Awards & Recognition
As a professional artist, you want to dedicate your time to creating art – not deciphering complex tax forms and IRS regulations. Let our experienced San Francisco tax attorneys and CPAs provide the tax guidance you need, so that you can spend less time worrying about tax compliance and more time focusing on your next project. We have been a trusted tax guide for artists in California, other U.S. states, and abroad.
At the Tax Law Office of David W. Klasing, we are an award-winning team of tax lawyers and small business CPAs EAs and accountants who have over 20 years of experience representing individuals and businesses in state, federal, and international tax matters. Serving taxpayers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, we represent all types of professional artists, including painters, sculptors, graphic designers, fashion designers, photographers, musicians, animators, dancers, digital artists, and others. Whether you need help preparing for a tax audit, disputing the results of an audit, fighting criminal tax charges, improving your accounting and bookkeeping systems, or exploring new tax strategies for your business, the Tax Law Office of David W. Klasing is your full-service, 24-hour resource for trusted tax and legal assistance.
San Francisco Tax Audit Attorneys, CPAs and EAs for Professional Artists
Our San Francisco audit lawyers represent individuals and businesses in all types of artist tax audits, including:
At the state level, audits are conducted by either the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), such as California income tax audits; the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), such as sales tax audits; or the Employment Development Department (EDD), such as California employment tax audits.See our Audit Representation Q and A Library
See our Employment Tax Law Q and A Library
See our Sales Tax Q and A library
Numerous issues may have triggered your audit. For instance, you may allegedly owe unpaid income tax or sales tax on commissioned art, or accidentally claimed a tax credit you did not qualify for. Other audit triggers can include having unfiled tax returns, underreported income, unreported U.S. or offshore bank accounts (such as failing to file an FBAR), misclassified workers, or simply reporting high income or owning your own business.
What Are Some Potential Consequences of a State or Federal Tax Audit?
By revealing inadvertent or deliberate failures to comply with the tax code, a California or IRS tax audit can lead to the imposition of civil and/or criminal penalties. Civil tax penalties, which may arise from accidental or negligent errors, include failure-to-pay penalties, failure-to-file penalties, accuracy-related penalties, and in certain cases, even civil fraud penalties – along with interest charges. Criminal penalties may be imposed if the taxpayer is convicted of tax evasion (26 U.S. Code § 7201), the willful failure to file a return (26 U.S. Code § 7203), making or subscribing a false return (26 U.S. Code § 7206(1)), or other forms of tax fraud. Note that, in felony or misdemeanor tax cases, civil penalties are often imposed in addition to criminal penalties, which typically include prison time, large fines, and a period of supervised release.
California + IRS Tax Audit Appeals Representation for Artists in San Francisco
It is possible for an auditor from the IRS, FTB, or CDTFA to make errors when examining tax returns. Unfortunately, these errors can translate into substantial tax bills for the individual or entity who was audited. Faced with such a scenario, the taxpayer can dispute the audit’s results by filing an appeal, which may be an effective method of dispute resolution if IRS mediation fails.
To appeal the results of a state or federal tax audit – for instance, to appeal an FTB income tax audit – the taxpayer must prepare a written statement explaining his or her argument in detail, known as a “protest letter” or “opening brief,” in which each of the taxpayer’s arguments must be supported by factual, legal, and/or mathematical evidence, such as Tax Court decisions or IRS regulations. If you believe that your auditor made a mistake which skewed the results of your audit, you should discuss your options with a California or IRS audit appeals attorney in San Francisco.See our IRS Appeals Q and A Library See our Tax Litigation Q and A Library
San Francisco Tax Lawyer & CPA for Artists
Artist loans, artist grants, the acquisition of valuable artworks, or the sale of artworks can all trigger complex tax filing requirements in California. Work with an experienced tax compliance attorney to ensure you are following state and federal tax laws correctly. If you have already been chosen for an audit, or believe that you have been targeted for an IRS criminal investigation, a tax defense attorney can minimize the damage by working to avoid or reduce the penalties you face.See our Criminal Tax Law Q and A Library Get effective tax representation for artists in San Francisco. To set up a reduced-rate consultation with one of our dedicated tax attorneys or CPAs, contact the Tax Law Office of David W. Klasing online, or call our San Francisco office at (415) 287-6568. You can also reach us by calling our main office in Irvine at (800) 681-1295. Note: All appointments in our San Francisco office are by appointment only.
Will it cost me more to hire the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing, who’s main office and the vast majority of the firm’s staff is located in Irvine California, but an appointment only Satellite office is close to my location, as opposed to a local company? Absolutely not! See our policies that address this issue here:
