Menu
Tax Notes logo

IRS Expands Virtual Settlement Day Program After Rollout Success

Posted on June 5, 2020

The IRS is expanding its new virtual settlement days program — kicked off in May as a response to the coronavirus pandemic — after seeing successes in major cities where it’s been initiated.

“The response to these programs has been overwhelming, and it encouraged us to expand this initiative to help more people,” IRS Chief Counsel Michael Desmond said in a June 4 release.

The IRS Office of Chief Counsel’s Los Angeles office held its first virtual settlement day on May 26, and has lined up seven more events in June and July, according to the release. Washington will have its first virtual settlement day on June 20 in conjunction with multiple tax clinics and other legal entities.

During the virtual program’s kickoff, a May 9 Detroit settlement day was extended to eight days, and an extra event in June was added in Atlanta after the city’s initial event, which took place May 21 and 22. According to the release, more than 50 taxpayers received free tax advice during those two iterations of the program.

There are more virtual settlement days to come, and the IRS encourages unrepresented taxpayers with active cases in the Tax Court to contact their assigned chief counsel attorney or paralegal about participating, according to the release.

The IRS’s nationwide embrace of virtual settlement days “should help many taxpayers settle their Tax Court cases, and we look forward to that happening,” said Pamela Fuller, senior technician reviewer, IRS Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Procedure and Administration), on a June 4 webcast sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Taxation.

“Anecdotally, I have spoken to some colleagues that have participated in it, and other offices, and they thought it has gone very well,” Fuller said, adding that more information about virtual settlement days will be forthcoming.

Settlement days — also called pro bono days — are events held before Tax Court calendar calls aimed at helping unrepresented taxpayers receive free tax advice, legal representation, and an opportunity to settle their tax disputes. They can involve low-income taxpayer clinics, other pro bono organizations, and IRS officials.

Nathan J. Richman contributed to this article.

Copy RID