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ALPENA -- The U.S. Internal Revenue Service Community Assistance Visit program will this week provide residents of Alpena with a temporary taxpayer assistance center to offer those with any tax concerns face-to-face help.
The three-day program opened on the second floor of Alpena City Hall on Tuesday and continues today and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Residents can sit down with IRS officials and ask them all manner of questions regarding taxes. Residents are asked to bring a current photo ID as well as any letters or notices they may have received from the IRS.
"It went very well," Alpena resident Lorriane LaHaie said about her experience with the IRS Community Assistance Visit program on Tuesday. "They were very helpful and very polite."
According to an IRS news release, Alpena was selected, in part, based on its distance to the closest permanent IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center in Saginaw, almost 130 miles away.
Some of the topics residents can ask about include:
∫ account inquiries (help with letters, notices, and levies on wages or bank accounts),
∫ adjustments (changes to tax account information or payments),
∫ basic tax law assistance (answers related to individual federal tax returns),
∫ payment arrangements,
∫ authentication of taxpayer identities as part of the Taxpayer Protection Program,
∫ transcripts and tax forms, and
∫ information on IRS.gov resources and tools.
Since the center is temporary, IRS officials cannot accept payments, but they can assist residents with making payments online.
According to IRS Media Relations Specialist Luis Garcia, the Community Assistance Visit program is part of the IRS's efforts to provide underserved communities with direct and face-to-face communications as part of the agency's new Strategic Operating Plan funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.
"The face-to-face interaction is what makes the difference to a lot of people," Garcia said. "We are excited and happy to provide that."
The Alpena event marks only the second time that the program has been done. The first event took place in Paris, Texas last month and there are plans for temporary centers in Nebraska, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and New Mexico.
Taxpayers can schedule appointments or just speak with IRS workers over the phone by calling 615-250-5328, but walk-ins are also allowed.