The 24-member Internal Revenue Service Advisory Panel (IRSAC) published their 2012 public report, and their suggestions for improving the Practioner Priority Service (PPS) are spot on.  If the IRS follows these recommendations, there is no question it will improve access to tax relief.

The level of service and number of calls that can be handled by PPS is dropping due to budgetary constraints, so the IRS will need to figure out how to encourage practitioners to turn to E-Services more often and they will also need to be more efficient with the calls that they do take.

There were 14 suggestions in all, but my favorite has to do with the handling of Form 2848 (IRS Power of Attorney).  It currently takes about 10 days to process a F2848.  If the IRS would establish a priority CAF fax number that would be used through E-Services, processing times could be improved dramatically.  IRSAC also suggested that the IRS service center reps stop being so nitpicky with their POA verifications.  Currently if a practitioner calls before a F2848 has been processed by the CAF Unit, he/she must fax in the POA while on the line with the service center rep in order to obtain access to the account.  That’s fine; that makes sense.  However, if the practioner calls in a day or two later (before the CAF Unit has processed the POA), he/she is required to fax it over again.  IRSAC recommends making a simple notation showing that the F2848 has already been reviewed/approved.