Who Can Help Me Handle an IRS Tax Audit?

October 3, 2013 by

“I’m being audited by the IRS and I don’t know what to do,” Stan said. “To me, it seems like the IRS targets the small business owner.  I run a small general contracting firm, just me and two guys. There’s no bookkeeper, no accountant – I do all that stuff myself.”

“So maybe I made a mistake somewhere in the paperwork,” he continued. “How am I going to prove my side of the story? I don’t even know where all my records are. Do you know how easy it is to lose receipts?”

Small Business Owners: You Need Help Facing An IRS Audit

When you’re a small business owner, you tend to do a lot of things yourself.  Keeping costs down means you might handle all of your business’ financial paperwork on your own. However, if the IRS is auditing you, you don’t want to go it alone.

During an IRS audit, you may be asked to answer questions via mail or in person. It’s essential that your answers be honest and correct.  However, it’s also important to know that there are limits to the questions the IRS can ask you during the audit.  If you don’t know that you don’t have to answer a question, chances are you will – and that information can be used against you!

Protect your small business by getting the best audit representation available. Our firm specializes exclusively in resolving tax problems – it’s all we do, and it’s all we’ve done for more than 16 years. We’ve helped thousands of small business owners resolve their tax problems successfully. We know how to handle lost receipts, accounting errors, and the everyday mistakes that trigger an IRS audit. 

Don’t go it alone. Our firm can handle the IRS audit while you concentrate on running your business. You’ll save time, money, and a lot of stress when you get the best tax help.

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Small Business Owners: You Don’t Want the IRS Talking to Your Employees

September 30, 2013 by

If you’re a small business owner who’s recently received a notice from the IRS about a tax audit, you’re going to want to keep reading this article. There are three types of IRS audits: a correspondence audit, an office audit, and a field audit.

During a field audit, the IRS revenue agent comes to see you in person, in order to complete the audit. They will come to your home or place of business.  Having the IRS agent conduct the audit at your place of business can have two effects:

One: The IRS’ auditor’s presence can disrupt your business. When your attention is focused on the IRS agent, you’re not going to be able to run your business. This can mean a slowdown  in customer service, lost sales, or other negative consequences. Having the IRS on scene doesn’t look good for your business.

Two:  There’s the opportunity for the IRS agent to talk to or overhear your employees talking. A disgruntled employee can create a lot of damaging impressions with a few carefully chosen words: even if it’s not true, the IRS agent may be motivated to investigate further.

 IRS agents are trained to extract information that isn’t otherwise readily available. They’ve been known to ask questions that exceed the scope of their investigation in the pursuit of discovering unreported income and discovering personal expenses deducted by your business.  The seemingly innocent questions they ask your employees have a deeper, darker purpose. Your employees’ answers could fuel the fire.

Avoid the disruption to your business and reduce your risk of exposure by keeping the field audit from occurring at your place of business. When you hire our firm as your audit representative, the IRS revenue agent will have to come to our office and meet with our expert team. We’ll advocate on your behalf. You never even have to talk to the agent in person!

Running a small business is hard. An IRS audit doesn’t have to be.

If you’re a small business owner who’s facing an IRS audit, call us today. We’re here to help you. Let our experienced team handle your IRS audit, and you’ll never have to worry about the IRS disrupting your business. You can focus on making your business grow. We’ll focus on making your tax problems go away.

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Is An IRS Audit The Last Word? Not Necessarily!

January 15, 2011 by

Audit Appeals

Once you receive the results of an IRS audit – which generally includes a large bill that you have to pay – you have three options.  You can pay the bill, request an informal review with the auditor’s group manager, or file a formal request for appeal.

If you went through the initial audit without help or representation, NOW is the time to get professional help. Have a licensed tax professional review your situation.  There are many factors that go into deciding whether or not an audit stands or is overturned upon appeal.

Bear in mind that IRS auditors are trained to get information out of the taxpayer. The tactics they use are often frightening, especially to the taxpayer who doesn’t know what rights and protections they have.  An IRS auditor is not going to volunteer the information that their decisions can be questioned – or even overturned!

Appealing An IRS Audit Successfully

Appealing an IRS audit is difficult, but it is not impossible.  Prepare yourself for success by having competent, professional tax assistance from an audit accountant, licensed tax professional, or other expert. The vast majority of audits that are overturned or altered significantly upon appeal have a tax professional involved.  An individual taxpayer, particularly one with no tax experience, is at a significant disadvantage when they try to appeal on their own.

The primary advantages of having a tax professional represent you in appealing an IRS audit is that it introduces a significant degree of separation between you and the IRS as well as having someone with years of experience in dealing with the IRS on your side.  The IRS will be talking to your tax accountant, not you.  The phone calls will go to the tax professional’s office – not your home!  This eliminates stress and gives you the peace of mind that the problem is being handled. Your tax professional’s experience will also get you a better result than you could have gotten on your own since he knows how the IRS operates, what your rights are, and how to maneuver through the IRS maze.

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