IRS Audits

Correspondance Audits or In-Person, I work with taxpayers to protect your rights and ensure the IRS doesn’t take hard-earned money from your business.

IRS Appeals

Don’t like the result of your audit? I work with you to take your case to the IRS Office of Appeals, defending your rights and working with the IRS to achieve a positive outcome.

Tax Court

If a case warrants, I work with you to contest your liability at the United States Tax Court. I represent taxpayers of all backgrounds in ensuring that your rights are protected

Tax Debt

Owe money to the IRS? I can help you save thousands of dollars in back-taxes owed to the IRS and help you get out from under the never ending burden of owing the IRS.

I have received a letter from the IRS, what should I do?

Getting a letter from the IRS can be scary; trust me I know because I receive letters on behalf of my clients almost every day. The very first thing you should do is make sure you are opening your letters! Too often, people don’t open their letters from the IRS and it ultimately hurts them. After you open your letter, I advise all of my clients and anyone who is looking for advice is not to panic. The IRS moves incredibly slow and you have plenty of time to respond. Lastly, depending on the letter you receive from the IRS, the very next best thing to do is go and talk with a tax attorney. By getting in on the ground level, I can help you avoid owing more money to the IRS and also save you thousands of dollars in legal fees.

What are my rights?

Did you know that the IRS has a taxpayer bill of rights? These include:

• The Right to Be Informed

• The Right to Quality Service

• The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax

• The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard

• The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum

• The Right to Finality

• The Right to Privacy

• The Right to COnfidentiality

• The Right to Retain Representation

• The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System

What causes you to get audited by the IRS?

There is no one reason why your tax return has been selected for audit.  These days less than 1% of all tax returns filed in the U.S. are pulled for audit. Instead, there are a number of factors that can cause the IRS to audit your return.  These include some of the following:

• You earn too much or too little.

• You failed to report a form W-2 or 1099

• You were spending a lot of cash 

• You claimed a lot of itemized deductions

• Your self-employed and completing a Schedule C

• You have assets or cash in other countries

• You claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit

Although not an exhaustive list, these are some of the many reasons the IRS will want to review your return to make sure it is accurate. If your return does get audited and you receive a Letter CP2000, the very best thing for you to do is get in touch with a tax attorney.

What are my options when I owe back taxes?

There are typically three main courses of action when you owe back taxes: Currently-not-Collectible Statue, Installment Agreements, and Offer-in-Compromises.

What documents will I be required to provide?

During an audit, the IRS auditor will ask for a variety of documents.  These include:

• Receipts

• Bills

• Canceled Checks

• Logs or Diaries

• Loan Agreements

• Bank Statements

• Legal documents such as divorce settlements or criminal or civil defense papers

• Loan agreements

• Employment documents

• Schedule K-1

When IRS auditors send their document request list, the list is typically exhaustive.  When working with clients, I am always careful to review the IRS request and instruct my clients on what specific documents to provide.  Often providing too many documents can cause the IRS to find additional taxes in places they didn’t intend to look and providing too few documents cause the IRS to simply assess more tax than you should owe.

How long will it take to resolve my back taxes?

As the old lawyer joke goes, “it depends.” Some audits will take a few months, while others can take up to a year or longer. Typically, an audit will begin with you receiving a letter from the auditor asking for additional information, such as bank statements, or other tax records. Sometimes the auditor will follow up to ask for more documents, more times than not the auditor will make a determination based on the documents you’ve provided.