Received letter saying tax matter assigned to a Field revenue officer - what should I expect at meeting?

So I've been pretty bad about filing my taxes on time... I did file for 2023 and have 2024 ready to send off. But today I got this official letter saying my "tax matter has been assigned to a field revenue officer for investigation" because of my delinquent taxes. They want me to call to confirm a meeting time and it says the meeting will take 2 HOURS! What exactly is this meeting about? Is this considered an audit? The letter just says that "the information provided will be reviewed" but I'm freaking out a little. I know I need to get caught up on my taxes, but what should I expect from this meeting and how should I prepare? For my income, I get a W-2 from my regular job and also a 1099 from my side gig selling stuff on Amazon (though that just shows what I sold, not my actual profit). Will they be auditing me during this meeting or is this more like a warning that if I don't file soon, they'll file on their own and tell me what I owe? The letter says I need to bring the "requested tax returns" to the meeting. Problem is, they want like 7 years worth, and there's no way I can prepare all of those in less than a month. Maybe I could finish a couple more but definitely not all of them. What should I do??

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18 comments

Sara Unger

•8M

This is not a formal audit, but rather what the IRS calls a "field collection" process. When you have multiple unfiled returns or unpaid taxes, your case can be assigned to a Revenue Officer who works in the field. Their job is to get you compliant with filing and payment obligations. The meeting is to discuss your filing situation, determine why you haven't filed, and create a plan to get you back into compliance. The Revenue Officer will likely want to understand your financial situation as well to determine your ability to pay any outstanding tax debts. I recommend prioritizing completion of your most recent unfiled years first (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021). Bring whatever returns you have completed to the meeting, along with documents showing your income (W-2s, 1099s) for the unfiled years. Also bring any expense documentation for your Amazon business, as you'll need to file Schedule C for that income. Be honest about your situation and demonstrate that you're making efforts to resolve it. The Revenue Officer has significant enforcement powers, but they generally prefer voluntary compliance over taking enforced collection actions.

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Sara Unger

•8M

Yes, Revenue Officers do have authority to take enforcement actions including placing liens, levying bank accounts, and seizing assets - but these are typically last resorts after voluntary compliance efforts fail. They usually provide multiple opportunities to resolve the situation before moving to enforcement. They won't file substitute returns during your meeting. If they decide to pursue Substitute for Returns (SFRs), that's a separate process that happens later if you continue not to file. The meeting is primarily to understand your situation and develop a compliance plan.

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Freya Ross

•8M

I went through something similar last year when I hadn't filed for 3 years. I was stressing out big time until I discovered this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me organize all my documents and figure out what I needed for those back tax returns. It basically analyzed what I had and what was missing, then gave me a plan for each year. The Revenue Officer was actually impressed that I had everything organized by year when I showed up, even though I didn't have all the returns completed yet. Having all my documentation sorted made a huge difference because it showed I was serious about fixing the situation. The tool even helped me identify some deductions I was missing for my side business that saved me a few thousand dollars.

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Freya Ross

•8M

The tool does both organization and analysis - it scans your documents and categorizes everything by tax year, then points out what's missing based on your filing history and income sources. For your contract work, it would help identify which 1099s you have and which might be missing. It's definitely not just a document sorter. The AI is trained on tax regulations and can identify potential deductions based on your business expenses and documents. It doesn't replace a tax professional entirely, but it does the heavy lifting of organizing everything and pointing you in the right direction. I was skeptical too at first, but it saved me when I was facing a similar situation with multiple unfiled years.

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Leslie Parker

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai - it's absolutely worth it for anyone in this situation. I uploaded my pile of unsorted docs from those 4 years of contract work, and it organized everything by year and type, then gave me a checklist of what was still missing. Even found some business expenses in my bank statements I would have missed. Finished my back taxes in a weekend instead of the months I was dreading. If you're facing a Revenue Officer meeting like the OP, this seriously helps show you're making a good faith effort to get compliant. They seemed way more willing to work with me when I showed up with organized records and a clear plan to file everything.

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Savanna Franklin

•8M

When I got assigned a Revenue Officer last summer, I literally couldn't get through to them for weeks. Every time I called the number on the letter, I got stuck in the IRS phone system hell. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually get through to a human at the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It saved me from missing my deadline to respond which would have been BAD. When I finally connected with my assigned officer, she explained that postponing the meeting would have automatically triggered a more aggressive collection process. Definitely worth it to actually get through in time.

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Savanna Franklin

•8M

It's essentially a callback service that navigates the IRS phone system for you. They call and wait in the queue (which can be hours long), then when they reach a human agent, they call you and connect you directly to that agent. You're not paying for "special access" - you're paying to avoid wasting half your day on hold. No, I don't work for them - I was skeptical too. But when you're facing a Revenue Officer deadline and can't afford to miss it, spending hours repeatedly calling only to get disconnected is incredibly frustrating. The IRS phone system is absolutely still overwhelmed, especially for collection issues. Wait times have improved for basic tax questions, but getting through to specific departments is still a nightmare.

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Amy Fleming

•8M

I take back what I said. After my third attempt calling the IRS collections department ended with being disconnected after 97 minutes on hold, I tried Claimyr out of desperation. Within 45 minutes I got a call back and was connected to an actual IRS agent. The agent confirmed my Revenue Officer's direct line which wasn't even on my original letter. Turns out there was a typo in the contact information they sent me, which is why I couldn't reach anyone. Got everything straightened out and avoided having a lien filed against me. Sometimes you have to admit when you're wrong - and I was definitely wrong about this service not being legitimate.

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Alice Pierce

•8M

When you meet with the Revenue Officer, DO NOT sign any forms without understanding what they are. They might ask you to sign Form 433-A (Collection Information Statement) which details all your assets, income, and expenses. This can be used to determine how much you can pay if you owe taxes. Also - very important - if you have documents showing expenses for your Amazon business, BRING THEM. You need to file Schedule C for that 1099 income and you want to deduct all legitimate business expenses. Otherwise, you'll be taxed on 100% of your gross sales which would be a disaster.

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Alice Pierce

•8M

Yes, definitely bring your bank statements, especially ones showing your business expenses. The Revenue Officer will want to understand your complete financial picture. Bank statements help verify both your income sources and your expenses. Having those statements also helps with credibility - it shows you're being transparent and cooperative. Focus on the last 3 months at minimum, but if you have statements going back through the unfiled tax periods, those would be valuable to bring as well.

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