Tax Attorneys in Grand Rapids, MI

Ask three things. Is this person authorized to represent you before the IRS? Have they handled your kind of problem (an audit, a levy, an Offer in Compromise) many times before? And will they explain their plan in plain terms before you sign anything? Enrolled Agents are licensed by the Treasury with unlimited practice rights before the IRS, which makes the credential a natural fit for federal collection and audit cases. Also check who will actually work your file day to day.

Yes. Many people assume they need to hire a tax attorney, yet most IRS collection and audit matters do not require one: an Enrolled Agent can represent you directly, and if your situation ever calls for legal counsel, we'll tell you so you can engage one. An EA's license covers audits, collections, appeals, and payment negotiations in all 50 states, so Grand Rapids taxpayers have the same access to representation as anyone else.

Open it the day it arrives. Find the notice number and the response date, and keep every page together. Balance due and audit letters don't go away if they're ignored; penalties and interest keep building and the next letter is usually more serious. Once you authorize us with Form 2848, we check the IRS's numbers against your records, prepare the response, and handle the follow up calls.

Yes, after it has sent the required notices, including a Final Notice of Intent to Levy and your notice of the right to a hearing. Once a garnishment or bank levy is in place, time matters. Gather the notices, your pay stubs or account details, and recent returns right away. We open contact with the IRS, look at release options, and work toward a resolution such as an installment agreement or Currently Not Collectible status.

It's an IRS settlement option for qualifying taxpayers who can't pay the full amount. The IRS looks at your income, expenses, assets, and what it expects it could collect from you over time. You have to be current on filing, provide detailed financial forms, and stay compliant afterward. We run the numbers before preparing anything, because an offer the math can't support only costs you time and fees.

You pay the balance over time instead of in one lump sum. Smaller balances can often qualify for a streamlined installment agreement with less paperwork, while larger ones usually require a full financial statement. Interest and the failure to pay penalty keep running, though the penalty rate drops while an agreement is in effect. We help figure out a payment you can sustain and submit the request.

Sometimes. First Time Abate relief can wipe out failure to file, failure to pay, and failure to deposit penalties for one tax period if your recent history is clean. Reasonable cause relief covers situations like serious illness or disaster. Neither is automatic, and each needs a written explanation with support. Interest on removed penalties generally comes off too, but interest on the tax itself stays.

The IRS can file a substitute return for you using only the income it knows about, usually without the deductions and credits you'd claim. That number is almost always too high. Filing your own accurate returns replaces it, and it's a prerequisite for nearly every relief program. We prepare the missing years and look at them alongside the total debt and where the account is in collections.