Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance)
The request form for Taxpayer Advocate Service help — for a tax problem causing financial difficulty, an unresolved IRS delay, or a system that is not working as it should.
Full Definition
Form 911 is how you ask the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) to open a case. The IRS describes TAS as "an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that helps taxpayers resolve federal tax issues and protects taxpayers' rights."
The form's own instructions state who it is for: "TAS may be able to assist you if your federal tax problem is causing a financial difficulty, you have tried and been unable to resolve your issue with the IRS, or if an IRS system, process, or procedure is not working as it should," and that its help "is always free."
The form asks what the issue is and any difficulty it is creating (line 12a) and the relief being requested (line 12b). Two things the instructions are explicit about. First, timing: if you do not hear back within 30 days of submitting it, the instructions say to email TAS with "No Response" in the subject line rather than filing a second Form 911, which "may cause delays with processing your inquiry." Second, what filing it does not do: "The signing of this request is not a substitute for any legal or administrative action applicable to your situation and does not suspend any applicable periods for you to perform acts related to assessment or collection, such as petitioning the Tax Court for redetermination of a deficiency or requesting a Collection Due Process hearing."
Section II lets a representative be listed, and the instructions distinguish the two forms that can sit there: a Form 2848 representative can act on your behalf; a Form 8821 designee can only inspect or receive your information, not advocate your position.
What to do next
If a deadline is running — a CDP request, a Tax Court petition — file on that track first. Form 911 does not pause any of those clocks.
What this page does not say
- The Taxpayer Advocate Service's own numbered Case Acceptance Criteria (economic burden, systemic burden, and best-interest-of-the-taxpayer categories) were not retrieved for this entry. This page describes only what Form 911 and its instructions state about when and how to file.
Sources
- Form 911, Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance (and Application for Taxpayer Assistance Order) (Rev. 6-2026) — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-24
Last reviewed 2026-08-24 by Tax Resolution Clarity editorial.
Sourced to primary IRS materials and editorially reviewed. Not reviewed by a tax professional. Not tax advice.
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Where to go next
The IRS publishes the rules this page describes. Your own notice governs your dates.