E-11. Request for Taxpayer Advocate assistance (narrative for Form 911)
Use a model narrative for Form 911 to describe the tax problem, hardship, previous IRS contacts and help requested from the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
Use this model letter
Copy or download the blank model letter, then replace every [bracketed field] and remove alternatives that do not apply. Read the guidance below before using it. These are templates, not official IRS forms; nothing is filed or sent for you.
Downloads work without JavaScript. Copy letter becomes available when the page is interactive.
Word is editable; PDF is for reading or printing. No account or personal information is needed.
When to use this
Use this model to organize the explanation you plan to provide with Form 911 when requesting Taxpayer Advocate Service assistance. Focus on the unresolved IRS problem, the concrete hardship or other reason for seeking assistance, and the action you are requesting.
Gather the notice, relevant tax periods, dates of previous attempts to resolve the matter, names or reference numbers from those contacts and documents supporting the problem you describe. Use specific facts and amounts you can substantiate; remove examples that do not apply to you.
The narrative is supporting text, not a substitute for completing the current form and following its submission instructions. A request does not guarantee assistance or a particular result, and does not extend other response deadlines. Your communication log can help establish the sequence of contacts.
Model letter and instructions
Form 911 has a box for describing the problem and the hardship. Be concrete about what the IRS has failed to do and what will happen if it is not fixed.
Description of the problem: On [date], the IRS [levied my bank account at [bank] / levied my wages at [employer] / failed to process the installment agreement approved on [date] / has not responded to my [document] submitted on [date] and [date]]. I contacted the IRS on [dates] and spoke with [names and ID numbers]; each time I was told [what]. The problem remains unresolved.
Hardship: Because of this, I [cannot pay rent of $[amount] due on [date] / cannot buy prescriptions / cannot make payroll for [number] employees on [date] / face eviction on [date]]. My monthly income is $[amount] and my necessary expenses are $[amount].
Relief requested: [Release of the levy / processing of the agreement / a response to my submission] by [date].
Enclosed: [copies of the levy, the agreement approval, the submitted documents, proof of mailing, communication log].
Related reference guides
- Free IRS tax help: Clinics and the Taxpayer Advocate Service
Compare Low Income Taxpayer Clinics and TAS: eligibility, free or low-cost help, official contacts, Form 911, privacy safeguards and urgent deadline limits.