Taxpayer Compliance Burden - Late Filer (1)

Taxpayer Compliance Burden Survey

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Internal Revenue Service

Your experience matters to us.

TCB

Want to take the
survey on the web?
See the back cover
for instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

You were randomly selected to complete this
survey because IRS would like to learn about
the experience of taxpayers who have filed a
return after the due date of the return.

What is this survey about?

This survey should be completed by you or
your spouse (if you filed jointly), but may require
help from those who have assisted you in
resolving your federal income tax filing issue.
By completing the survey, the IRS can use
your responses to help better understand the
amount of time and money taxpayers spend
resolving issues related to late-filed returns.

Should I send this to my tax
professional?

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The purpose of this survey is to provide the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with accurate
estimates of the time and money spent by
you or your spouse (if you filed jointly), family
members, friends, or other unpaid volunteers to
resolve an issue with a late-filed return.

Who should complete this survey?

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Why did I receive the Taxpayer
Compliance Burden Survey?

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Please be assured that you will not be asked
about specific income or other financial
information.

No, please do not send this to your tax
professional, if you have one, because this
survey concerns time and costs spent by you
not your tax professional.

How will my answers be used?

All information you provide will be used for
research purposes only. Participation is
voluntary, but the information you provide
will ensure that experiences like yours are
represented.

How long will this survey take?
We expect that this survey will take about 10 to
15 minutes to complete.

Who can I contact with questions or
concerns about the survey?
For questions about the content of this survey:
• Please contact Sushama Rajapaksa at
Westat by phone at 1-855-737-4070 or send
an email to [email protected].
To contact the IRS about the survey:
• Please call Sarah Shipley at 206-946-3516
or send an email to [email protected]

Instructions:
INSTRUCTIONS
â Please use a black or blue pen to complete this form.
â Mark

to indicate your answer.

â If you want to change your answer, darken the box

and mark the correct answer.

Si usted desea contestar esta encuesta en español, por favor llame al
1-855-737-4070 o envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected].

41431

Section A. General Questions About Your Tax Year 20XX Filing Issue
1.

What reason best describes why you filed your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax return
after the due date of the return? Check only one.
Did not know I had to file
Someone told me I didn’t have to file
There was a balance due on the return
Didn’t understand how to complete the return
Other, please specify:

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2.

Software or paid preparer too expensive
Didn’t have all of the tax documents I needed
Personal reasons (illness, death in the family,
too busy)

What prompted you to file your Tax Year 20�� federal income tax return? Check all that apply.
Able to get help to complete the return
Had enough time to prepare the return
Had enough money to pay the balance due

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To get my refund
Found out I had to file
To show IRS that I owed less than they said I did
Received the tax documents I needed
Other, please specify:

3.

What did you do when you received the first IRS notice about your Tax Year 20XX
federal income tax filing issue? Check all that apply.
Did not receive an IRS notice
Did not think it was important, so I did nothing
Did not understand the notice, so I did nothing
Other, please specify:

4.

Took the notice to a paid or volunteer tax
professional
Did not open the first IRS notice, but did open a
subsequent notice

What did you do to learn more about filing your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax
return?Check all that apply.
Searched a non-IRS website
Consulted with a paid or volunteer tax professional
Consulted with friends or family members
Other, please specify:

Contacted the IRS
Searched IRS.gov
Visited a local IRS office

None of the above
Form

14713-A

(6-2015)

Catalog Number 68098E

www.irs.gov

1

Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service

41431

Section B. Time Spent Resolving Your Tax Year 20XX Return Filing Issue
The next questions focus on the time spent by you, family members, friends, or other unpaid
volunteers on activities related to resolving your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax filing issue.
Please do not include time spent:

Please include time spent:


By you, family members, friends, or other
unpaid volunteers actively working to resolve
your filing issue



Waiting on the IRS or your tax professional to
respond to you



Filing federal income tax returns not required to
resolve your filing issue
Filing any state income tax returns




A.

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Of the total time you spent resolving your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax filing issue...
How much time did you spend reviewing and gathering tax-related materials?
Include time spent:



Reading IRS notices, instructions, or publications
Performing tax-related calculations



Consulting with family members or friends



Researching to learn more about the issue
Obtaining or recreating tax-related documentation




B.

No time spent

Taking time off from your job to review and gather tax-related materials
Copying, printing, or scanning tax-related documents



On the telephone or in face-to-face meetings with IRS personnel
Visiting a local IRS office (include travel time)



Taking time off from your job to interact with the IRS



Writing and submitting a letter to the IRS



Searching IRS.gov



Obtaining IRS forms, instructions, or publications



Completing and submitting IRS forms



Making payments to the IRS

:
Hours

Minutes

No time spent

How much time did you spend working with a tax professional?
Include time spent:



Searching for and selecting a tax professional
Discussing fees and payment with a tax professional



Submitting tax-related documentation to a tax professional



Completing any forms at the request of a tax professional



In face-to-face meetings with a tax professional (include travel time)

No time spent



Taking time off from a job to work with a tax professional

Not applicable



On the telephone or exchanging email with a tax professional



Form

Minutes

How much time did you spend interacting with the IRS and IRS resources?
Include time spent:



C.

:

Hours

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5.

By a paid tax professional who may have helped
you resolve your filing issue

14713-A

(6-2015)

Catalog Number 68098E

www.irs.gov

2

:
Hours

Minutes

Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service

41431

Section C. Money Spent Resolving Your Tax Year 20XX Return Filing Issue
The next questions ask about the money you spent to resolve your Tax Year 20XX federal
income tax filing issue.
Please do not include:

Please include:
Money spent by you while actively working to
resolve your filing issue



Any tax, penalties, and interest related to
your filing issue



Costs related to filing any federal or state
income tax returns not required to resolve
your 20XX filing issue

Of the total money you spent resolving your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax filing issue...
A.

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6.



How much did you spend on tax professional fees to resolve your filing issue?
Include money paid:
To a tax professional, at any point, to assist you in
resolving your filing issue

.

$

Dollars

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

Cents

No money spent
Not applicable

How much did you spend on a tax preparation website or software to resolve your filing
issue?
Include the purchase price as well as live advice fees.

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B.

Do not include any general purchase accounting software,
such as Quicken, MSN Money, or QuickBooks.

C.

Dollars

Cents

No money spent

How much did you spend on postage or other related costs to resolve your filing issue?
Include money paid other than tax, penalties, and interest:






D.

.

$

For postage, envelopes, and other mail-related costs
For copying, faxing, or scanning of documents

.

$
Dollars

For travel and commuting related to resolving your
filing issue

Cents

No money spent

For any other products and services necessary to
resolve your filing issue

How much did you spend on fees to resolve your filing issue, such as a credit card
processing fee or an offer-in-compromise application fee?
Do not include tax, penalties, or interest.

.

$
Dollars

Cents

No money spent

Form

14713-A

(6-2015)

Catalog Number 68098E

www.irs.gov

3

Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service

41431

Section D. Your Experience Resolving Your Tax Year 20XX Filing Issue
7.

When resolving your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax filing issue, how stressful was
each of the following?
Not at all
stressful

A little
stressful

Somewhat
stressful

Very
stressful

Did not
do

A. Figuring out what to do next
B. Figuring out what would happen if
you didn't respond
C. Trying to understand IRS notices

E. Responding to the IRS in writing
F. Finding the tax information you need
to complete your return

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G. Finding out about payment options

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D. Calling the IRS

When resolving your Tax Year 20XX federal income tax filing issue, how stressful was
the following?
A little
stressful

Somewhat
stressful

Very
stressful

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Not at all
stressful

H. Overall experience resolving this filing
issue

8.

If there had been other ways to provide information to the IRS or find out about the status
of your 20XX filing issue, which method(s) would you have used?
Check all that apply.

Email
Secure online taxpayer account
Text messaging
Other, please specify:

9.

Form

Please share any suggestions you have for how the IRS could improve taxpayer services
or make it easier for you to know when you should file a federal income tax return and
what payment options are available.

14713-A

(6-2015)

Catalog Number 68098E

www.irs.gov

4

Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service

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Privacy and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice for Taxpayer Compliance Burden Survey
The Privacy Act of 1974 states that when we ask you for information, we must first tell you our legal right to ask for the information, why
we are asking for it, and how it will be used. We must also tell you what could happen if you do not provide it and whether or not you
must respond under the law.
Our legal right to ask for this information is 5 U.S.C. 301.

The primary purpose for requesting the information is to analyze the role of taxpayer burden in tax administration. We will also use the
information to fulfill the IRS’ statutory obligations to the Office of Management and Budget and Congress for information required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act, and to provide tax policy analysis support to the Office of Tax Analysis at the Department of the Treasury. We
will also use the information provided to better understand taxpayer needs and burden reduction opportunities.
Tax information may be disclosed only as provided by 26 U.S.C. 6103. Providing the information is voluntary. Not providing all or part of
the information requested may reduce our ability to address taxpayer concerns regarding paperwork reduction.
OMB No: 1545-2212. This report is authorized under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Data collected will be shared with IRS staff,
but your responses will be used for research and aggregate reporting purposes only and will not be used for other non-statistical or
non-research purposes such as direct enforcement activities. The information that you provide will be protected to the fullest extent
allowable under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average
10 to 15 minutes, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data
needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to IRS Tax Products Coordinating Committee,
SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP, 1111 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20224.

If you would prefer to complete the survey on the web, you may do so by
following the instructions below. Web responses are processed more quickly
and will help ensure that you don’t receive follow-up contacts.

Web Survey Instructions
Go to the website.

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1

To take the survey online, please go to:

2 Log in.

 ou will need the following username and
Y
password to access the survey:

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www.TCB-B.org

Username: [UID]
Password: [PWD]

Problems?

If you have any technical difficulties, including problems with
the website, please call 1-855-737-4070 or send an email to
[email protected]

Si usted desea contestar esta encuesta en español, por favor llame al
1-855-737-4070 o envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected]

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