Government Affairs Task Force

GATF Federal Tax Forms and Publications Subcommittee

IRS Accepts Nearly All Recommendations from APA

APA recently submitted 23 pages of recommendations to the Forms and Publications division of the Internal Revenue Service toward improving their products to be easier to understand and administer. Nearly all of our suggestions were approved or are being forwarded, with the support of IRS Forms and Publications, to the IRS office with ultimate responsibility for the particular form.

The suggestions came from 14 APA members who serve on this GATF Subcommittee, which is chaired by Nora Daly, CPP, Senior Product Manager, U.S. Legislation, Oracle USA. Read the full document of our recommendations and IRS's responses.

This is one of the easiest subcommittee in which to participate, and your input can reach all U.S. employers.

Forms and publications from IRS and SSA comprise some of the most important communication from the federal government to employers and back again. Payroll professionals rely on publications for guidance as to what is taxable and what's not, procedures, and ways to explain things to fellow employees. The forms and their instructions are regular interactions between employers and the federal government.

There is always room for improvement in clarity and in the processes themselves. IRS and SSA are very open to our input, because we have the perspective of the audience they are trying to reach. We have actually written portions of the publications, and we have taken part in the revision and/or creation of forms such as 940, 941, and 941X.

To take part in this committee, it is as simple as

1. identifying the form, form instruction, or publication you'd like to improve,
2. specifying the line number, box number, page, or section you'd like to improve,
3. explaining the current problem (what burden, confusion, or noncompliance does it create?),
4. recommending a solution to the problem (e.g., adding or removing a line on a form, revising the text of a form's instructions or of a publication), and
5. explaining the benefit to the government, employers, and/or individual taxpayers.

Remember, however, that this committee is generally not about changing the law or regulations, but about changing the publications that explain those rules, or the forms/instructions through which those rules are implemented.

If you would like to participate in this subcommittee, please contact Scott Mezistrano, CPP, Senior Manager of Government Relations, at smezistrano@americanpayroll.org.