IRS Selects WVU Law for Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Grant

West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law has been selected for an IRS 2021 Supplemental Application Low Income Taxpayer Clinic matching grant. The IRS’s LITC supplemental application expands coverage to states without a clinic, giving priority to qualified organizations in underrepresented geographic areas.

WVU College of Law operates an important tax controversy litigation clinic and will now be available to assist low-income and English as a second language (ESL) taxpayers located within West Virginia, a state that has not had an LITC-funded clinic for 2 1/2 years. WVU was awarded a grant for $100,000 with a period of performance of 18 months from July 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2022. The LITC grant will allow the law school to expand the tax clinic and offer more tax assistance to students.

LITCs represent low-income taxpayers in federal tax disputes with the IRS and provide taxpayer education and outreach to both low income and ESL taxpayers. They must provide all services for no more than a nominal fee.

Through the LITC program, the IRS awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations. The LITC program is a federal matching grant program administered by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, led by National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins. Although LITCs receive partial funding from the IRS, LITCs, their employees and volunteers operate independent of the IRS.

”The LITC program has been extremely successful and very beneficial to taxpayers,” Collins said. “Through outreach and education activities, LITCs strive to ensure individuals understand their rights and responsibilities as U.S. taxpayers by recently conducting more than 1,800 educational activities that were attended by nearly 42,000 people. More than 1,500 volunteers contributed to the success of LITCs by volunteering over 52,500 hours of their time.”

More information about LITCs, and the work they do to represent, educate, and advocate on behalf of low income and ESL taxpayers, is available in IRS Publication 5066, LITC Program Report. IRS Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List, 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 5066 and Publication 4134 are available at IRS.gov.