Filing your taxes or dealing with unexpected tax outcomes can be a complicated process. Thankfully, there are systems in place that can assist you when you run into tax difficulties; one such system is a tax attorney service.
Tax attorneys assist their clients with a wide range of services and are particularly helpful to small business owners or those who have a problematic tax history. According to Degree Dictionary, “Tax lawyers help individuals and groups resolve federal, state, local and international tax issues.” Here are some of the functions a tax attorney can handle to make your relations with the IRS a little bit easier:
Estate Planning Services
As you get older, it is important to keep your plans for the future organized and well planned. Estate taxes are complex and vary in accordance with the particulars of individual cases, so enlisting the help of a tax attorney can help your navigate the process and foresee future difficulties. After an individual passes, the IRS accounts all of the individual’s possessions and interests at their current value to determine the “gross estate.” Factors such as mortgages and debts are taken into account to determine the “taxable estate” from which the IRS makes the final tax assessments. An attorney can help ensure that loved ones are taken care of when they need to file an estate tax return.
Filing Taxes from Abroad
If you conduct business internationally, a tax attorney can be a major asset in guiding you through the process of filing taxes from abroad, as well as preparing contracts and legal documents for international transactions. US citizens that live and work abroad are still subject to many of the taxes that they would pay living in the US, so a tax attorney service from 800tax.com, for example, is important to avoiding repercussions like an audit following missed tax obligations.
Dealing with a Tax Audit
For instances in which an individual or business has undergone a tax audit by the IRS, outstanding debt can be problematic. Attorney services can help the individual develop plans for the payment process with plans like an offer-in-compromise. The offer-in-compromise allows taxpayers to establish a viable payment plan that the IRS chooses whether or not to accept. Because these offers are often for less than the original amount of the tax debt, or repaid over an extended time frame, it can be difficult to establish a plan that the IRS will accept unless a professional service is handling the deal.
Planning Tax Payments for a New Company
When a fledgling company is starting out, it’s important to develop a tax plan for the future. Registering a business is handled differently depending the state in which it operates, so the associated taxes may vary. A local tax expert can help co-founders determine how much money should be set aside moving forward when the company begins to earn revenues, hire new employees, and files their taxes for the first time. The IRS also taxes companies differently according to how it is structured, so an attorney is helpful to figure out what the best structure will be to maximize a company’s profitability with regard to its tax obligations.
Filing Late Tax Returns
For individuals that have fallen behind on filing their tax returns for years at a time, an attorney can help you file those tax returns from previous years to set things on track with the IRS and avoid any associated penalties from insufficient or long term missed payments.
Removing Tax Liens
If you’ve encountered difficulties with IRS penalties such as a tax lien, taking out loans can be almost impossible. Because tax liens are publicly filed, banks have access to that information when determining your loan eligibility. A lien on delinquent tax debts gives the IRS the authority to possess an individual’s property and assets to cover the amount of his or her debt. As such, it is in an individual’s best interests to always ensure that he or she stays in communication with the IRS about any tax obligations and the plans to submit payment. Removing a tax lien can help you modify loans or refinance, but the removal process is done on a case by case basis and is much easier to navigate with the guidance of a professional and experienced tax attorney.
If you’re unsure about how to deal with the IRS, it is always advisable to seek professional assistance to avoid repercussions. A tax attorney service is beneficial in many areas of life, whether it’s for estate planning, filing taxes internationally, dealing with an IRS audit, starting a new company, filing late tax returns or removing tax liens.
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I recently had to help my son do his taxes for the first time. It can be quite the process if you don’t know how to do it. Tax attorneys can be very beneficial. Thanks for sharing a few more tips on what they can help with.
To be sure, unless you are using one of those “EZ” forms, filling out your tax forms is almost never a straight forward affair.
Thanks for the great information, I had no idea that there were so many things a tax attorney could do to help their client out. I imagine that filing taxes from abroad is a huge help, as you point out in the article. This could be especially useful if you have business in multiple countries where the tax laws might not all be the same.
Thanks for stopping by, Simon. I’m glad you found the article informative!
You don’t want to be in trouble with the IRS. I personally do not like dealing with the IRS. I never seem to get a straight answer and always have problems. Plus, it takes forever to get any answer back from them. I like the idea of having someone else deal with my tax returns or even possible late tax returns. That way I know everything is completed just as it should be and I don’t need to stress out!