I need legal advice resolving tax issues with IRS. Did not file income tax returns.Tax lawyer or accountant?
Thursday, August 5th, 2010 at
12:11 am
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The big 4 firms all have national practices which deal with this. Many of them have former IRS staff that know some of the informal ways to get these issues resolved through negotiations. Often well worth the fees you pay to get the issue resolved.
Added note… helper_here commented that accountants cannot provide you with privileged service. This was recently changed so that accountants are now able to exercise accountant-client privilege similar to what a lawyer can provide, as long as the accountant’s advise was not used to PREPARE a tax return. So if you use someone that did not prepare your return, they can work under confidentiality provisions as well.
You need to hire an accountant to fix this for you. If the problem is bad enough, the accountant will recommend a lawyer that specializes in this. Under no circumstances should you attempt to fix this problem in your own. You could end up owing thousands of dollars in fines or going to jail if you screw this up.
You definitely need professional help.
Note: I live in Canada and am speaking in this context. I thought it was the same in the US and did not realize the rules had changed.
In Canada:
You should remember that lawyers can protect your confidentiality even when subpoenaed in court whereas accountants cannot do this.
If your situation is serious enough that confidentiality is a huge issue, I would speak with a tax lawyer FIRST. He will have some accountants that he works with and will be able to filter information to them on a general level to ensure your confidentiality is not compromised.
However, if it’s not too serious, go to an accountant and seek advice. If they think it’s serious enough, they will get a lawyer for you.
Good luck.
If you’re talking personal tax returns you are not in that much ‘trouble’. Rather you’ll owe penalties for 1) not filing and 2) not paying. But then again you may have refunds coming. Whether you didnt file because of fear, laziness, disease etc you should have them prepared by an accountant or if you’ve done them before and they are short forms do them yourself and send them in as soon as possible. If they are short forms I’d suggest doing them yourself to save preparer fees and time since the penalties and interest continue to grow.
If you do owe and cant pay then include a letter explaining how youre gonna pay and a telephone number(s) they can call you to acknowledge getting them and setting up a monthly payment plan.
But again get them done to see where you stand as soon as possible. You can also see if theres an IRS office near you to bring them and talk to someone in person. You dont need a lawyer you may need an accountant to prepare the long forms or to check them if you do. They are not going to ‘prosecute’ you they are going to charge you interest and penalties.