How do you contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service? Is there a long wait time to get help from them too?

You can contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service directly by calling 1-877-777-4778 or by filling out Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance). You can also find your local office on the TAS website - sometimes it's faster to work with your local office. The wait time varies depending on your location and the complexity of your case. In my experience, I got an initial response within about a week, which is much faster than trying to resolve issues through normal IRS channels. Once you're assigned an advocate, they become your point of contact and handle communications with the IRS on your behalf, which simplifies the whole process considerably. They're especially helpful if you've already tried to resolve your issue through normal IRS channels without success.

I used a tax resolution firm for a $30k debt and honestly regret it. They charged me $3,000 upfront and basically just filled out the same forms I could have done myself. They promised they could get me an Offer in Compromise but ended up just setting up a regular payment plan that I could have arranged on my own for free.

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's exactly what I was worried about - paying thousands for something I could potentially do myself. Sounds like using the free Taxpayer Advocate Service and some of these other resources might be a better approach before resorting to paying a resolution firm.

Is it different if you're in a golf-related business? I sell custom golf accessories and have display items in my office that are technically usable but mainly for showing clients.

For your situation it's completely different since those items directly relate to what you're selling. That's a clear business purpose - they're essentially product samples or demonstration items. You could likely deduct those as ordinary and necessary business expenses. In the original poster's consulting business that's unrelated to golf, it's harder to show a direct business purpose for an expensive putter beyond general office decor or client entertainment. That's where the documentation becomes more important to demonstrate regular business use.

Actually, Section 179 lets you deduct the full cost in year one rather than depreciating it - that's the whole point of the provision. But you're right that it would apply here if the putter qualifies as business equipment.

I haven't tried TaxAct. How's the pricing compared to TurboTax? And does it let you jump directly to Schedule C without going through personal info you've already entered a million times before?

The pricing is definitely better - usually about half what TurboTax charges for the same features. For 2023 tax year I paid $65 total for federal and state with business income, compared to around $140 with TurboTax. Yes, you can jump directly to Schedule C and other forms! They have a forms-based navigation option where you can select exactly what you want to work on. You still need to complete basic personal info once, but after that you can move freely between different sections without following their sequence. It's much more efficient if you know what you're doing.

I tried the PDF forms route but got nervous about math errors. Don't the software programs check calculations and look for red flags? I'm always worried I'll miss something and get audited.

The ID.me verification is actually why I couldn't get my transcript online! They couldn't verify my phone for some reason and I got stuck in this endless loop. Has anyone found a workaround for the ID.me verification issues?

The ID.me system can definitely be frustrating. If you're having trouble with the automated verification, try their "video chat verification" option. It lets you speak with a human representative who can manually verify your identity. It takes longer (sometimes there's a waiting room), but it usually works when the automated system fails. Another option is to use the login.gov pathway instead of ID.me if it gives you that choice. Some people have better luck with one system versus the other.

It's not just you! The tax system in the US is deliberately complicated because tax prep companies lobby to keep it that way. Many other countries have simple tax filing systems where the government pre-fills your forms and you just verify them. But companies like H&R Block and TurboTax literally spend millions lobbying to prevent simplification because it would hurt their business model.

I had no idea about the lobbying thing, but it makes total sense. I lived in Sweden for a few years and filing taxes there took like 5 minutes - they sent me a pre-filled form and I just confirmed it was correct by text message. Coming back to the US tax system was a huge shock. I'm definitely going to be more careful about saving copies of everything from now on. Lesson learned the hard way!

How much did that cost in legal fees though? Was it worth the hassle compared to just paying and moving on?

The attorney took 35% of what we recovered, but I didn't have to pay anything upfront. It was definitely worth it since I recovered about $8,500 after the attorney's cut, and I only had to participate in a couple of meetings and a deposition. The case never went to trial because the preparer's insurance company decided to settle once they saw the evidence. The whole process took about 6 months. Not a huge hassle considering the money recovered, and it felt good holding the preparer accountable.

Yes! Absolutely do this. My neighbor reported a bad preparer and it actually helped her case because the IRS was already investigating them for multiple issues. They were more willing to work with her on penalties.

Thanks for the suggestion about Form 14157! I hadn't even thought about reporting the preparer, but that makes total sense. I'll definitely do that. My CPA actually mentioned that they've seen other clients who used the same person with similar issues, so it seems like this person has a pattern of preparing inaccurate returns.