Santa Barbara Tax Audit Attorney and CPA

One of the Best Tax Audit Defense Lawyers and CPAs in Santa Barbara

If you were contacted by the IRS or a California taxing authority, and informed that you will be facing an audit, there is no need to panic. Audits arise for a multitude of reasons, and may not always mean that you are in trouble. However, it does mean the IRS, or California Taxing Authority such as the California Franchise Tax Board, FTB, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, CDTFA (BOE), California Office of Administrative Hearings, OAH, California Employment Development Department, EDD, will be asking for information, demanding documentation, and reviewing your records and tax filings with incredible scrutiny. To defend against these determinations or potential findings, it is vital to have the Tax Attorneys, CPAs and EAs of the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing on your side during your Federal or California tax audit.

The Santa Barbara Tax Audit Defense Attorneys at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing are ready willing and able to help you face the IRS or State of California in your audit. Whether your taxes are perfectly correct or contain egregious errors that could be viewed as purposeful income tax evasion, our Audit Defense Lawyers, CPAs and EAs are here to help. In a best-case scenario, our Firm may be able to help convince the IRS or California Taxing Authority that your taxes were correct as originally filed, and are prepared to fight their findings in court if they get either the facts or the law wrong, as they frequently do. In a worst-case scenario, our Firm can make sure the audit is purely about money by striving to reduce the assessment of additional tax, penalties and interests and not about criminal tax exposure by attempting to ensure that the errors that exist on your tax filings are viewed as being caused by negligence rather than purposeful tax evasion. For a reduced rate consultation with our experienced Tax Audit Lawyers, call 800-681-1295 or schedule online today.

Facing an Audit in Santa Barbara

If you are facing a Federal or California tax audit, it does not have to be the end of the world. An audit does not automatically mean that you are currently in trouble with the IRS, FTB, CDTFA (BOE), or EDD or that you could wind up facing criminal tax charges. Audits can occur on a random basis under the IRS’s national research program, or may be triggered by as statistical analysis of the deductions or credits that place your taxes outside the statistically proper norms. An audit could also be triggered if your business partners, company, or investors are facing audits or investigations for tax crimes or other serious tax issues – but that does not automatically mean that you, personally, did anything illegal. But after over 2 decades of audit and criminal tax investigation representation experience, it is very rare, in our opinion, that the IRS, FTB, CDTFA (BOE), or EDD is completely satisfied that your original taxes were filed correctly. Moreover, it is very rare where a Federal or California tax audit ends without the assessment of additional tax, penalties and interest, at a minimum, therefore it behooves you to protect yourself. If the IRS, FTB, CDTFA (BOE), or EDD finds serious inconsistencies, failures to file, improperly excluded taxable income, or other violations of the Tax Code, they may assess additional tax, penalties and interest at best, or, at worst, refer your case to their criminal division.

Defending Against an IRS, FTB, CDTFA (BOE), or EDD Audit or Criminal Tax Investigation

Even if a Federal or California audit or investigation turns up incriminating evidence against you, there is still a chance to defend yourself – or better yet, hire a Tax Audit or Criminal Defense Tax Attorney to defend you. The taxing authority’s determination that your taxes were improperly filed and related assessment of additional tax, penalties and interest is not automatically correct. Neither is any assertion that you committed a tax crime. The taxing authorities often misinterpreted the law or facts and overlook / discount evidence that would mitigate or reduce their assessment, or even prove that your original tax filings were correct or that you have not committed a tax crime. Our team of Tax Attorneys, CPAs and EAs are ready willing and able to appeal or litigate your case, either to mediation or to Tax Court or to California’s Office of Tax Appeals. We also have extensive experience and success in defending Federal and California criminal tax investigations.

At the end of an audit or investigation, the IRS, FTB, CDTFA (BOE), or EDD will either determine that your taxes were correct and there is no adjustment necessary, or that something was wrong, and you need to pay additional taxes, penalties and interest and a determination that a tax crime was committed is possible. If the taxing authority does discover errors and or suspects acts of evasion, our Tax Attorneys, CPAs and EAs may be able to work with the taxing authority to come to an agreement that avoids criminal charges, corrects the errors, and sets you down a better path for future taxation. If the taxing authority is unable to agree to a beneficial plan, our Firm will shepherd your case through the appeals, litigation, or prosecution process, and attempt to overturn the taxing authorities’ assessment and vindicate you of the intentional or non-intentional “errors” they assert exist in your taxes.

What Should I Do if I am Being Audited or Criminally Investigated for a Tax Crime?

The first step after receiving notice that you are being audited or criminally investigated for tax crimes by a Federal or California tax authority, should be to contact an IRS Audit and Criminal Tax Defense Attorney. The Tax Lawyers, CPAs and EAs at The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing are ready willing and able to fight to protect your constitutional rights and help mitigate the assessment of additional tax, civil and criminal penalties and interest.

The next step should be to confirm that the audit or criminal tax investigation is legitimate. There are thousands of scams where individuals pretend to be IRS employees in an attempt to dupe taxpayers into paying them money. These sorts of scams are unacceptable, and our Firm can help you verify the legitimacy of any alleged audits or criminal tax investigations against you.

After contacting a Tax Attorney, you should begin gathering all of the economic records you can. Audits may not apply for the most recent tax season, but could reach back up to six years. The typical audit deals with the taxes from two to three years ago, and may come well after filing. Collecting your tax records, investment records, pay stubs, other economic records and accounting records, back this far may be a complex task, but may ultimately help protect you from the negative outcomes of an audit or criminal tax investigation.

What if I Disagree with the Results of My IRS Tax Audit?

As noted above, it may be possible to appeal the results of an IRS tax audit if you disagree with the initial conclusions of the audit. The IRS will consider appeals based on factual or legal disputes, though any disputes “based on moral, religious, political, constitutional, conscientious, or similar grounds” will be summarily rejected.

To appeal an IRS tax audit, you must write a “protest letter” or draft a tax court petition outlining the nature of, and basis for, your dispute, including relevant facts and laws to strengthen and support your position. This letter should be sent to the address featured on the letter explaining your appeal rights – not to the actual Office of Appeals, which may result in significant delays. It is in your best interests to be represented by a knowledgeable and effective IRS Tax Appeal Lawyer serving Santa Barbara, which will increase your likelihood of achieving a favorable outcome.