Best option to fight back taxes

[anthony43]

What is the name of your state? Pennsylvania

 

[anthony43]

I had an issue with not filing my taxes for about 10 years. I recently got a tax preparer to do them for me. And I proceeded to turned them into the IRS, soon after they called me in to come meet with someone there and go over the late files. Through our meetings they told me that the receipts that I used to file with were not going to be accepted and that they had file a few years of taxes for me already. My question i have is what or who is my best option to handle filing back taxes and getting my deductions accepted? Should I go with someone from these 1-800 informercials I hear about or should I go with a tax lawyer?

 

[anthony43]

Please help me

 

[Taxing Matters]

My question i have is what or who is my best option to handle filing back taxes and getting my deductions accepted? Should I go with someone from these 1-800 informercials I hear about or should I go with a tax lawyer?

Without seeing your returns and your documentation I cannot comment on whether the IRS position on rejecting your documentation is one that would stand up in court. Your options will also depend on how much tax is at issue and what resources you have to pay to contest it. Those places that heavily advertise about what good deals they can get you are not generally good choices, IMO. They rely on high volume and from what I've seen don't give the kind of attention to their clients that they should. They just process through as many clients as possible and if some come out with not very good outcomes, they just shrug their shoulders and say they tried and move on.

If you are still in the audit stage (i.e. dealing with the examiner) then my recommendation is to consult an enrolled agent (EA), CPA, or tax attorney about this. All three are professionals that are authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS in any matter. Unenrolled return preparers may only represent taxpayers on returns they prepared, and then only at the initial audit proceedings; they cannot represent clients in appeals or in collection matters. If the matter is likely to go to court, a tax attorney is a good choice to bring in, but unless there is a lot of money at stake you may want to wait on getting the attorney at least until the auditor has issued the proposed assessment since tax lawyers generally charge significantly more than EAs or CPAs.

 

[LdiJ]

I had an issue with not filing my taxes for about 10 years. I recently got a tax preparer to do them for me. And I proceeded to turned them into the IRS, soon after they called me in to come meet with someone there and go over the late files. Through our meetings they told me that the receipts that I used to file with were not going to be accepted and that they had file a few years of taxes for me already. My question i have is what or who is my best option to handle filing back taxes and getting my deductions accepted? Should I go with someone from these 1-800 informercials I hear about or should I go with a tax lawyer?

I agree with everything that taxing matters told you but I would also add that even if they filed some years for you they should not use that to negate the returns you prepared and submitted. They can audit your returns but not just ignore them. I am kind of sensing that you may already be at the tax attorney stage, but again, it depends a lot on how much money is involved.

And I will be more scathing than taxing matters was about the firms that advertise on TV. They are offer mills that do little to honestly help taxpayers, and they charge a heck of a lot of money for next to nothing. I am particularly scathing about them because they seem to prey on the most vulnerable.