IR-2020-43, February 26, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Program Office has issued its annual program report PDF. The report describes how LITCs provide representation, education, and advocacy for taxpayers who are low income or speak English as a second language (ESL). The LITC Program is a federal grant program administered by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, led by the Acting National Taxpayer Advocate, Bridget Roberts. LITCs represent individuals whose incomes are below a certain level and need to resolve tax problems with the IRS, such as audits, appeals, and tax collection disputes. They can represent taxpayers in court as well as within the IRS. They also can provide information about taxpayer rights and responsibilities in different languages for ESL taxpayers. LITCs provide services for free or a small fee. They receive IRS grants but work independently to assist and advocate for taxpayers. During 2018, LITCs represented 19,513 taxpayers dealing with an IRS tax controversy. They helped taxpayers secure more than $4.7 million in tax refunds and reduced taxpayers' liabilities by nearly $124 million. They also brought more than 4,200 taxpayers back into payment compliance. Through outreach and education activities, LITCs strived to ensure individuals understood their rights as U.S. taxpayers by conducting more than 1,700 educational activities that were attended by over 16,600 persons. More than 1,800 volunteers contributed to the success of LITCs by contributing nearly 57,000 hours of their time. More than two-thirds of the volunteers were attorneys, certified public accountants, or enrolled agents. LITCs used a variety of approaches to successfully advocate for taxpayers. These included utilizing collection alternatives to resolve issues administratively within the IRS litigating cases in the United States Tax Court and other federal courts, and elevating systemic issues through the Taxpayer Advocate Service's Systemic Advocacy Management System. Below is just one example of how an LITC assisted taxpayers in need: The taxpayers were a senior couple with no children. The husband had served in the military and was disabled during combat operations. He had a construction business, and together he and his wife invested large amounts of time and money into renovating their home into a bed and breakfast. After years of financial setbacks, the couple lost their home and long-time business, and incurred a large outstanding federal tax debt. The taxpayers filed for bankruptcy protection. At that time, they were living on a fixed income of Social Security and a small Veterans Administration pension in a subsidized senior apartment that they were told they could not live in if they had more than $10,000 in tax debt. The couple came to an LITC after they began receiving certified mail notices from the IRS about the federal tax debt. The LITC called the IRS to request a 60-day hold on collection while the taxpayers gathered documents for an Offer-In-Compromise (OIC). The couple then received a notice of intent to levy their Social Security benefits, and the LITC requested a Collection Due Process hearing, where it helped the couple settle its entire federal tax debt with an OIC for $1. The taxpayers returned a customer satisfaction survey to the LITC and acknowledged the work of the staff attorney by saying, "Wonderful you have such a smart, kind, and caring man on your staff. Thank you so much for everything." The full report PDF contains extensive details about the LI TC Program and more extraordinary stories about the representation that LITCs provide. It also details the results that LITCs achieved on behalf of their clients. 2020 Grant Recipient List Through the LITC Program, the IRS awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations. The Internal Revenue Service today announced $11.6 million in matching grants to 131 recipients across the country for development, expansion or continuation of LITCs for the 2020 grant year. IRS Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List PDF, provides information about LITCs by geographic area, including contact information and details about the languages, in addition to English, in which each LITC offers services. Publication 4134 is available at IRS.gov. The grant year began on Jan. 1 and ends on Dec. 31. The following is a list of the 131 organizations awarded a grant for the 2020 grant year: 2020 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics Name of Organization City State Award Amount Alaska Business Development Center LITC Anchorage AK $76,000 Legal Services Alabama LITC Montgomery AL $100,000 UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law LITC Little Rock AR $100,000 Legal Aid of Arkansas LITC Springdale AR $64,000 Community Legal Services LITC Phoenix AZ $95,000 Southern Arizona Tax Clinic Tucson AZ $85,919 Bet Tzedek Legal Services Tax Clinic Los Angeles CA $100,000 KYCC Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Los Angeles CA $100,000 Pepperdine LITC Los Angeles CA $85,000 Bookstein Low Income Tax Clinic Los Angeles CA $95,000 Chapman University Tax Law Clinic Orange CA $100,000 Inland Counties Legal Services LITC Riverside CA $90,000 Legal Aid Society of San Diego LITC San Diego CA $100,000 University of San Diego LITC San Diego CA $100,000 Chinese Newcomers Service Center San Francisco CA $97,966 Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco San Francisco CA $100,000 UC Hastings Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic San Francisco CA $90,000 Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic San Luis Obispo CA $100,000 Community Legal Aid So Cal LITC Santa Ana CA $60,000 Colorado Legal Services LITC Denver CO $57,955 Denver Asset Building Coalition LITC Denver CO $50,000 University of Denver LITC Denver CO $100,000 Quinnipiac University School of Law LITC Hamden CT $100,000 UConn Law School Tax Clinic Hartford CT $95,000 The Catholic University of America LITC Washington DC $100,000 The Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax Clinic Washington DC $100,000 Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council LITC Wilmington DE $100,000 Florida Rural Legal Services Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Ft. Meyers FL $85,000 Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc. Gainesville FL $65,000 Legal Services of Greater Miami Community Tax Clinic Miami FL $100,000 Bay Area Legal Services, Inc. LITC Plant City FL $90,000 Legal Aid Services of Broward and Collier Counties Plantation FL $100,000 Gulfcoast Legal Services LITC St. Petersburg FL $100,000 Legal Services of North Florida Tallahassee FL $100,000 Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County LITC West Palm Beach FL $90,000 The Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic Atlanta GA $100,000 JCvision and Associates, Inc. Hinesville GA $75,800 North Georgia Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Lawrenceville GA $65,000 Iowa Legal Aid LITC Des Moines IA $100,000 University of Idaho College of Law LITC Boise ID $99,000 La Posada Tax Clinic Twin Falls ID $100,000 Ladder Up Tax Clinic Chicago IL $100,000 Loyola Federal Income Tax Clinic Chicago IL $100,000 Administer Justice Elgin IL $100,000 Prairie State Legal Services LITC Wheaton IL $100,000 Indiana Legal Services LITC Bloomington IN $100,000 Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic Indianapolis IN $100,000 Notre Dame Tax Clinic South Bend IN $95,000 Kansas Legal Services, Inc. LITC Kansas City KS $49,000 The Center for Great Neighborhoods LITC Covington KY $100,000 Legal Aid Society Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Louisville KY $62,800 AppalRed Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Richmond KY $90,000 Southeast Louisiana Legal Services LITC New Orleans LA $100,000 Greater Boston Legal Services Boston MA $95,000 Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School LITC Jamaica Plain MA $100,000 Springfield Partners for Community Action LITC Springfield MA $50,000 Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service LITC Baltimore MD $100,000 University of Baltimore LITC Baltimore MD $100,000 University of Maryland Carey School of Law LITC Baltimore MD $74,000 Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc. LITC Bangor ME $100,000 University of Michigan LITC Ann Arbor MI $95,000 Accounting Aid Society Detroit MI $100,000 Alvin L. Storrs Low Income Taxpayer Clinic East Lansing MI $100,000 West Michigan Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Grand Rapids MI $84,000 Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Tax Law Project Minneapolis MN $88,000 University of Minnesota LITC Minneapolis MN $100,000 Kansas City Tax Clinic Kansas City MO $76,000 Legal Aid of Western Missouri LITC Kansas City MO $100,000 Washington University School of Law LITC St. Louis MO $96,000 Mississippi Taxpayer Assistance Project Oxford MS $81,500 Montana Legal Services Association LITC Helena MT $26,000 North Carolina Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Charlotte NC $100,000 NC Central University School of Law LITC Durham NC $100,000 Legal Aid of Nebraska LITC Lincoln NE $50,625 NH Pro Bono Low-Income Taxpayer Project Concord NH $85,000 South Jersey Legal Services, Inc. LITC Camden NJ $70,000 Legal Services of New Jersey Tax Legal Assistance Project Edison NJ $100,000 Northeast New Jersey Legal Services LITC Jersey City NJ $100,000 Rutgers Federal Tax Clinic Newark NJ $95,000 NMLA Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Albuquerque NM $100,000 Four Corners Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Farmington NM $94,000 Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York LITC Albany NY $90,000 Bronx Legal Services Bronx NY $80,000 Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A LITC Brooklyn NY $95,000 Brooklyn Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic Brooklyn NY $100,000 Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project LITC Buffalo NY $90,000 Hofstra Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Hempstead NY $21,000 Queens Legal Services LITC Jamaica NY $90,000 Fordham Law School New York NY $95,000 Mobilization for Justice New York NY $80,000 The Legal Aid Society LITC New York NY $100,000 Migration Resources Center LITC Staten Island NY $50,000 Syracuse University College of Law LITC Syracuse NY $100,000 Community Legal Aid Services LITC Akron OH $80,000 Legal Aid of Greater Cincinnati LITC CINCINNATI OH $85,000 The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland LITC Cleveland OH $95,000 Southeastern Ohio Legal Services for the public Columbus OH $90,000 The Legal Aid Society of Columbus LITC Columbus OH $100,000 Legal Aid of Western Ohio LITC Toledo OH $65,000 Toledo Tax Controversy Clinic LITC Toledo OH $41,351 Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma LITC Oklahoma City OK $63,000 El Programa Hispano Catolico's LITC Gresham OR $90,000 Legal Aid Services of Oregon LITC Portland OR $90,000 Lewis & Clark Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Portland OR $100,000 Philadelphia Legal Assistance LITC Philadelphia PA $100,000 University of Pittsburgh School of Law LITC Pittsburgh PA $85,000 Villanova Federal Tax Clinic Villanova PA $100,000 Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services LITC Washington PA $60,000 MidPenn Legal Services Low Income Taxpayer Clinic York PA $70,000 Rhode Island Legal Services LITC Providence RI $100,000 South Carolina Legal Services LITC Greenville SC $95,000 University of South Dakota School of Law Federal tax Clinic Vermillion SD $90,000 Memphis Area Legal Services Memphis TN $100,000 Tennessee Taxpayer Project Oak Ridge TN $100,000 Legal Aid of Northwest Texas LITC Fort Worth TX $100,000 Texas A&M University School of Law Tax Clinic Fort Worth TX $85,000 Houston Volunteer Lawyers LITC Houston TX $85,000 Lone Star Legal Aid Houston TX $100,000 South Texas College of Law LITC Houston TX $99,957 Texas Tech School of Law LITC Lubbock TX $100,000 Texas Taxpayer Assistance Project San Antonio TX $100,000 Centro Hispano LITC Provo UT $100,000 Legal Services of Northern Virginia LITC Fairfax VA $100,000 Washington and Lee University School of Law Tax Clinic Lexington VA $80,000 The Community Tax Law Project Richmond VA $100,000 Vermont Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Burlington VT $75,000 University of Washington Federal Tax Clinic Seattle WA $100,000 Gonzaga University Federal Tax Clinic Spokane WA $95,000 Legal Action of Wisconsin LITC Milwaukee WI $100,000 The Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Inc. Milwaukee WI $75,361 Northwoods Tax Project Wausau WI $84,000
