Form 13424-N – LITC Program Narrative Report Guide 2025

I still remember the Thursday night before an LITC deadline when a clinic director called me in a mild panic. The form on her screen said Form 13424-N, Rev. 4-2016. Her grant portal referenced different pieces. She asked the question you might be asking right now, is this the right form, and what exactly do I put in it so reviewers see the real work we do?

The good news, you can bring order to this. With a clear plan, tight metrics, and a quick check of the latest IRS and OMB updates, your narrative will read clean, credible, and complete.

Key Takeaways

• Form 13424-N is titled the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, LITC, Program Narrative Report. The IRS still lists the PDF with Rev. 4-2016, posted to IRS.gov on Feb 6, 2025.
• In mid‑2025, OMB’s information collection update for 1545‑1648 shows a shift, 13424‑N was marked “Removed,” and a new Program Report, Form 13424‑R, was added. Always confirm which narrative or report your cycle requires in Publication 3319 and the LITC Grants Portal.
• Publication 3319 is updated annually and guides both application and operating standards. The IRM confirms forms are provided in Pub 3319 and completed through online grants systems, Grants.gov or GrantSolutions, as directed.
• For the 2026 grant year, the application window ran May 15, 2025 through July 14, 2025, with materials pointing applicants to Pub 3319 and the Grants portal. Deadlines shift each year, so check current notices.
• Practical bottom line, if you are finishing a Program Narrative now, confirm whether your office expects 13424‑N, the portal’s narrative fields, or the newer 13424‑R, then align your content and metrics to Pub 3319.

What is IRS Form 13424-N

Form 13424-N is the LITC Program Narrative Report. Historically, clinics used it to describe services, target populations, staffing, training, outreach, education, casework, and results for grant application and oversight. The IRS still posts the form as a three‑page, fillable PDF, last revised in April 2016.

Plain English, this is the narrative that proves what you plan to do, what you did, and why it matters for the people you serve.

You will recognize it by the title Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Program Narrative Report and the OMB Control Number 1545‑1648 noted in Publication 3319. Keep in mind, the LITC Program Office updates processes and required forms through Pub 3319 and the Grants portal, which is why a quick version check is essential before you draft or submit.

What Changed In 2025, And Why You Should Care

OMB’s 2025 refresh of the LITC information collection shows a consolidation to reduce burden. In that filing, 13424‑N is listed as “Removed,” and a new Form 13424‑R, Low‑Income Taxpayer Clinic Program Report, appears as “New.” That signals a move toward updated reporting artifacts. It does not mean your IRS‑hosted PDF disappears today, it means you should follow the current year’s instructions in Pub 3319 and the portal for the correct narrative or report.

The What, How, Wow Framework For Your Narrative

• What, define the program you run, who you serve, and exactly which activities the grant funds.
• How, show the processes, staffing plan, training cadence, outreach channels, and the way you track casework.
• Wow, quantify outcomes that matter to taxpayers and the program, dollars saved, controversy resolutions, penalty abatements, and show the partnerships that make it possible, law schools, legal aid, community groups.

When you write from this structure, reviewers can scan your plan fast, then drill into your metrics and methods.

Align To Publication 3319 Every Time

Publication 3319 is the playbook. It covers eligibility, standards for operating an LITC, application requirements, and reporting expectations. The IRM confirms Pub 3319’s role and notes that forms are completed through online grants systems. Start there, then mirror the sections in your narrative so a reviewer can check boxes without hunting.

Quick Reality Check On Timing And Access

• Application timing, for the 2026 grant year the IRS accepted applications from May 15, 2025, through July 14, 2025, and directed applicants to download the 2026 Pub 3319 and use the Grants portal. Future years will follow their own notices.
• Form access, the 13424‑N PDF remains downloadable on IRS.gov with Rev. 4‑2016. If your instructions still reference it, you can complete it in Adobe Reader, though many clinics now complete narratives directly in the portal or through updated forms.
• Service alerts, IRS pages noted limited services during a government shutdown in October 2025. If you need help from program staff, check current status and contact routes.

How To Write A Strong LITC Program Narrative, Step By Step

You want reviewers to finish your narrative thinking two things, this clinic is accountable, and this clinic moves outcomes for low‑income and ESL taxpayers. Here is a simple, repeatable path.

Step 1, Confirm The Correct Reporting Vehicle

• Check Publication 3319 for the current year and your clinic’s status, application narrative, program narrative, or program report.
• Log in to the LITC Grants portal, or as directed, Grants.gov or GrantSolutions, and confirm whether you will submit the narrative inside the system, attach a form, or complete the newer 13424‑R.

Step 2, Draft Your Executive Summary Last

Open with two crisp paragraphs that state who you serve, what you will deliver this grant year, and the headline outcomes you expect. Write this after you finish the body so the summary reflects your best numbers.

Step 3, Cover The Core Sections Reviewers Expect

• Target populations and coverage, income thresholds, languages, geography, and underserved areas you will prioritize, match this to the IRS’s emphasis each year.
• Services and casework, representation types, audits, collections, appeals, and education for ESL taxpayers.
• Staffing and training, attorneys, EAs, CPAs, students, volunteers, supervision model, and required training hours.
• Outreach plan, partners, event cadence, channels, and multilingual materials.
• Risk and continuity, how you handle turnover, spikes in controversy work, and process controls.
• Measurement and learning, the way you collect, audit, and use data to improve.

Step 4, Bring Metrics That Stand Up To Audit

Use counts your reviewer can verify, then tie them to outcomes. A simple structure works well.

• Clients served, cases opened and closed, and average time to resolution.
• Issue mix, audits, collections, appeals, CDP hearings, ITIN‑related issues.
• Outcomes, liabilities reduced, refunds secured, penalty abatements, and stops to collection actions.
• Education and outreach, events delivered, attendance, languages, and referral sources.
• Operations, staff hours, volunteer hours, and training completions.

Pro tip, if data lives in multiple systems, set a 30‑minute weekly sync to reconcile counts and notes. It saves days at reporting time.

Step 5, Show Process, Not Just Results

Reviewers want to see you can deliver at scale without burning out staff or losing consistency. Borrow the structure you use to run cases.

• Intake and triage, how eligibility is verified and cases are assigned.
• Workpapers and documentation, templates, naming, and version control.
• Review flow, preparer to senior to quality to final sign‑off, with SLAs for turnaround.
• Escalations, how issues get flagged early and resolved.
• Continuity, backup coverage if a case handler is out.

The IRM and Pub 3319 frame the program, but this level of operational detail builds trust that you can deliver what you promise.

13424‑N vs 13424‑R vs 13424‑M, What Goes Where

Use this to match your task to the right form or portal fields.

Form	Primary use	Status note	Where you will see it
13424‑M	Application Narrative	Updated over time to consolidate application fields	Pub 3319, Grants portal application screens
13424‑N	Program Narrative Report	PDF still posted, OMB ICR lists it as removed in 2025 burden update, confirm if still required for your cycle	IRS Forms list, legacy PDF
13424‑R	Program Report	Added in 2025 ICR as new reporting form, check if your reporting uses this artifact	OMB ICR and current-year guidance

Example Metrics Page You Can Adapt

Outcomes Snapshot, Prior Grant Year

• Taxpayers served, 1,148, 62 percent ESL
• Cases closed, 792, median time to resolution 83 days
• Liability reductions, $1.36M total, average $1,716 per closed controversy
• Penalty abatements, 211
• Education reach, 38 workshops, 1,940 attendees, materials in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin

Now tie those numbers to this year’s plan, the staffing you have, and the outreach you will deliver. Reference Pub 3319’s standards and any focus on underserved areas from the current announcement.

Compliance, Identifiers, And Recordkeeping That Keep You Safe

Know Your Identifiers

• OMB Control Number, 1545‑1648, the umbrella for LITC application and reporting artifacts noted in Pub 3319 and the IRM.
• Forms inventory, the IRS lists LITC forms on its Forms, Instructions, and Publications pages, including 13424‑N with Rev. 4‑2016 and the date it was posted to IRS.gov.
• ICR update, in 2025 OMB’s filing shows 13424‑N marked “Removed” and 13424‑R added, a key signal to verify your current deliverable in the Grants portal.

Records Reviewers Expect You To Keep

• Source data for counts, intakes, case logs, and outreach attendance.
• Eligibility checks, income thresholds and controversy amounts noted in case files.
• Workpapers and review notes organized with consistent naming.
• Training logs for staff, students, and volunteers.
• Partnership MOUs and event plans for outreach.
• Copies of submitted narratives or reports, with timestamps from the portal.

Submission Mechanics

• Follow Pub 3319 and your Grants portal instructions first. The IRM notes applications and reporting forms are completed through online systems, which can change how you attach or enter narrative content.
• If a PDF is required, use the IRS‑hosted fillable version and Adobe Reader, then upload as directed.
• Save a clean PDF and a source document file, and keep a submission receipt from the portal.

Common Pitfalls And Simple Fixes

• Using last year’s structure when the portal changed sections, always compare your draft to the current Pub 3319 outline and the actual screens you will complete.
• Reporting activity counts without outcomes, add dollars reduced, penalties abated, and resolution types.
• Thin documentation, reviewers need to see your process, not just your numbers.
• Missing coverage for underserved areas highlighted in the current IRS announcement, explicitly address outreach and representation plans for those communities.
• Waiting until the week of the deadline to consolidate metrics, set a recurring data huddle so you are always five days from a complete report.

Who Should Use This, And When

Nonprofits, legal aid organizations, and university or law school clinics that operate as LITCs use the narrative or program report identified for the cycle, application or reporting. If you are applying for funding, expect to use the application narrative structure, 13424‑M and related budget and staffing artifacts. If you are reporting, confirm whether your cycle uses the legacy 13424‑N or the newer 13424‑R in the portal. Use Pub 3319 to align your sections and terminology.

Security, Privacy, And Practical Access Notes

Stick to IRS‑hosted files and the LITC Grants portal. The IRS forms repository lists the official PDFs, and the TAS LITC Grants pages provide current portal instructions and webinars. If IRS services are limited due to government status, rely on posted materials, Pub 3319, and email contacts until phones resume normal hours.

Keep a single source of truth, a shared folder with your metrics workbook, narrative draft, and submission receipts. Give your program director and grant lead edit access so nothing waits on one person.

Quality Checklist Before You Hit Submit

• Does your opening summary tell a reviewer, in 8 sentences or fewer, who you serve, what you will do, and the top three outcomes you expect?
• Do your metrics tie to outcomes, not just counts, and do they reflect the IRS’s emphasis on ESL education and underserved areas this year?
• Do you clearly explain staffing, training, supervision, and review flow so a reviewer can see your quality system, not just your intent?
• Did you confirm the correct artifact, 13424‑M for application, 13424‑N legacy narrative where still accepted, or 13424‑R for program reporting, as instructed by the portal and Pub 3319?

FAQs About Form 13424‑N

Is Form 13424‑N still accepted in 2025?

The IRS still lists the Rev. 4‑2016 PDF on its Forms pages, which some clinics may use depending on directions for their cycle. However, OMB’s 2025 information collection update shows 13424‑N marked “Removed” and a new 13424‑R for program reporting. Always follow Pub 3319 and the Grants portal for the correct deliverable this year.

Where do I find the latest instructions?

Start with Publication 3319 for the current year, then the LITC Grants portal pages and any IRS news releases opening the application window. Those sources reflect the most current requirements and deadlines.

Do I still submit PDFs, or is everything online now?

The IRM notes that application and reporting forms are included in Pub 3319 and completed through online grants systems, Grants.gov or GrantSolutions, as directed. Some materials may still be uploaded as PDFs, but the portal drives what you submit.

What outcomes should I highlight for reviewers?

Show how your work changed taxpayer outcomes, liabilities reduced, penalty abatements, stops to collection action, and education that helped ESL taxpayers understand their rights. Tie these results to underserved areas highlighted in the annual announcement.

Who can I contact with program questions?

Use the LITC Program Office email or phone listed on TAS pages and in IRS releases. During service disruptions, email is often the fastest route.

Sample Outline You Can Copy

Executive Summary

• Who you serve, service area, languages, and underserved communities
• What you will deliver this grant year
• Headline outcomes with specific numbers

Services And Casework

• Representation, audits, collections, appeals
• Education and outreach for ESL taxpayers
• Partnerships and referral channels

Operations And Quality

• Staffing, training, and supervision
• Workpapers, documentation standards, and review flow
• SLAs, escalation paths, and continuity plans

Metrics And Outcomes

• Clients served, cases resolved, dollars reduced
• Education reach and languages
• Systemic issues identified and referred

Budget, Risk, And Learning

• How resources align to the plan
• Risks and mitigations
• What you will improve next cycle

Where Accountably Can Help, If You Need Extra Hands

If your firm supports LITC work or similar pro bono engagements and your internal teams are buried in production, a disciplined offshore delivery model can stabilize capacity and protect review time. Accountably integrates trained offshore teams into your workflows with SOPs, structured workpapers, multi‑layer review, and turnaround SLAs, so attorneys and EAs can focus on strategy while production stays on track. Use it when you need predictable capacity, not resumes. Use Pub 3319 and your portal as the authority for grant artifacts, and let your delivery system carry the load.

Final Word

You already do the hard part, serving people who need a fair shot. Your narrative is where you prove it. Confirm the correct artifact in Pub 3319 and the portal, draft with a simple What, How, Wow structure, and bring auditable metrics that show outcomes, not just effort. If you keep your data tidy and your story clear, reviewers can say yes faster, and more taxpayers will get help when it counts.