San Francisco, CA Tax Attorney

The San Francisco Tax Lawyers and CPAs at the Tax Law Office of David W. Klasing combine over 20 years of legal experience assisting businesses and individual taxpayers with the full spectrum of state, federal, and international tax matters, ranging from employment and payroll tax to divorce tax issues to general tax planning and tax preparation to criminal defense in felony tax cases. Whether you need to defend your innocence, prepare for a tax audit, or simply get help making sound financial decisions for your family or your company, look to our full-service California tax firm for zealous professional support. To book a reduced-rate initial consultation, contact our San Francisco office at (415) 287-6568 or (800) 681-1295, or contact us online to book a consultation.

International Tax Lawyers & CPAs in San Francisco

The United States is unlike most nations in that tax is imposed on the basis of citizenship rather than residence. Even if you physically reside in San Francisco, you may nonetheless be subject to international tax and info reporting requirements if:

• You maintain bank accounts in a foreign country, including business accounts, checking accounts, and savings accounts.
• You earn or store income in a foreign country, including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) stored in foreign wallets/accounts. Our Bitcoin tax lawyers have extensive experience in this area of tax law.
• You own an interest in an offshore business entity.
• You have offshore rental income.
• You received an offshore inheritance.

Two of the chief tax laws affecting U.S. persons with foreign income include the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Under the former, you may be required to file Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) if your foreign income exceeded $50,000 at any time during the tax year. Under the latter, you may need to file an FBAR, which refers to FinCEN Form 114 or the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, if your offshore income surpassed $10,000 at any time during the tax year. Failure to meet these requirements can lead you to incur costly civil penalties, including a fine of up to $10,000 per violation. If the failure was willful (intentional), which constitutes offshore tax evasion, you are at risk of criminal prosecution for failure to report foreign bank accounts or global income. Our international tax attorneys have dedicated much of our careers specifically to helping taxpayers resolve these types of issues. Depending on the nature of your matter, you may wish to speak with our:

• International FBAR Lawyers
• OVDP Lawyers (Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program)
• Tax Lawyers for Expats

 

San Francisco Employment, Business, and Payroll Tax Attorneys

Business owners must exercise greater caution than the average taxpayer, not only when quarterly tax forms and payments are due, but throughout the year. Strategic tax planning can set a business up for success – and lack thereof can doom the business to failure. Serving corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, non-profit organizations, religious or clerical organizations, and limited liability companies (LLCs) throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, our business tax attorneys and business transaction lawyers can assist your company or organization with:

• Business Succession Planning
• Entity Selection
• Payroll (FICA, Trust Fund) and Employment Tax Issues
• Tax Havens for Companies

San Francisco Tax Audit Defense Lawyers

Businesses or individual taxpayers may be chosen for an audit, or “examination,” by federal tax authorities like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and/or state tax authorities like the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), which performs similar functions as the IRS, but operates at the state level. There are many reasons a taxpayer or entity can be selected to undergo a tax audit, ranging from innocuous causes like random selection to serious issues like suspected tax evasion. No matter the underlying cause of an IRS tax audit or FTB tax audit, it is vital to be represented by an experienced tax attorney who understands how to negotiate effectively while guiding and protecting the taxpayer throughout the audit process. Our IRS tax attorneys provide audit representation in San Francisco for all types of state and federal examinations, including but not limited to:

• California Sales Tax Audits
• Foreign Account Tax Audits
• Worker Classification Audits

Appealing an IRS or FTB Tax Audit in San Francisco

If you disagree with the result of an FTB, CDTFA, EDD or IRS audit – for example, if the FTB intends to propose a tax assessment after auditing you and finding that you owe additional payments to the state of California – you may challenge or “protest” the results with written materials, which must include a detailed explanation, supported by factual evidence and information, discussing why you feel the auditor’s findings were inaccurate or inappropriate.

Unfortunately, this process is seldom simple or straightforward. On the contrary, the appellate system poses many challenges for taxpayers who wish to dispute the results an FTB, CDTFA, EDD or IRS audit, making dependable, knowledgeable representation essential. If you think the results of an audit are incorrect and wish to dispute the findings, ask us about IRS appeals representation in San Francisco. We can walk you through the process for appealing an audit and act on your behalf throughout, ensuring you file the appropriate paperwork, meet all legal deadlines, and satisfy other criteria for making a robust appeal.  We stand ready willing and able to litigate a Federal or California tax issue, where it becomes necessary, but in our experience most issues can be settled before an expensive trial.

 

Criminal Tax Defense Lawyer in San Francisco

Though tax crimes are nonviolent in nature, offenders are nonetheless subject to some of the nation’s harshest criminal penalties. Many tax offenses are felonies prosecuted in federal court, which typically hand down longer sentences and greater fines than courts which function at the state level. To provide an example, the federal statute for tax evasion establishes a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, in addition to fines as great as $100,000 for individuals. Moreover, criminal fines can be compounded by IRS restitution orders, which can cost thousands or even millions of dollars depending on the nature and severity of the offense. Finally, a tax-related conviction could saddle you with a permanent felony record, which may make it difficult or impossible to find employment, obtain loans, rent at certain properties, purchase or own a firearm, travel abroad, or take advantage of life’s other opportunities. The criminal tax defense attorneys at the Tax Law Office of David W. Klasing represent defendants charged with misdemeanor and felony tax crimes, including CPAs and tax preparers. Our tax evasion attorneys can protect your rights, prepare you for court hearings, manage your legal documentation, and fight to reduce your penalties if you have been charged with tax evasion, offshore tax evasion, willful failure to file a tax return, payroll tax fraud, making false statements, or other tax crimes.

 

San Francisco, CA Tax Lawyers for Businesses and Individuals

There is no need to feel panicked or overwhelmed by the U.S. Tax Code, a notice from the government, or an IRS auditor. Instead of struggling to interpret complex statutes and IRS regulations – or worse, attempting to push a tax issue under the rug – allow the experienced, award-winning team at the Tax Law Office of David W. Klasing to help you bring your tax matter to an efficient resolution. Our objective is to mitigate any criminal or civil penalties you may be facing while helping you make the most of the U.S. Tax Code with regard to estate planning, business planning, or financial planning for your future. No matter how complex or difficult the issue may be, our diligent attorneys are prepared to sit down and work with you to develop a strategy and achieve a solution.