I want to tell you about a phone call I got this week.
We were in El Yunque. That’s the rainforest in Puerto Rico. Dense canopy, humidity you can wear, the kind of place where your phone signal is a suggestion.
My family was outside the car. I was sitting in the passenger seat on my personal cell.
The IRS Appeals Officer called.
This case has been waiting almost a year. A year of the IRS backlog grinding along while my client waited, while I tracked it, while we kept everything ready for the moment they finally picked it up.
She introduced herself, told me what she needed, and then said something I didn’t expect.
She apologized for calling me on vacation.
I told her not to worry about it.
Because this is what I do. You don’t get to put a client’s case on hold because you’re somewhere beautiful. You don’t get to tell the IRS “call me Monday” when they’ve finally picked up a file that’s been sitting in their queue for eleven months.
You take the call. In the jungle if that’s where you are.
She was professional, she was prepared, and she told me she’s looking forward to receiving what she needs the minute I’m back at my desk Monday.
We’ll be ready.
Here’s what I want you to take from this.
The IRS is backed up. Significantly. Appeals cases that used to move in 90 days are taking a year or more.
That backlog cuts both ways. It buys some people time. It tortures others with uncertainty.
Either way, you need someone in your corner who is tracking the file, keeping the paperwork ready, and answering the call when it finally comes.
Even when that call comes from a rainforest in Puerto Rico.
I’m back Monday. Full swing. If you’ve got an IRS problem that needs someone who doesn’t put it down, let’s talk.
TaxDebtTriage.com or 909-570-1103.
Carlos Samaniego, EA
The Tax Debt Detective Tax Debt Consultants LLC
