Ads for IRS problems: Be informed, get the facts

Pennies on the dollar!  Act now before its too late! The laws may change!
During first consultations, my clients often have questions about advertisements they have seen on television or heard on the radio about the IRS offer in compromise process.  Here is my response:
The IRS offer in compromise rejection rate is 75%. The IRS accepted only 11,000 offers [...]

IRS collections in troubled times

Everyday, I see how the IRS is responding to people hurt by the economy. The Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure asked me to write an article about it  - ”IRS Collections in Troubled Times.”
Current IRS enforcement is centered on recovering government money that was spent to stabilize the economy.  As a result, the IRS is [...]

IRS audits – how can you prove expenses without receipts?

Can you prove expenses in an IRS audit without receipts and checks? 
Thanks to the tax case of Cohan v. Commissioner,39 F. 2d 540 (2d Cir. 1930), the IRS will allow expenses even if receipts and checks are missing.
All you need is a reasonable basis to recreate the expense and credible testimony that you actually spent the money.
The Cohan case [...]

Your word against the IRS – you lose?

“I know I filed it, but the IRS tells me they never received it.”
Tax returns – lost.  Collection appeals – misplaced.  Innocent spouse claims – never processed.
The reality is that the IRS does lose incoming mail.  It is the exception, not the rule, but it happens.
And when it happens, it can be difficult to convince [...]

Bankruptcy Forum: What Judges and Trustees Want You to Know

I will be on a panel seminar in Cincinnati on November 6 to address taxes and bankruptcy. My co-panelists include Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Hopkins and Bankruptcy Trustees Henry Menninger and Tom Geygan.
In addtion to IRS and bankruptcy, other topics that will be discussed include bankruptcy’s impact on divorce, real estate and understanding means testing.
The seminar [...]