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Taxpayer Advocate Service Qualifier

By Forrest Baumhover, CFP®, EA · Last verified October 27, 2026

Test your situation against the IRS's case criteria for the Taxpayer Advocate Service, then draft the two statements a request for TAS help asks for.

How the Taxpayer Advocate Service decides whether to take a case

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS. IRM 13.1.7 lists nine case criteria and the exceptions that keep TAS from taking a case. This tool tests your answers against that list.

This tool never asks for a taxpayer identification number, name or address. It refuses any text that looks like a taxpayer identification number. Your answers stay in this browser.

Check the case criteria

Your money and your situation

Do you face a money problem now or soon because of this issue, such as unpaid rent, bills or medical costs?
Will you pay significant costs if the IRS does not fix the problem, including fees for a tax professional?
Will you suffer lasting harm if the IRS does not fix the problem?

An IRS action about to happen

Is the IRS about to take an action against you, such as taking money from your bank account or wages?

A wait for the IRS

What are you waiting on?
Did the IRS send you a letter that says it needs more time?
Is the wait happening because the IRS asked you for information that you have not sent?

A promise or a failure

Did the IRS promise you a date for a response or a fix?
Has the IRS answered or fixed the problem since that date?
Is an IRS system, process or procedure not working as it should, or has it failed to fix your problem?
Are you asking TAS for help directly?
Does the way the IRS has handled your case seem unfair, or does it violate your rights as a taxpayer?

Exceptions that keep TAS from taking a case

Is your only complaint that the tax system is unconstitutional?
Does your request rest on an argument that you do not have to file or pay federal tax?
What is the problem about?
Did a member of Congress send your case to the IRS?
Would processing the return or issuing its refund resolve an open IRS audit or collection case?
How did you file the return?

Draft your request for TAS help

Answer these questions and the tool writes a first-person draft of the two statements a request for TAS help asks for: what the problem is and what help you want. You add your name, taxpayer identification number and address on the IRS form yourself.

800 characters at most

60 characters at most

40 characters at most

500 characters at most

How have you contacted the IRS?
What help do you want from TAS?

400 characters at most

Which documents will you attach?

Before you send

Form 911 states:

  • Caution: TAS will not consider frivolous arguments raised on this form.
  • If you use this form to raise frivolous arguments, you may be subject to a penalty of $5,000, in addition to any other penalty provided by law.
  • Do not submit multiple Form 911s for the same issue, as this may cause delays with processing your inquiry for TAS assistance.
  • Disclaimer Notice: Email submissions to TAS of Form 911 and attachments are not encrypted for security.
  • The signing of this request is not a substitute for any legal or administrative action applicable to your situation and does not suspend any applicable periods for you to perform acts related to assessment or collection, such as petitioning the Tax Court for redetermination of a deficiency or requesting a Collection Due Process hearing.

Form 911 on IRS.gov

What this check cannot tell you

A result here does not mean the Taxpayer Advocate Service will take your case. The Local Taxpayer Advocate decides several of the criteria, and some exceptions depend on IRS records this tool cannot see.

Checked against IRM 13.1.7 (March 09, 2026) and Form 911 (Rev. 6-2026). Recheck by January 31, 2027.

Related pages

Common Questions

Does a “Likely met” result mean TAS will take my case?

No. A “Likely met” result means your answers fit a criterion in IRM 13.1.7. The Local Taxpayer Advocate decides several criteria, and some exceptions depend on IRS records this tool cannot see.

How long must the IRS take before the delay criterion applies?

IRM 13.1.7 says Criterion 5 applies when the IRS delays a problem or inquiry more than 30 days beyond the normal response time for the action. When the IRM lists no time frame, it counts a delay of more than 30 days to resolve a tax account problem. Delays that you cause by not responding do not meet Criterion 5.

What should I do if TAS does not answer?

Form 911 says to send an email to tas.form.911.request.for.assistance@irs.gov if you receive no response within 30 days of submitting it. Put “No Response” in the subject line.

Does the tool ask for my taxpayer identification number?

No. It never asks for a taxpayer identification number, name or address, and it refuses text shaped like a taxpayer identification number. You enter those details on the IRS form yourself.

Which sources does the tool use?

IRM 13.1.7, Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Case Criteria, including its Exhibit 13.1.7-1 response times, and Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance. Every result row shows its source section and quote.

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More practitioner writing from Forrest Baumhover, CFP®, EA at The Federal Tax Desk on Substack.

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