Is there a difference between an IRS Revenue Agent and an IRS Revenue Officer?

Yes, and when dealing with someone at the Internal Revenue Service it is important to know the difference between a revenue agent and a revenue officer and to know which one you are working with. A revenue agent is someone who audits the tax returns of taxpayers, whether individual or corporate returns.

A revenue agent does not work in the area of collections, and instead works to determine your correct tax liability. A revenue officer on the other hand, is the person who is assigned to collecting money that you owe. The revenue officer, although he has to follow many strict parameters, still has a lot of leeway and discretion when working with a taxpayer to work out a resolution to pay off tax debt that will hopefully work for the taxpayer while still being in the best interests of the government.

A revenue officer is not someone you can work with if you feel you don’t owe money because of the tax laws. The revenue officer is usually not very familiar with tax laws, and once a case reaches a revenue officers desk, his job is to make sure the Internal Revenue Service collects the money that is due to them, whether it be from a straight payoff of the balance due, setting up an installment agreement with the IRS, or some other solution. Therefore, if you believe that you don’t owe the tax that a revenue officer says is due, it is important to get your case back into the hands of a revenue agent who is familiar with the tax laws. Two possible ways to go about getting a case back on a revenue agents desk are to file a request for audit reconsideration, or two file an offer in compromise based on doubt as to liability.

If you have been contacted by either an IRS revenue agent or IRS revenue officer, give us a call at 1-800-408-3122 for a completely free, no obligation consultation regarding your unique tax situation. You can also contact us at TaxHelp@IOweTaxes.com

Leave A Reply