On October 3, 2016, IRS posted a fact sheet detailing recent changes to case transfer and conference procedures during a taxpayer appeal. This fact sheet details internal interim guidance issued to appeals employees on September 28, 2016, through a memorandum.
This new guidance was effective October 1, 2016, but is not yet published in the Internal Revenue Manual.The October 3 fact sheet states that the changes were effective October 3. Key to the guidance is clarification that taxpayers do not need to request a face-to-face conference to take full advantage of the appeals process. Telephone conferences are perfectly acceptable.
Anyone working a taxpayer appeal should review these new procedures.