The people you’re most likely to deal with are ordinary people, probably a lot like people you talk to every day. I have a friend who works for the IRS who is totally in love with her grandson and is one of the best cooks who’s ever invited me to share the fruits of their...Read More

Keeping Your Money and Peace of Mind Step 2 – Your Rights The Tax Code includes a Taxpayer Bill of Rights The right to be informed You have the right to be informed about the amount of tax you owe and any interest and penalties you owe. The IRS must also explain why you owe...Read More

Keeping Your Money and Peace of Mind Step 1 – Understanding Burden of Proof It’s important throughout the process of dealing with the IRS to know everyone’s rights and duties. The Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 shifted the burden of proof from the taxpayer to the IRS in civil tax disputes. The “burden of...Read More

You can successfully deal with many  IRS notices yourself.  Many require only a simple response, such as sending the IRS additional information or paying taxes on Form 1099 income you forgot to include on your tax return. The following tips apply whenever you deal with an IRS employee in his or her official capacity. Read...Read More

“Why me???  Why is the IRS auditing me?” The IRS has limited resources. IRS management doesn’t want to spend $10,000 of their employees’ time to get $2,000 of additional tax.  Their performance is monitored by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS Oversight Board, and their budget must be approved by Congress....Read More

“I got an IRS audit notice. What should I do?” Audits You Can Handle Yourself Correspondence Audits can be very easy to take care of in some cases.  If the IRS asks you to send them additional information or to pay additional tax on unreported income, you may only need to send the information to...Read More

The IRS has limited resources. IRS management doesn’t want to spend $10,000 of their employees’ time to get $2,000 of additional tax.  Their performance is monitored by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS Oversight Board, and their budget must be approved by Congress. Since the IRS has to show positive results...Read More

“HELP! I just received a notice that I’m being audited by the IRS!” Getting an IRS audit notice is usually not just annoying. For most people, it’s scary enough to make the top of their worry list. There are things you can do to minimize the impact of an IRS audit so that it’s just...Read More

The two main reasons for hiring a tax lawyer are confidentiality and expertise. If IRS’s position is easy to understand and you agree with IRS (for example, when you filed your tax return you forgot to include $30 of interest  paid to you by your bank) there’s probably no reason to hire a professional. In...Read More

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, COMPILATIONS, REVIEWS, AND AUDITS Your basic financial statements, the Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flow are for your, the business owner’s or manager’s use. The other three kinds of statements are for third parties, such as lenders , bonding companies, and customers. Lenders are concerned with the business’s...Read More