SOI-266 - Earned Income Credit Research Studies: Focus Groups with Third-Party, Paid Tax Preparers TIRNO-05-Z00003, Task Order 6

OMB No. 1545-1349

EIC Qualifying Child Certification Program

Focus Group Recruitment Screener

Hello, may I speak to [Name]? My name is [Name], and I am calling about a research study requested by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS is conducting the study and I’m calling from Westat, a research firm, to invite you to a discussion group session.

The IRS is interested in learning about experiences you and your firm may have encountered submitting Earned Income Credit claims on behalf of taxpayers. [If needed: The Earned Income Credit (EITC) offsets federal taxes on earned wages for working families and low income individuals.] We would like to discuss what that experience was like for you and your staff, and ways that IRS may improve this process.

You are invited to participate in this discussion group because you prepared returns for taxpayers who claimed the Earned Income Credit [EIC]. We are forming a discussion group in your area, on August X/September X at XX, at X:00 pm. The focus group interview should take about an hour and a half. To thank you for your participation, we will provide dinner and an honorarium of $100.

Your participation in the discussion group is voluntary. Participation in the group will not affect your taxes or your tax status, or that of your firm. Identifying information about you will not be shared with the IRS.

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS provide an OMB control number for all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is 1545-1349.

Also, if you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, please write to the, Internal Revenue Service, Tax Products Coordinating Committee, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC  20224.

Would you be willing to participate? Thank you very much. I need to obtain a few pieces of information from you.

 NAME: ADDRESS: PHONE:
 HOW MANY PREPARERS ARE IN YOUR OFFICE? (check one):  1-5  21-30  more than 50  6-10  31-40  11-20  41-50
 IS YOUR OFFICE PART OF A LARGER CHAIN OR FIRM? (check one): Yes  No Which one? ___________________________________________________
DOES YOUR OFFICE MAINLY PREPARE RETURNS AS PART OF A VOLUNTEER EFFORT, OR ON BEHALF OF A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION?  Yes >>THANK & TERMINATE  No  Not sure >>THANK & TERMINATE
 IN THE PAST YEAR, DID YOU PREPARE A RETURN FOR ANY TAXPAYER CLAIMING EIC?  Yes  No >>THANK & TERMINATE  Not sure >>THANK & TERMINATE
 APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY EIC CLAIMS DID YOU SUBMIT LAST YEAR? LESS THAN 50  BETWEEN 100 & 200  MORE THAN 300 BETWEEN 50 & 100  BETWEEN 200 & 300
 HAVE YOU ATTENDED AN IRS-SPONSORED TAX FORUM, EITHER LAST YEAR (2006) OR THE YEAR BEFORE (2005)?  Yes [RECRUIT NO MORE THAN 2 PER GROUP]  No  Not sure
D DID THIS TAX PREPARER ACCEPT OR DECLINE THE INVITATION TO PARTICPATE IN THE FOCUS GROUP? (check one) Accepted Declined any participation. >>Describe reason he or she declined:
GROUP DATE & TIME (check one):  AUGUST X, X pm  SEPTEMBER X, X pm GROUP CITY & STATE:

Version 06-27-07