What Linus and "The Great Pumpkin" taught me about the IRS

Yesterday was Halloween.

It rained here in California. Quite a bit, actually. But the rain isn’t what stuck with me.

The candy bowl did.

You’ve probably seen it. A bowl by the front door and a sign telling the kids to grab their own.

Over the last couple of years, I've seen more and more of that.

It didn’t used to work that way.

When I was a kid, you knocked on the door, and a family came out and gave you candy.

The same thing happened when my own kids went trick-or-treating.

In places like Redlands and Yucaipa, families would even set up fire pits outside. It was really a community event.

Now it’s a bowl and a sign.

Our kids are grown and gone, so we got our Halloween in pictures. Our grandson dressed as Spider-Man. Andrew and Kanoe dressed as Morticia and Gomez from the Adam's family at Halloween parties.

Our daughter, Bella, was in Boston playing volleyball against MIT.

Her team won the first set against a nationally ranked opponent, lost the second 23-25, and lost the match. She told us this wasn’t the Halloween she’d had her entire life.

She was sad about it.

But we still shared one thing.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 

Bella watched it in her dorm room. Liz and I watched it at our table at the Improv in Ontario while we waited for the comedy show to start.

Opposite coasts. Same pumpkin patch.

If you remember the story, Linus spends the night out there waiting for someone who never comes. 

I’ve been thinking about that, because a lot of taxpayers are sitting in that same patch.

They have a letter from the IRS. Maybe a stack of them.

They’ve finally worked up the nerve to reach out for help.

And what do they find at the door? 

• An auto-reply saying someone will get back to them

• A booking link when they needed a conversation

• A portal login and a list of documents to upload

I use these tools too, and I’m keeping them. Nobody needs a fire pit to upload a W-2.

But someone facing IRS collections isn’t shopping for a portal. 

They aren’t calling to be sold, either. They want to know that a real person has seen the problem and will help them figure out what comes next.

And while they wait, the IRS deadlines keep running.

So here’s my question for you this Sunday:

When that person walks up to your practice, does anyone open the door?

If you need our help we will answer the phone live at 909-570-1103 or book your appointment for a live consult at CallTaxEA.com 

Have a good Sunday,

Carlos Samaniego, EA
TaxDebtConsultant.com 

P.S. Quick update: I’ll be out of the office Monday through Wednesday and back Wednesday evening. I’m heading to Orlando to teach tax professionals, CPAs, and attorneys how to better represent their clients and talk with them. So if you need anything, call the office at 909-570-1103. Liz will be there to help.