IRS Representation, Audits and Tax Debt Help
How a CPA can represent you in an IRS audit, appeal, collection case or payment plan, and the relief programs that may be available to you.
Dealing with the IRS yourself can feel like an unfair contest. Representation levels it. When you sign a power of attorney (Form 2848), a CPA can speak with the IRS for you, receive your notices, respond to audit questions, negotiate payment arrangements and file appeals. Most contact then goes through us, not you.
Representation is a process, not a promise. We cannot guarantee a result, and no honest professional can. What we can do is make sure the right facts and the right arguments are in front of the IRS, in the right form, before the deadline, and that you use every option the law gives you.
Start with the page that matches your situation. Audit letters, balances you cannot pay, unfiled returns, liens and levies and state tax notices each have their own rules and deadlines. If you have a specific notice in hand, look it up in our IRS notices library.
Acting early matters. Many options, including appeal rights and hearing rights, expire 30 or 90 days after a notice date.
Audits and appeals
Understand the audit process, respond correctly and use your appeal rights.
IRS Audit Representation
What it means to have a professional represent you in an IRS audit, and what representation cannot promise.
Read moreTypes of IRS Audits
How mail, office and field audits differ, and how to tell an audit from an automated notice.
Read moreHow to Respond to an IRS Audit Letter
Practical steps for answering an IRS audit letter, from deadlines and records to extensions.
Read moreIRS Appeals
How to disagree with an IRS audit result, from the 30-day letter to Appeals and Tax Court.
Read moreIRS Statute of Limitations
The IRS time limits explained in plain English, covering assessment, collection and refund periods.
Read moreCollection and payment options
Payment plans, offers, levies, liens and hearings.
Tax Debt Relief Options
A plain-English comparison of the legitimate ways to deal with an IRS balance you cannot pay in full.
Read moreIRS Installment Agreements
How IRS payment plans work, what they cost to set up and how to keep one current.
Read moreOffer in Compromise
How the IRS offer in compromise works, who is eligible, what it costs and what to expect.
Read moreCurrently Not Collectible Status
How the IRS can pause collection for financial hardship, what it requires and what it does not stop.
Read moreIRS Liens and Levies
How an IRS lien differs from a levy, what each means for your property and how to respond.
Read moreIRS Wage Garnishment and Bank Levies
What happens when the IRS levies your paycheck or bank account and what can stop or release it.
Read moreCollection Due Process Hearing
How to request a Collection Due Process hearing after an IRS levy or lien notice, with deadlines.
Read moreRelief programs and protections
Innocent spouse relief, the Taxpayer Advocate and identity theft.
Innocent Spouse Relief
How to request IRS relief from a spouse's tax errors or unpaid tax on a joint return.
Read moreTaxpayer Advocate Service
What the Taxpayer Advocate Service can help with, who qualifies and how to ask for help.
Read moreIdentity Theft and the IRS
Steps to take when tax identity theft is suspected, including IRS letters, Form 14039 and the IP PIN.
Read moreUnfiled returns and records
Catch up on missing returns and get your IRS records.
More
Power of attorney and state tax matters.
Need someone to deal with the IRS?
A CPA can represent you with a power of attorney so you do not have to face the IRS alone.