IRS operators help hurricane victims get benefits

WASHINGTON-Thousands of Internal Revenue Service telephone operators are helping the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) answer telephone calls from Hurricane Katrina victims. The IRS has 2,743 employees working the phones at locations in Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas and Philadelphia. By Friday, the number was expected to reach nearly 5,000. IRS operators are taking calls seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. to help people with the FEMA registration process. Hurricane victims call in and provide IRS employees with basic information, such as name, address and types of property damage. They are also referred to other essential services, like the American Red Cross. "We've given the FEMA registration process priority over our regular telephone service to taxpayers," said Mark W. Everson, IRS commissioner. "Hundreds of thousands of families ...scattered in communities across America ...can't get the cash and housing benefits to which they are entitled until they register with FEMA. By calling back to work over 4,000 of our seasonal workers, we are speeding assistance to hurricane victims while minimizing disruption to our normal taxpayer services." Those needing FEMA assistance can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Since Aug. 29 when the IRS began its assistance at the request of FEMA, employees have answered 175,000 calls, with a 92-second average speed of answer. The average length of a call is 16 minutes. About one-third of the FEMA calls are being handled by IRS operators. Regular IRS telephone operations involving tax questions are continuing during this period. The IRS has also established a separate toll-free number for Katrina victims with tax issues. That number is 866-562-5227. Other steps taken by the IRS to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina include: · Victims of the hurricane will have until Jan. 3, 2006, to file any returns, pay any taxes or make any deposits due. · An abatement of interest and any late filing, late payment or failure to deposit penalties that would otherwise apply to those in hurricane-effected areas. · Effected taxpayers in a Presidential Disaster Area have the option of claiming disaster-related casualty losses on their federal income tax return for either this year or last year. Claiming the loss on an original or amended return for last year will get the taxpayer an earlier refund; alternatively, waiting to claim the loss on this year's return could result in a greater tax saving, depending on other income factors. · Providing special tax treatment to support leave-based donation programs to aid victims. Under these programs, employees donate their vacation, sick or personal leave in exchange for employer cash payments made to qualified tax-exempt organizations providing relief for victims. · In recognition of recent gasoline price increases caused by the hurricane, the IRS made a special adjustment to the standard mileage reimbursement rate for the final months of 2005.