
with you every step of the way until your problem is resolved.
- We have at least one local taxpayer advocate in every state,
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. You can call your local advocate,
whose number is in your phone book, in Pub. 1546, Taxpayer Advocate
Service—Your Voice at the IRS, and on our website at
www.irs.gov/advocate. You can also call our toll-free line at 1-877-777-4778 or
TTY/TDD 1-800-829-4059.
- You can learn about your rights and responsibilities as a
taxpayer by visiting our online tax toolkit at
www.taxtoolkit.irs.gov. You can get updates on hot tax topics by visiting our YouTube
channel at
www.youtube.com/tasnta and our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/YourVoiceAtIRS, or by following our tweets at
www.twitter.com/YourVoiceatIRS.
The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic program serves individuals who
have a problem with the IRS and whose income is below a certain level. LITCs are
independent from the IRS. Most LITCs can provide representation before the IRS
or in court on audits, tax collection disputes, and other issues for free or a
small fee. If an individual's native language is not English, some clinics can
provide multilingual information about taxpayer rights and responsibilities. For
more information, see Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List. This
publication is available at IRS.gov, by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676),
or at your local IRS office.
taxmap/pubs/p550-030.htm#en_us_publink1000250192Publication 910, IRS Guide to Free Tax Services, is your guide
to IRS services and resources. Learn about free tax information from the IRS,
including publications, services, and education and assistance programs. The
publication also has an index of over 100 TeleTax topics (recorded tax
information) you can listen to on the telephone. The majority of the information
and services listed in this publication are available to you free of charge. If
there is a fee associated with a resource or service, it is listed in the
publication.
Accessible versions of IRS published products are available on
request in a variety of alternative formats for people with disabilities.
taxmap/pubs/p550-030.htm#en_us_publink1000250193Free help in preparing your return is available nationwide from
IRS-trained volunteers. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is
designed to help low-income taxpayers and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly
(TCE) program is designed to assist taxpayers age 60 and older with their tax
returns. Many VITA sites offer free electronic filing and all volunteers will
let you know about credits and deductions you may be entitled to claim. To find
the nearest VITA or TCE site, call 1-800-829-1040.
As part of the TCE program, AARP offers the Tax-Aide counseling
program. To find the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit
AARP's website at
www.aarp.org/money/taxaide.
For more information on these programs, go to IRS.gov and enter
keyword "VITA" in the upper right-hand corner.
 | Internet.
You can access the IRS website at IRS.gov 24 hours a day,
7 days a week to:
- E-file your return. Find out about commercial tax preparation
and
e-file services available free to eligible taxpayers.
- Check the status of your 2010 refund. Go to IRS.gov and
click on
Where's My Refund. Wait at least 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt
of your e-filed return, or 3 to 4 weeks after mailing a paper return. If you
filed Form 8379 with your return, wait 14 weeks (11 weeks if you filed
electronically). Have your 2010 tax return available so you can provide your
social security number, your filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of
your refund.
- Download forms, including talking tax forms, instructions,
and publications.
- Order IRS products online.
- Research your tax questions online.
- Search publications online by topic or keyword.
- Use the online Internal Revenue Code, regulations, or
other official guidance.
- View Internal Revenue Bulletins (IRBs) published in the
last few years.
- Figure your withholding allowances using the withholding
calculator online at
www.irs.gov/individuals.
- Determine if Form 6251 must be filed by using our Alternative
Minimum Tax (AMT) Assistant.
- Sign up to receive local and national tax news by email.
- Get information on starting and operating a small business.
|
 | Phone.
Many services are available by phone.
- Ordering forms, instructions, and publications.
Call 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676) to order current-year
forms, instructions, and publications, and prior-year forms and instructions.
You should receive your order within 10 days.
- Asking tax questions.
Call the IRS with your tax questions at 1-800-829-1040.
- Solving problems.
You can get face-to-face help solving tax problems every
business day in IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers. An employee can explain IRS
letters, request adjustments to your account, or help you set up a payment plan.
Call your local Taxpayer Assistance Center for an appointment. To find the
number, go to
www.irs.gov/localcontacts or look in the phone book under
United States Government, Internal Revenue Service.
- TTY/TDD equipment.
If you have access to TTY/TDD equipment, call 1-800-829-4059
to ask tax questions or to order forms and publications.
- TeleTax topics.
Call 1-800-829-4477 to listen to pre-recorded messages
covering various tax topics.
- Refund information.
To check the status of your 2010 refund, call 1-800-829-1954
or 1-800-829-4477 (automated refund information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Wait at least 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed
return, or 3 to 4 weeks after mailing a paper return. If you filed Form 8379
with your return, wait 14 weeks (11 weeks if you filed electronically). Have
your 2010 tax return available so you can provide your social security number,
your filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund. If you
check the status of your refund and are not given the date it will be issued,
please wait until the next week before checking back.
- Other refund information.
To check the status of a prior-year refund or amended return refund, call
1-800-829-1040.
____ Evaluating the quality of our telephone services.
To ensure IRS representatives give accurate, courteous,
and professional answers, we use several methods to evaluate the quality of our
telephone services. One method is for a second IRS representative to listen in
on or record random telephone calls. Another is to ask some callers to complete
a short survey at the end of the call. |
 | Walk-in.
Many products and services are available on a walk-in basis.
- Products.
You can walk in to many post offices, libraries, and IRS
offices to pick up certain forms, instructions, and publications. Some IRS
offices, libraries, grocery stores, copy centers, city and county government
offices, credit unions, and office supply stores have a collection of products
available to print from a CD or photocopy from reproducible proofs. Also, some
IRS offices and libraries have the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, Internal
Revenue Bulletins, and Cumulative Bulletins available for research purposes.
- Services.
You can walk in to your local Taxpayer Assistance Center every business day for
personal, face-to-face tax help. An employee can explain IRS letters, request
adjustments to your tax account, or help you set up a payment plan. If you need
to resolve a tax problem, have questions about how the tax law applies to your
individual tax return, or you are more comfortable talking with someone in
person, visit your local Taxpayer Assistance Center where you can spread out
your records and talk with an IRS representative face-to-face. No appointment is
necessary—just walk in. If you prefer, you can call your local Center and
leave a message requesting an appointment to resolve a tax account issue. A
representative will call you back within 2 business days to schedule an
in-person appointment at your convenience. If you have an ongoing, complex tax
account problem or a special need, such as a disability, an appointment can be
requested. All other issues will be handled without an appointment. To find the
number of your local office, go to
www.irs.gov/localcontacts or look in the phone book under
United States Government, Internal Revenue Service.
|
 | Mail.
You can send your order for forms, instructions, and publications
to the address below. You should receive a response within 10 days after your
request is received.
Internal Revenue Service
1201 N. Mitsubishi Motorway
Bloomington, IL 61705-6613
|
 | DVD for tax products.
You can order Publication 1796, IRS Tax Products DVD, and
obtain:
- Current-year forms, instructions, and publications.
- Prior-year forms, instructions, and publications.
- Tax Map: an electronic research tool and finding aid.
- Tax law frequently asked questions.
- Tax Topics from the IRS telephone response system.
- Internal Revenue Code—Title 26 of the U.S. Code.
- Fill-in, print, and save features for most tax forms.
- Internal Revenue Bulletins.
- Toll-free and email technical support.
- Two releases during the year.
– The first release will ship the beginning of January
2011.
– The final release will ship the beginning of March
2011.
Purchase the DVD from National Technical Information Service
(NTIS) at
www.irs.gov/cdorders
for $30 (no handling fee) or call 1-877-233-6767 toll free to buy the DVD for
$30 (plus a $6 handling fee). |
Accrual method:(p79)
An accounting method under which you report your income when
you earn it, whether or not you have received it. You generally deduct your
expenses when you incur a liability for them, rather than when you pay them.
At-risk rules:(p79)
Rules that limit the amount of loss you may deduct to the amount
you risk losing in the activity.
Basis is the amount of your investment in property for tax purposes.
The basis of property you buy is usually the cost. Basis is used to figure gain
or loss on the sale or disposition of investment property.
Below-market loan:(p79)
A demand loan (defined later) on which interest is payable at
a rate below the applicable federal rate, or a term loan where the amount loaned
is more than the present value of all payments due under the loan.
An option that entitles the purchaser to buy, at any time before
a specified future date, property such as a stated number of shares of stock at
a specified price.
Cash method:(p79)
An accounting method under which you report your income in the
year in which you actually or constructively receive it. You generally deduct
your expenses in the year you pay them.
Commodities trader:(p79)
A person who is actively engaged in trading section 1256 contracts
and is registered with a domestic board of trade designated as a contract market
by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
Commodity future:(p79)
A contract made on a commodity exchange, calling for the sale
or purchase of a fixed amount of a commodity at a future date for a fixed price.
Conversion transaction:(p79)
Any transaction that you entered into after April 30, 1993, that
meets both of these tests.
- Substantially all of your expected return from the transaction
is due to the time value of your net investment.
- The transaction is one of the following.
- A straddle, including any set of offsetting positions on
stock.
- Any transaction in which you acquire property (whether or
not actively traded) at substantially the same time that you contract to sell
the same property or substantially identical property at a price set in the
contract.
- Any other transaction that is marketed or sold as producing
capital gains from a transaction described in (1).
Demand loan:(p79)
A loan payable in full at any time upon demand by the lender.
A distribution of money or other property made by a corporation
to its shareholders out of its earnings and profits.
Equity option:(p79)
Any option:
- To buy or sell stock, or
- That is valued directly or indirectly by reference to any
stock or narrow-based security index.
Fair market value:(p79)
The price at which property would change hands between a willing
buyer and a willing seller, both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant
facts.
Forgone interest:(p79)
The amount of interest that would be payable for any period if
interest accrued at the applicable federal rate and was payable annually on
December 31, minus any interest payable on the loan for that period.
Forward contract:(p79)
A contract to deliver a substantially fixed amount of property
(including cash) for a substantially fixed price.
Futures contract:(p79)
An exchange-traded contract to buy or sell a specified commodity
or financial instrument at a specified price at a specified future date. See
also
Commodity future.
Any below-market loan where the forgone interest is in the nature
of a gift.
Compensation for the use or forbearance of money.
Investment interest:(p79)
The interest you paid or accrued on money you borrowed that is
allocable to property held for investment.
Limited partner:(p79)
A partner whose participation in partnership activities is restricted,
and whose personal liability for partnership debts is limited to the amount of
money or other property that he or she contributed or may have to contribute.
Listed option:(p79)
Any option that is traded on, or subject to the rules of, a qualified
board or exchange.
Marked to market rule:(p79)
The treatment of each section 1256 contract (defined later) held
by a taxpayer at the close of the year as if it were sold for its fair market
value on the last business day of the year.
Market discount:(p79)
The stated redemption price of a bond at maturity minus your
basis in the bond immediately after you acquire it. Market discount arises when
the value of a debt obligation decreases after its issue date.
Market discount bond:(p79)
Any bond having market discount except:
- Short-term obligations with fixed maturity dates of up to
1 year from the date of issue,
- Tax-exempt obligations that you bought before May 1, 1993,
- U.S. savings bonds, and
- Certain installment obligations.
Mutual fund:(p79)
A mutual fund is a regulated investment company generally created
by "pooling" funds of investors to allow them to take advantage of diversity of
investments and professional management.
A person who receives, in his or her name, income that actually
belongs to someone else.
Nonequity option:(p79)
Any listed option that is not an equity option, such as debt
options, commodity futures options, currency options, and broad-based stock
index options.
Options dealer:(p79)
Any person registered with an appropriate national securities
exchange as a market maker or specialist in listed options.
Original issue discount (OID):(p79)
The amount by which the stated redemption price at maturity of
a debt instrument is more than its issue price.
Passive activity:(p79)
An activity involving the conduct of a trade or business in which
you do not materially participate and any rental activity. However, the rental
of real estate is not a passive activity if both of the following are true.
- More than one-half of the personal services you perform during
the year in all trades or businesses are performed in real property trades or
businesses in which you materially participate.
- You perform more than 750 hours of services during the year
in real property trades or businesses in which you materially participate.
Portfolio income:(p79)
Gross income from interest, dividends, annuities, or royalties
that is not derived in the ordinary course of a trade or business. It includes
gains from the sale or trade of property (other than an interest in a passive
activity) producing portfolio income or held for investment.
The amount by which your cost or other basis in a bond right
after you get it is more than the total of all amounts payable on the bond after
you get it (other than payments of qualified stated interest).
Private activity bond:(p79)
A bond that is part of a state or local government bond issue
of which:
- More than 10% of the proceeds are to be used for a private
business use, and
- More than 10% of the payment of the principal or interest
is:
- Secured by an interest in property to be used for a private
business use (or payments for the property), or
- Derived from payments for property (or borrowed money) used
for a private business use.
An option that entitles the purchaser to sell, at any time before
a specified future date, property such as a stated number of shares of stock at
a specified price.
Real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC):(p80)
An entity that is formed for the purpose of holding a fixed pool
of mortgages secured by interests in real property, with multiple classes of
interests held by investors. These interests may be either regular or residual.
Regulated futures contract:(p80)
A section 1256 contract that:
- Provides that amounts that must be deposited to, or may be
withdrawn from, your margin account depend on daily market conditions (a system
of marking to market), and
- Is traded on, or subject to the rules of, a qualified board
of exchange, such as a domestic board of trade designated as a contract market
by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or any board of trade or exchange
approved by the Secretary of the Treasury.
Restricted stock:(p80)
Stock you get for services you perform that is nontransferable
and is subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture.
Section 1256 contract:(p80)
Any:
- Regulated futures contract,
- Foreign currency contract as defined in chapter 4 under
Section 1256 Contracts Marked to Market,
- Nonequity option,
- Dealer equity option, or
- Dealer securities futures contract.
For tax years beginning after July 21, 2010, a section 1256 contract
does not include certain swaps as listed in
Exceptions under
Section 1256 Contracts Marked to Market in chapter 4.
Securities futures contract:(p80)
A contract of sale for future delivery of a single security or
of a narrow-based security index.
Short sale:(p80)
The sale of property that you generally do not own. You borrow
the property to deliver to a buyer and, at a later date, you buy substantially
identical property and deliver it to the lender.
Generally, a set of offsetting positions on personal property.
A straddle may consist of a purchased option to buy and a purchased option to
sell on the same number of shares of the security, with the same exercise price
and period.
Stripped preferred stock:(p80)
Stock that meets the following tests.
- There has been a separation in ownership between the stock
and any dividend on the stock that has not become payable.
- The stock:
- Is limited and preferred as to dividends,
- Does not participate in corporate growth to any significant
extent, and
- Has a fixed redemption price.
Any loan that is not a demand loan.
A sale of stock or securities at a loss within 30 days before or after you buy
or acquire in a fully taxable trade, or acquire a contract or option to buy,
substantially identical stock or securities.
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