Tax Topic

IRS Notices

When you receive an IRS Notice for a tax return/year we have prepared for you, please forward it to us right away if you want us to address it for you (upload it via our web site or fax it). There is usually a place on the notice where you can sign/date to allow us to contact the IRS on your behalf in lieu of a full tax power of attorney. Yes, we will charge our time for this unless the notice is the result of a mistake we made. Many notices require a timely response. Calling me to tell me you received a notice from the IRS is not near so useful as forwarding the notice to me as soon as you receive it, because the notices are generally hard to read for you (in typical IRS fashion), and I need the particular details to understand which tax return, which year, and what issue.

Alternatively, you may, of course, contact the IRS directly yourself, 800-829-1040 or the number given on the notice. (And there is a lot of information at www.irs.gov.) The hold times on the phone have been getting worse given the IRS is severely underfunded. Call early in the day and be prepared for a one to two hour wait. When the IRS representative comes on the line, he/she will first give you their name and ID#, then ask you questions about the issue (by form # and year) and your identity; so you will generally need to have the subject tax return at hand when you call, along with the IRS notice. Keep track of the IRS representative's name & ID# and keep a log of all contact with the IRS through the settling of the matter.

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