IRS Appeals revises initial contact letters as part of effort to enhance the taxpayer experience

2022-10-05

IR-2022-170, Oct. 4, 2022

The revised initial contact letter sent for most cases received in Appeals will clarify that taxpayers and representatives can generally choose how they meet with Appeals through conferences that can be held by telephone, video or in-person. Appeals can also work with taxpayers and representatives through the mail or secure electronic messaging. Appeals employees can successfully resolve disputes in every type of conference and the type of conference does not impact Appeals’ decision.

The Appeals Officer remains the primary contact for all their assigned cases, but the initial contact letter will provide the Appeals Officer’s manager’s name and phone number to ensure an appeal stays on track in the rare instance additional help is needed.