IRS auditor giving you trouble? Where else can you turn?

It is common to feel like you are not getting a fair shake from an IRS auditor.   Frustration mounts with perceptions that the auditor is unreasonable.  No matter what you do, the auditor cannot be satisfied.  You are told you owe money to the IRS, and you know you don’t.
There is good news – [...]

Reopening IRS audits – are they really final?

I have seen a stream of new calls from readers who went through an IRS audit and are receiving IRS collection notices for amounts they probably do not owe.
Although they disagreed with the audit, they did not understand the need to take the dispute to IRS appeals or Tax Court.  As a result, the audit [...]

Four ways to handle disagreements with IRS auditors

A common problem with IRS audits is not seeing eye to eye with the auditor. The auditor sees the case narrowly, while you see the big picture.  You know you incurred that expense or did not have unreported income, but the auditor’s criteria is difficult to satisfy.
Here are some ways to get problem IRS audits [...]

A Tax Court win for the good guys

It really does happen – you can overturn an IRS audit in Tax Court.
My client disagreed with an IRS audit that determined she should pay a 10% tax on early distributions from her retirement account.  She had taken early retirement, and wanted to start taking withdrawals from her retirement account. Ordinarily, this would cause a [...]

Why a tax lawyer can make a difference

I am often asked by new clients how a tax lawyer can make a difference in an IRS dispute.  Here is my answer:

Once you retain a tax lawyer, the IRS must stop calling you.  The IRS is required to conduct all negotiations – telephone calls, meetings, etc. – through your attorney.  This valuable “buffer” allows [...]

What if I am audited by the IRS but my recordkeeping is poor or my records are lost?

Since I often help clients close out IRS audits when their records are lacking, I thought it was time to answer this question: 
I recieved a letter to meet an auditor from the IRS to audit my 2005 – 2007 taxes. My house was broken into several times, and I don’t have any of my paperwork [...]

Where do Tax Court judges get their experience from?

Tax Court judges have experience either as former government lawyers or in the private sector at law firms. Of the thirty-two Tax Court judges, thirteen previously worked for the government as IRS lawyers; four were employed by the Department of Justice’s Tax Division.  
The remaining judges have legal experience in the private sector (with the [...]

Tax Court – providing a level playing field in audits.

I just settled an audit on behalf of a client that had to make its way to Tax Court to be resolved.  The audit was caused by significant losses my client claimed on rental real estate.  But it but morphed into an IRS investigation of her banking statements and deposits. 
Taking a case to Tax Court [...]