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Counsel Clarifies the Limited Rights of Unenrolled Preparers in Tax Court Cases

Posted on Apr. 24, 2017

Taxpayers who have filed a petition in Tax Court often still rely on their tax return preparers to help try to resolve the matter. Most unlicensed tax return preparers are not admitted to practice before IRS Counsel attorneys. Despite that, in a 2014 Chief Counsel notice the IRS emphasized that Counsel attorneys should interact with a taxpayer’s representative if there is a valid POA on file authorizing the representative to act on the taxpayer’s behalf.

Last week, in  Notice CC-2017-007 Counsel clarified its earlier procedure and discussed issues relating to a representative who is an “Unenrolled Return Preparer.”

As we have discussed before, following the judicial rejection of the Service’s plan to require unlicensed preparers to pass a test and complete continuing education requirements, the Service launched a voluntary testing and education program called the Annual Filing Season Program (see for example Some More Updates on IRS Annual Filing Season Program and Refundable Credit Errors). Under that program, unlicensed preparers take 18 hours of continuing education and take a test on federal tax law. The return preparer seeking to obtain certification of compliance with the annal filing season program must also renew their preparer tax identification number (PTIN) and consent to adhere to and be subject to the obligations in Circular 230 addressing duties and restrictions to practice before the Service and Circular 230 § 10.51, which addresses sanctions and disreputable conduct. The benefits of opting in to the Annual Filing Season Program include becoming part of a searchable database of preparers and the right to represent taxpayers in examinations, though not before Appeals, Counsel or Collection.

That representation ability is a key perk for unenrolled preparers; it generally was available to all signing preparers before 2015 though by now limiting representation to the unenrolled preparers who comply with the Annual Filing Season Program, the Service has hoped to generate interest in and demand for what it required through its ill-fated mandatory testing and education regime.

Form 2848 specifically now has a designation for the class of unenrolled preparers who opt in to the Annual Filing Season Program; designation “h”, which is for “Unenrolled Return Preparer.”

Last week’s Chief Counsel notice discussed the limits of these representational rights for Unenrolled Return Preparers. Most importantly, representation is still limited to matters involving examination of a tax return. A challenge for the Service is drawing the line between assistance in an exam matter and in a matter that progresses beyond an exam because the taxpayer, often with shadow assistance by an unlicensed preparer, has filed a petition in Tax Court. Despite the limits of the representational powers of unenrolled return preparers, in the current Chief Counsel Notice the Service clarified that “if the involvement of an unenrolled return preparer is beneficial to the resolution of the case, Counsel attorneys may work with the unenrolled return preparer, in a non-representative capacity, to develop the facts of a case.”

In the Notice, Counsel thus takes a practical approach to the issue. Most cases in Tax Court involve pro se taxpayers, and many disputes in court revolve around facts. My experience is that in many instances the involvement of a third party can assist in the resolution of the case. The 2017 Chief Counsel Notice states that the preparer may assist the taxpayer in gathering information or in substantiation of items on the return, and that Counsel attorneys may permit the preparer to attend meetings.

The Notice does remind its attorneys to clarify with the taxpayer and the preparer that for the unenrolled return preparer there is no general authority to represent taxpayers in Tax Court cases, and that Counsel has no obligation to communicate with the preparer or even include the preparer in meetings if the preparer is abusive or if the interests of the preparer conflict with the interests of the taxpayer.

There are a couple of points worth highlighting in the Notice. First, with the increased reach of special due diligence penalties applying to more refundable credits, it is becoming somewhat more likely that a conflict between a preparer and a taxpayer may arise. In addition, as with other third parties who are not representatives of a taxpayer, Counsel’s communications with unenrolled preparers could expose the Service to possible 6103 violations if the communications proceed without the involvement of the taxpayer. As such, the Notice reminds its attorneys that it should communicate with the unenrolled preparer only if the taxpayer “is present, either in person or on the telephone, or in the unenrolled return preparer’s capacity as a third party record keeper or a potential witness.” In addition, because I suspect that taxpayers may not fully appreciate the limited powers of unenrolled preparers, the Notice states that to “avoid confusion Counsel attorneys should clarify with both the petitioner and the unenrolled return preparer that unenrolled return preparers do not have the authority to represent petitioners in dealings with Chief Counsel, even if the petitioner purports to consent to the representation.”

Conclusion

In sum, the Notice seems helpful for all parties. As taxpayers become more familiar with the limits associated with preparers who have not opted in to the Annual Filing Season Program, the Service encourages what it could not mandate; that is, the use of preparers who in fact have demonstrated some minimal level of competence and who demonstrate the additional accountability and visibility associated with the annual filing season program. I think that the approach of providing the incentive to use some preparers as compared to others, so long as that incentive is tied to furthering the goal of good tax administration rather than lining the pockets of some preparers over others, is a good model for IRS oversight over an industry that plays a key role in tax administration.

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