Why Use an IRS Lawyer | How a Tax Lawyer Can Help You (2024)

Struggling With Tax Debt or IRS Issues? A Tax Lawyer Can Help

Being in liability to the Internal Revenue Service is not a situation anyone wants to be in. If you’re dodging phone calls and avoiding the mailbox, now is the time to speak with an IRS attorney with the W Tax Group about resolving your tax situation.

Sometimes, paying your taxes is a lot harder than it should be. Maybe you owed more than you anticipated, or perhaps other financial setbacks caused you to get behind on your tax payments. Whatever the case may be, there is a way to resolve it. Many programs are available to help you make back taxes a thing of the past.

You may be fearful of contacting the IRS, or maybe you’ve just been worried that nothing you do will make the situation better, but there is always a way to improve your situation. When you hire an experienced attorney, you get to work with a professional who has an in-depth understanding of tax law and the tax process. A law office focused on tax liabilities resolution can help you deal with tax disputes and guide you to the best solution for your tax problem.

When you’re dealing with the IRS, giving up or ignoring the problem will not make it go away. The agency will not stop until it gets the money it’s after, and it has many tools at its disposal. The IRS can garnish your wages, place liens on your property, and even levy your home and vehicles.

Fortunately, you can get help putting this behind you by contacting a tax lawyer at the W Tax Group today. To help you out, here is an overview of how a tax lawyer can help and what to expect when you contact one.

Free Consultation With a Tax Law Office

When you contact a tax attorney for the first time, you start with a free consultation. If you’ve never hired a lawyer before, it can be intimidating to call a law firm, but don’t worry — they will make the process easy for you. They understand that you probably haven’t gone to law school (or if you did, you didn’t focus on tax laws), and they will speak in plain language.

During the free consultation, the tax attorney will ask you for an overview of your tax problem. Based on their experience with tax resolution, they will provide you with a brief overview of the potential options in your situation. They can also let you know what can happen if you ignore the issue.

The free consultation isn’t a hard sell. Tax lawyers don’t use pressure tactics or sales techniques to draw in clients. They don’t need to because their services are worth it. Dealing with the IRS on your own is possible in many situations, but in others, it can be stressful to navigate the system. If you aren’t familiar with the resolution options, it can be hard to even know where to start. A tax attorney is essentially your liaison with the tax authorities. They help you identify the best path forward, and then, they deal with the IRS so that you don’t have to.

What Types of Situations Can Your IRS Attorney Resolve?

It doesn’t matter how much you owe in back taxes or whether the IRS has assessed your tax liability correctly—a lawyer from our firm can help you set things right. How can a tax lawyer help? The following are some of the many services tax lawyers from our firm provide to clients:

Payment Plan

The IRS allows payment plans when you owe taxes that you aren’t able to pay immediately. These payment plans can help those who can afford to pay monthly payments but don’t have the money to pay the full amount up front. Your attorney can help you set up payments so you can be in good standing with the IRS or the state and avoid unnecessary penalties.

Offer in Compromise

If you qualify for an offer in compromise, your IRS tax lawyer can help settle your tax bill for less than the full amount you owe. The IRS will examine your income, your ability to pay, and assets and back taxes to see whether you qualify to settle your bill. Once you pay the agreed-upon settlement, the rest of your tax amount due is forgiven. However, you may need to meet additional requirements such as filing future tax returns and staying current on future tax liabilities.

A good tax lawyer with offer in compromise experience can assess your tax and financial situation to determine your ability to qualify and provide alternative resolution options if you do not qualify.

Tax Audits

Being audited by the IRS is nobody’s idea of a good time. Many people who go through an audit don’t know how to handle the situation. They also don’t know how to make certain that the audit isn’t violating their rights. Having an IRS lawyer on your side during an audit can be beneficial. Our firm will competently represent you during the stressful audit process.

Penalty Abatement

In some situations, your lawyer can fight to get the penalties on your tax bill removed or lowered. This is called penalty abatement. Penalties for paying or filing taxes late can be high, and sometimes, the penalties on the tax bill can be greater than the bill itself.

Removal of penalties can make your tax bill easier to afford. In addition, after the penalties are removed, you may be able to reach an installment agreement for the remainder of the bill.

IRS Wage Garnishment and Levy Release

The IRS has the right to place a levy on your bank account or garnish your paycheck when you’re behind on your taxes. This can be incredibly stressful because you need that money to survive. To help you out, your IRS tax attorney may be able to get the levy released.

There are several ways to prove that you deserve a levy or garnishment release. One way is to show the Internal Revenue Service that the levy is creating considerable economic hardships for you. When you can’t afford to pay for food, clothing, and shelter because of the garnishment, that’s an economic hardship.

Currently Not Collectible

Some people can’t pay their taxes because they literally don’t have the money to pay them. They may not even have property the IRS can seize in order to pay down the tax liability. It’s these people whose accounts can be placed in Currently Not Collectible status.

Your IRS attorney can show proof that you really can’t afford to pay your taxes. The IRS may then agree to place a hold on collections until you’re able to begin paying again. In some cases, by the time an individual can afford to pay the back taxes, the statute of limitations will have passed. At that point, the government can no longer collect on the tax debt.

Back Tax Returns

If you’ve been unable to file a tax return for a previous tax year, an IRS help attorney will take care of that. Can a tax attorney file my taxes? Yes — they can. However, usually, people only hire tax attorneys when they need to file back taxes. If you’re just dealing with a current year’s return, an accountant might be a better option.

After you file your past-due returns, if you owe taxes, your attorney may also be able to help you set up a payment plan with the IRS or help you take advantage of one of the other programs that meet your needs. In most cases, you will need to file back tax returns before you qualify for a payment plan, offer in compromise, or other resolution option.

Release of a Federal Tax Lien

When the IRS places a lien on your property, it is claiming a legal interest in your property. Other liability collectors can do this, too, but the IRS usually has top priority. Your property can be your financial assets, home, vehicles, boats, and other personal property.

A lien is not the same as a levy. A levy is when the IRS has seized your property with the intent of selling it to pay off your back taxes due. A lien can be removed, and your lawyer can help make that possible.

Why Do You Need a Tax Attorney?

Many people who are struggling with back taxes with the IRS don’t even realize that hiring an attorney is an option for them. They think they have to handle everything on their own, and they become overwhelmed.

The reason a lot of people don’t pay their taxes isn’t that they don’t want to — it’s because they don’t know how to negotiate with the IRS to set up a payment plan that will work with their financial situation. They often feel intimidated by the amount of their tax bill and can’t see a way out. So, they simply ignore the situation. After that happens, the problem is compounded with each year that they don’t file a return.

If this describes your situation, you are not alone. Every day, we help clients who have been ignoring their tax problems and doing so has made the problem snowball into a very stressful situation. Don’t worry. Your situation is not hopeless. You can get help now. Getting help from a tax attorney will make you see that there are options for every tax situation. Your lawyer will find the right program or solution for you.

Do Tax Lawyers Really Help?

The short answer is yes. A tax attorney can really help you, but you don’t need one for every tax problem. It depends on your issue and your comfort with addressing your own tax problems.

For instance, if you just owe a few thousand dollars from a personal income tax return, you may not need a tax lawyer. You may be able to just set up a payment plan online on your own. On the other hand, if you want help, a tax attorney can certainly deal with the process for you.

As your situation becomes more complicated, a tax attorney becomes more indispensable. Say for example, that you have years of unfiled returns, tens of thousands in debt, or tax issues that are threatening your business. In these cases, a lawyer can help you assess the situation, find a resolution, and minimize the damage as much as possible. Similarly, if you’re disputing the amount of your tax bill or if you’re facing criminal or civil penalties for tax fraud or evasion, an experienced tax lawyer can be critical. They can protect your rights and provide the legal help that you need.

Can a tax lawyer really help? The best way to find out is to call for a free consultation. Again, during that phone call, you’ll get to explain your concerns, and the law firm will let you know how they can help with your specific issue.

A lot of people wonder are tax attorneys really worth it? Again, while you don’t need an attorney for every problem, they can be a lifesaver. They can help reduce penalties, negotiate payment plans, protect your assets, and more.

Can a Tax Attorney Negotiate With IRS?

A tax attorney can help you deal with the IRS. Depending on your situation, they can help you negotiate an offer an compromise, remove penalties, set up payments, or protect your assets from collection actions. An attorney leverages their experience to get you the best outcome possible.

Tax Lawyers to Help With State Tax Problems

In many cases, clients aren’t just dealing with IRS tax debt. Often, they need help with state tax problems as well. The tax process varies a lot from state to state, and the federal rules are not the same as the state rules. When hiring a tax lawyer, you need to ensure that you hire someone who can help with tax disputes and tax debt on both the state and federal levels.

Keep in mind that when tax attorneys go to law school, they learn an extensive amount about the tax code. But they learn even more when they’re actively handling cases with their law firm. Dealing with a tax audit or representing a client in tax court gives a tax attorney hands-on exposure to the tax process. This is the type of experience you need whether you’re dealing with tax debt, tax fraud, or another issue.

To ensure you hire a law firm that meets your needs, you need to look for a group of tax attorneys that understand both state and federal tax laws. When vetting your options, make sure they have experience with the tax code and collection processes in your state. At the W Tax Group, we help clients from all 50 states.

We didn’t stop learning when we graduated from law school. Instead, we learn more every day about the best ways to serve our clients and help them deal with their tax problems. This is critical because the tax code is always changing. The resolution options also change frequently.

When you contact our law firm, you get experienced professionals who can help with all of your tax concerns whether they’re at the federal or state government. We have the experience you need to move forward and regain peace in your life.

Tax Attorney Vs. CPA Vs. Enrolled Agents

Which type of professional is right for you? When it comes to resolving tax problems, attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents can all represent you. But which is the best option? Many of their services overlap, but these professionals differ greatly in the education requirements and the level of representation they can do.

The most important factor to look for is their professional experience with your specific tax problem. For instance, if you need to go to tax court, you need an attorney with experience representing clients in tax court. If you want a payment plan, you need a pro with that experience.

Get in Touch with an Experienced IRS Attorney

If you owe back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service or have another tax situation you need to be handled, contact a lawyer who can help you put this stress behind you. No one wants to be scared of phone calls or terrified that their bank account will be garnished at any moment.

It’s scary when the IRS has you in its sights, and there’s no way to get out of the line of fire except by addressing and handling your back taxes.

Get your tax dilemma figured out and put an end to the stress and anxiety you’ve been living with. To get help now, contact us at the W Tax Group today.