Case assignments are made by the Clinic Coordinator.  The Clinic does not handle state tax issues.  The Clinic only handles tax controversies involving civil federal income or employment taxes.  The cases coming to the Clinic usually fall into in one of the following types:

   1)         The taxpayer has received one of a variety of 30-day letters. The preliminary 30-day letter proposes the redetermination of tax by the IRS.  This 30-day letter follows an audit (examination) by an IRS agent.  It asks the taxpayer to either sign and return an agreement to the examiner's findings or request a conference with an appeals officer.  The request for a conference must be submitted within a 30-day period. Normally, a "Protest" will be filed to request an appeals conference (hearing).  This is not a statutory deadline.  Other 30-day letters impose statutory deadlines.  These letters are issued under Sections 6320 and 6330 and they follow the assessment of tax.  These letters permit a taxpayer to request a hearing to appeal a lien or levy.  If an appeal is denied, a taxpayer is then given 30 days to petition the Tax Court.

   2)         The taxpayer has received one of the statutory 90-day letters.  One of the 90-day letters is a Statutory Notice of Deficiency issued under (IRC § 6212).  To be timely, this 90-day letter must be mailed by the IRS before the expiration of the statute of limitations on assessment of tax.  It permits the taxpayer to petition the U.S. Tax Court for review of the deficiency prior to payment.  The petition must be filed within a 90-days after the letter is mailed by the IRS to the taxpayer.  The notice will indicate the last day on which a petition may be filed.  Failure to file a petition within the 90-day period excludes the U.S. Tax Court from jurisdiction.  Another 90-day letter is issued under § 6015, which permits a taxpayer to petition the Tax Court following denial by the IRS of Innocent Spouse relief.

   3)         The taxpayer has received some other letter of inquiry from the IRS. Most common is the notice because the IRS was unable to process a tax return.

   4)         The taxpayer has failed to respond to IRS pre-assessment letters, tax has been assessed and the matter is in collections.  The taxpayer may then receive a statutory Notice of Lien or a statutory Notice of Levy.  This type of case will be accepted where there is a substantive tax issue involved or where tax equity dictates it.  If the matter has been transferred to collections, it may be appropriate to prepare an Offer in Compromise or an installment agreement.  If a statutory notice is received the taxpayer has only 30 days within which to challenge the collection action.

Many individuals who contact the Tax Clinic have not only significant tax problems, but also other legal or personal problems.  Please understand that we specialized and only focus on helping resolve tax issue with the IRS. The Clinic does maintain a list of agencies to refer clients who maybe experiencing other problems. Otherwise, you are encouraged to phone 211 for referrals on other services for Utah residents.