Both the IRS and the Illinois Department of Revenue have taxpayer bills of rights created to both protect taxpayers and keep them informed.
Federal
Since 2014, the IRS has offered a list of ten rights that taxpayers have. They are the rights to:
Be Informed – The right to know what to do to comply with the tax laws.
Quality Service – The right to receive prompt, courteous and professional assistance when working with the IRS.
Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax – The right to pay only the amount of tax legally due, including interest and penalties, and to have the IRS apply all tax payments properly.
Challenge the IRS's Position and Be Heard – The right to raise objections and provide additional documentation in response to formal IRS actions or proposed actions.
Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum – The right to a fair and impartial administrative appeal of most IRS decisions.
Finality – The right to know when the IRS has finished an audit.
Privacy – The right to expect that any IRS inquiry, examination or enforcement action will comply with the law and be no more intrusive than necessary.
Confidentiality – The right to expect that any information taxpayers provide to the IRS will not be disclosed unless authorized by the taxpayer or by law.
Retain Representation – The right to retain an authorized representative of the taxpayer's choice to represent them when working with the IRS. Taxpayers have the right to seek assistance from a Low Income Taxpayer ClinicPDF if they cannot afford representation.
A Fair and Just Tax System – The right to expect the tax system to consider facts and circumstances that might affect their underlying liabilities, ability to pay or ability to provide information timely.
Illinois
The State of Illinois also has a Taxpayer Bill of Rights (passed in 1989) that lists the duties of the Illinois Department of Revenue to protect the rights of taxpayers. Those duties include: furnishing certain information in writing, abating taxes and penalties based on erroneous advice from the Department, limits on when they can cancel installment contracts, paying interest for overpayments at the same rate charged for underpayment, requirements for handling seized property, and granting income tax return extensions for taxpayers who have been granted federal extensions.