Surveys; CS-09-158C, CS-09-179, -180, -181, -182, -183, -184, -185, -186, -187, -188, -189, -190, -191, -192, -193, and CS-09-194

I need your help with an important initiative I am undertaking to improve
our service to America's taxpayers. I want to get feedback from taxpayers
like you who have recently experienced an audit of their excise tax returns.
In a few days, you will receive a questionnaire asking your opinions about
the audit with the IRS. Please direct it to the person who had the most
contact with the IRS on this matter. The questionnaire should take less
than 5 minutes to complete. Your answers will be combined with others to
give us an evaluation of customer satisfaction with IRS service.
To keep all replies anonymous to the IRS, we have asked an independent
research company to administer the survey. Pacific Consulting Group/Scantron
employees will process the questionnaires and report only statistical totals to us.
I am committed to improving IRS service to every taxpayer. Please help
me in this effort by completing and returning the questionnaire as soon as
possible. If you do not receive a questionnaire, please contact the Survey
Helpline at 1-866-960-7897.
Sincerely,

John H. Imhoff, Jr.
Director, Specialty Programs

L1_13257-L

Pacific Consulting Group/Scantron
IRS Customer Survey
P.O. Box 64530
St. Paul, MN 55164-9610 USA

A few days ago, you received a letter from John H. Imhoff, Jr., Director, Specialty Programs,
asking for your help with an important research project.
We are administering a nationwide survey among people who have had contact with the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS). We want to know your opinions about your recent experience with the IRS
audit of your excise tax return. Your responses are critical to the accuracy of this research.
We are sending questionnaires to all taxpayers who have gone through a recent examination of an
excise tax return. All responses will be anonymous to the IRS, and your participation is voluntary.
We will group your responses with all the others we receive, so that no individual reply can be
traced back to any one person.
The questionnaire is quite brief and should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Please use the
postage-paid reply envelope to return your completed questionnaire. If you have any questions
about this survey, please feel free to call the Survey Helpline at 1-866-960-7897.
The IRS is committed to improving its performance and service to the American public. A first
step in this process is to gather reliable information from those who have had contact with IRS
services and employees. Your honest opinions will help bring about this improvement.
Sincerely,

Dr. Peter Webb
Project Director

L2_13257-L

Pacific Consulting Group/Scantron
IRS Customer Survey
P.O. Box 64530
St. Paul, MN 55164-9610 USA

Do We Have Your Input Yet?
Recently, you received a questionnaire asking your opinions
about the service you received from the IRS in a recent
contact. If you have already completed and returned the
questionnaire, please accept our sincere thanks. If not, please
take a few minutes to complete it and return it today. We want
to be sure we have your opinions and suggestions.
If you did not receive the questionnaire, or it got misplaced,
please call us at 1-866-960-7897.
Dr. Peter Webb
Project Director
L3_13257-L

Pacific Consulting Group/Scantron
IRS Customer Survey
P.O. Box 64530
St. Paul, MN 55164-9610 USA

A few days ago, you received a survey from John H. Imhoff, Jr., Director, Specialty Programs,
asking for your help with an important research project. If you have already completed the survey,
thank you. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to fill in your responses.
We are administering a nationwide survey among people who have had contact with the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS). We want to know your opinions about your recent experience with the IRS
audit of your excise tax return. Your responses are critical to the accuracy of this research.
We are sending questionnaires to all taxpayers who have gone through a recent examination of an
excise tax return. All responses will be anonymous to the IRS, and your participation is voluntary.
We will group your responses with others, so that no individual reply can be traced back to any
one person.
The questionnaire is quite brief and should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Please use the
postage-paid reply envelope to return your completed questionnaire. If you have any questions
about this survey, please feel free to call the Survey Helpline at 1-866-960-7897.
The IRS is committed to improving its performance and service to the American public. A first
step in this process is to gather reliable information from those who have had contact with IRS
services and employees. Your honest opinions will help bring about this improvement.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,

Dr. Peter Webb
Project Director

L4_13257-L

OMB # 1545-1432

IRS SMALL BUSINESS/SELF-EMPLOYED
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
EXCISE TAX EXAMINATION
The IRS is trying to improve its service to the public. You can help in this important mission by
answering the questions below. This voluntary survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
Your responses will be kept completely anonymous to the IRS. If you have any questions about this
survey, you may call the Survey Helpline at 1-866-960-7897.

1

The questions that follow ask your opinion regarding how the IRS handled your recent examination.
For each question, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the final outcome, please indicate
your answer by checking the box that best represents your opinion.
Neither
Satisfied
Very
Somewhat
Nor
Somewhat
Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied

How would you rate the ...
a. Explanation of why you were being examined? .........................
b. Explanation of the exam process? ...............................................
c. Ease of understanding the notice regarding your initial appointment?
d. Time given to you to provide requested information to the IRS?
e. Time the IRS took to respond to you? .........................................
f. Flexibility of auditor in scheduling meetings? ............................
g. Reasonableness of information you were asked to provide? .......
h. Explanation of why records were required after initial appointment?
i. Business knowledge of your auditor? .........................................
j. Tax knowledge of your auditor? .................................................
k. Courtesy of your auditor? ...........................................................
l. Consideration given to the information you submitted? .............
m. Length of the exam process from start to finish? .........................
n. Amount of time you had to spend on the examination? ..............
o. Understanding that you have payment options? .........................
p. Explanation of why adjustments were made? .............................
q. Fairness of treatment by the IRS? ...............................................

2
3

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the final
outcome, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with
the way your examination was handled? ....................................

Very
Satisfied

Don’t
Know/Not
Applicable

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Very
Satisfied

Don’t
Know/Not
Applicable

Neither
Satisfied
Very
Somewhat
Nor
Somewhat
Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied

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

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Are you ...?
 The taxpayer
 A tax professional who represented the taxpayer
 Someone else who represented the taxpayer

Please continue on back

Form 13257-L (Rev. 2-2009)

Cat. No. 49043N

Department of the Treasury – Internal Revenue Service

If you have been unable to resolve any specific problems with your tax matter through the normal IRS channels,
or now face a significant hardship due to the application of the tax law, we encourage you to contact the Taxpayer
Advocate Service at 1-877-777-4778.

4

Use this space for comments or suggestions for improvement.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all
public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is 1545-1432. 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.

Thank you for completing the survey.
Please return the questionnaire to P.O. Box 64530, St. Paul, MN 55164-9610 USA.

Form 13257-L (Rev. 2-2009)

Cat. No. 49043N

Department of the Treasury – Internal Revenue Service