Tax Court Says It’s Addressing Concerns Over Increased Petitions

August 16, 2021

On July 23, 2021, the United States Tax Court issued a press release regarding the significantly increased number of petitions received this year. To date, the Court has received more than 26,000 petitions.

On July 26, 2021, and August 2, 2021, the Court met with various stakeholders, including representatives from the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation, the Internal Revenue Service, low income taxpayer clinics, and bar-sponsored pro bono programs, to address concerns relating to the increased number of petitions being filed. The Court continues to process petitions expeditiously. It has also begun notifying the IRS of those petitions the Court has received prior to service in order to limit the potential for premature assessment and enforcement action against petitioners.

As a reminder, the IRS created a dedicated email address in October 2020 for petitioners to reach out with concerns about premature assessments or enforcement action: taxcourt.petitioner.premature.assessment@irs.gov.

If you have questions about whether the Court has received your petition, you can contact the Public Affairs Office at (202) 521-3355 or email publicaffairs@ustaxcourt.gov.