Erin Collins

Background

About Erin Collins

In March 2020, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appointed Erin M. Collins as the National Taxpayer Advocate. In this role she oversees the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) and serves as the “Voice of the Taxpayer” within the IRS and before Congress. TAS operates as a safety net for taxpayers by advocating for resolution of individual and business issues within the IRS. TAS also administers the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic federal grant program and the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. As National Taxpayer Advocate, Erin identifies systemic issues, works to protect Taxpayer Rights, and makes administrative and legislative recommendations to improve taxpayer service and tax administration. She frequently testifies before the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee Oversight Subcommittee, and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on issues concerning tax administration and taxpayer rights.Erin has received numerous professional honors. In 2022, the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor named her one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting, and Accounting Today recognized her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting. That same year, Money.com named her a Changemaker: 50 Innovators Shaping Americans’ Finances. In 2023, she received KPMG’s Network of Women Alumni Legacy Award, the California Lawyers Association’s Joanne M. Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award, and was again recognized by Accounting Today as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting. In 2024, she was once more named to Accounting Today’s Top 100 list. Most recently, the UCLA Extension Tax Controversy Institute presented her with the Bruce I. Hochman Award for leadership and contributions in tax law.She is frequently cited in national media and tax publications, appears annually on C-SPAN’s Washington Week, and co-authored the IRS Practice and Procedure Deskbook. She regularly speaks before professional organizations and on tax industry podcasts.Erin has over 35 years of tax law experience, including 15 years with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel and 20 years at KPMG LLP, retiring in 2019 as Tax Managing Director of its Western region controversy practice. She has represented thousands of taxpayers in IRS examinations, appeals, and U.S. Tax Court litigation.Before joining TAS, she represented clients pro bono and volunteered with Step Up, a nonprofit that empowers girls in under-resourced communities. Erin is married to Ed Robbins, Jr, and they have two children and four grandchildren.