Any recommendations for professional help with IRS problems??

[Anonymous]

I know there is The Tax Lady, Roni Deuscht.  When I google tax problems or any such phrase, there are tons of hits, but how do you know if they are good?  If there a website anyone knows of where these type of tax professionals are rated/reviewed? 

A friend of mine defaulted on an installment plan after he was audited.   Then not knowing what to do, he quit doing anything.  He has not filled taxes in 11 years, much less paid the installment plan.  I think he really needs a professional to sort this out for him.  I think it is too much for a person to try to walk into an IRS office to try to resolve. 

[llecs]

Wow. 11 yrs. IMO, a tax negotiator isn't the way to go. All of these ads out there of paying "pennies on the dollar" are bogus. If tax is owed, IRS isn't in the settling mood.

I'd advise your friend to see a tax attorney to go over the specifics of how that should be addressed. I too goofed once and went 5 yrs without filing. I had a large spike in 1099 income and saw a $20k tax bill and panicked and stopped filing after that. I wised up and filed my current years taxes and tightened my belt to catch up on the arrears. I finally paid my last amount owed last year and finished paying my state taxes last week. Whew! The government WILL catch up and search your friend out!

[Kay_Cee]

There is no doubt the IRS will catch up with your friend.  From personal experience, it is best if your friend contacts them before they  contact your friend.  There is an organization of people who are usually former IRS employees who are Enrolled Agents.  Because they were former employees of the "Service" they know the drill and can be very effective in representing one before the IRS.  There is a fee involved but well worth it.

[Anonymous]

Do you know the name of this firm or have a link/phone number?  I think he needs someone who focuses on this type of problem. 

[Kay_Cee]

Your friend can google the National Association of Enrolled Agents and find one in the area by entering the state in which he lives.

Good luck!  The IRS is not fun to deal with but better your friend is proactive in this situation.

[Itsmeagain]

My never-married brother stopped filing tax returns in 1963, shortly after being discharged from the Navy.  He always claimed only himself on his W-4 (the form you must sign when going to work).  Even though he worked for 'wages' all his life, he just said he'd rather not 'mess' with it.

He died last year at age 66, having not filed for 45 years, and never heard a peep from the IRS.  He always said that if the IRS looks at you and thinks they may owe you money, they won't bother to harass you. 

I guess he proved his point.

[Anonymous]

DF is using JK Harris & Company LLC for his tax problems.  He was self-employed for 4 years, didn't file for 3 of those years, so the IRS auto-filed for him and let's say it is NOT very pretty.  JK Harris is getting him into compliance (filing back years), then will put together his Offer in Comprimise.  The compliance portion is about 2K for three years of filing and we haven't entered the Offer phase, which I believe will incur more fees.  JK Harris does extend a payment plan though.

When I asked around about JK Harris, I've always received positive feedback that they are the cream of the crop as a tax firm.

I sent you a pm with our consultant's contact info and if you are agreeable I can submit your DF's info to our consultant as part of the referral plan and he will contact your DF.

Best Wishes

eta:  more detailed info

Message Edited by WishIKnewThen on 04-25-2009 06:11 PM

[Anonymous]

WishIKnewThen,

You say the IRS filed for him? How did the know what he was making? Was he getting a 1099 and ignoring it? I am very intersted to see how they knew what he was making? If they did not know what he was making and never recieved a 1099 for being self empoyed did someone turn him in? 

[medicgrrl]

Those companies that say they can get you to pay pennies on the dollar are just filing the Offer in Compromise for you.  He can go to the IRS website and read the rules on filing that.  It is dependent on the amount you owe and whether the IRS thinks they can collect that amount in the time allotted.  Some states will also do a matching Offer in Compromise to whatever the IRS does.  If he can do the forms on his own and determine whether he can pay or not, he may be able to do this on his own.  It really depends on how complicated it is.

[Anonymous]

Well after figuring out that he was going to have to eat the taxes on the undocumented money he was paying out to his independent contractors, he ignored the IRS for a couple of years, despite many, many letters that they sent.  (After now reveiwing those letters, there were many requests for him to file the missing years).  So, yes, the IRS used his 1099 to file for him. 

He's becoming more at peace with taking the tax liability for his lost deductions from not having properly 1099ed his workers, but he was/is very overwhelmed by the thought of having to file and figure out the compliance forms alone.  Though professional, JK Harris did feed his insecurity by saying that if the forms are not filled out corretly they would be rejected and there are certain cost of living expenditures that the IRS allows for in the calculations that may be missed if one attempts to "go it alone" and that the IRS is not very forthcoming with these figures. 

etc:  grammar

Message Edited by WishIKnewThen on 04-27-2009 08:55 PM