Managing Client Expectations: Roadmap to Resolution
What to Know About Tax Debt Resolution
Clients looking for tax relief services usually have two questions.
- First: can you settle this for less than I owe?
- Second: how long will this take?
We hear these questions all the time.
Once you work with an experienced CPA and tax professional, you will get some relief right away. The rest, especially complex or long standing cases, take time. This is because IRS problems do not happen overnight, so fixing them also needs time. The good news is that you will not have to deal with the IRS directly. Instead, a qualified tax resolution expert represents you. As an example, an Offer in Compromise (OIC) normally takes 6 to 12 months, though sometimes longer. That timeline depends on how much tax liability you owe, how complex your case is, and your personal situation.
Pathway to Resolution
If you are new to us, this is where you start. You get a confidential, free consultation with no strings attached. During this meeting, Patrick, a tax resolution consultant and a CPA, looks at your situation. From there, he goes over every option with you. Most meetings last 30 to 45 minutes, but sometimes he may need more details before he can suggest a path forward. For this reason, bring any recent IRS notices you have for an initial consultation. After an agreement is reached, the professional may then request your IRS transcripts and Record of Account. Once he has everything, he will begin building a strategy and go over all your settlement options.
Your consultation wraps up, and we both agree you are a good fit for our firm. At that point, you can book Patrick as your tax representative. You sign an Engagement Letter, and handle the payments, after which your tax help services begin.
The expert helps build a plan for your case step by step. He also tells you what moves make the most sense. He stays available by phone, email, or in person. At Karp Tax Defense LLC, we work as a team on tax problems. This means you always have backup by an experienced CPA.
Before the IRS agrees to any settlement, you need to get compliant. Compliance means filing all past due income tax returns first. It also means staying current on your estimated income tax payments. If you work for someone else, your withholding has to be set right as well. These methods follow IRS regulations, and the professional gets your tax returns done and filed depending on your case.
People who get good results share certain habits. First, they treat this like a team effort. Second, they see the process as a project that needs teamwork. Most of all, they get back to us quickly when the professional asks for information or documents. They return calls and emails fast, and they stay in touch the whole time their case is open.
From there, the practitioner puts together a resolution plan for the IRS, one you can live with and follow through on. His IRS settlement track record is strong, and he aims for the lowest settlement the law allows. That said, the IRS rarely says yes to the first offer. Because of that, the expert watches the case closely, sends more information when needed, and keeps negotiating if a resolution is possible for a case.
Once the IRS closes your case, the professional checks the final outcome to make sure it matches what he and you agreed to. If it does not, he pushes to get it fixed. If the IRS still resists, he explains your options for what to do next. Finally, he tells you what steps to take to avoid future tax problems.
