Tax problems are stressful and confusing – but with the right help, you can move on from tax debt, IRS disputes, unfiled returns, or other tax problems. Finding experienced help is key to protecting your assets, limiting your risks, and ensuring you get the best resolution possible.

Seattle Legal Services is here to help. We serve the full range of taxpayers – individuals, businesses, trusts, estates, and non-profits. Let us leverage our extensive experience to resolve your tax problems. 

Don’t wait. Get help with IRS and Washington DOR tax problems – contact us to set up a consultation today. Or learn more about our services and how we help clients below.

Need Help With Tax Problems? You’re in the Right Place

Our tax relief firm works with individuals and families, self-employed taxpayers, and businesses, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, and we have extensive experience with all types of state and federal taxes. Led by tax attorney John Georvasilis, our team is ready to help if you’re facing any of these tax problems. 

Unpaid Taxes

Drowning in IRS or Washington state tax debt? Whether you’re dealing with individual taxes, business tax debt, audit assessments, or penalties, we’ve seen it before – and we reassure you there’s a solution. 

Unfiled Taxes

Behind on filing business or individual returns? Clients come to our firm years – sometimes, even a decade or more behind – and we get them back into compliance. We also dispute or respond to Substitute for Returns, Notices of Deficiency based on SFRs, and penalties for unfiled returns. 

Tax Penalties

Penalties can make individual and business tax debt grow substantially. If you fail an audit, accuracy-related penalties can make it even harder to get on top of your assessed balance. Business owners face additional risks, including penalties for not filing information returns, penalties for late payroll deposits, and personal liability for trust fund recovery penalties.

When you’re dealing with penalties that range from 5 to 100% of your balance due or penalties that were assessed incorrectly or unjustly, you need a tax attorney who’s helped countless clients with IRS and state penalties – and that’s Seattle Legal Services.

Tax Audits

Backing up every detail on your individual or business return – or even just responding to a review of a section of your tax return – is not for the faint of heart. Audits are time-consuming, error-prone, and stressful. The IRS has a tax professional on their side of the table, and you need one of yours. 

We also help with WA DOR sales tax audits

IRS Tax Liens

Federal tax liens attach to all of your assets, locking up your credit capacity and preventing you from selling or transferring assets. But our legal team is here to help you find the right strategy to minimize the impact liens have on your financial life. 

Dealing with state taxes? If they’re unresolved, the DOR will file a Washington State Tax Warrant. Leverage our state-specific experience to resolve it.

Tax Levies

The IRS can use levies to seize your wages, the money in your bank account, and your real estate or personal property. Once they send a Final Notice of Intent to Levy, you have just 30 days to take action before they can move forward. Stopping an in-progress levy can happen – but only with intervention from an experienced tax pro. Let our legal team help you prevent or avoid tax levies. 

IRS Notices

There are hundreds of IRS notices. The IRS sends letters about tax debt, penalties, collection actions, tax return adjustments, the tax audit process, business tax compliance issues, and that’s not the end of the list. Although they’re different, all of these notices have one thing in common: they are stressful, and a tax attorney can help you figure out what to do. 

Cryptocurrency Tax Issues

Relatively speaking, cryptocurrency is a new part of the tax code – but our attorneys have years of experience navigating return adjustments, audits, tax debt, and even tax fraud for unreported or incorrectly reported crypto. We’re here whether you need to dispute the IRS’s claims, fix a mistake on a return, or get help with a tax debt. 

Business Tax Problems

Businesses face unique tax problems – including federal payroll taxes, corporate income tax, excise taxes, and state-level taxes, including sales tax and state employment taxes – even in Washington, where you don’t have to worry about state income tax withholding, you still need to be compliant with state unemployment and Paid Family and Medical Leave requirements. 

From ERC audits to business asset seizure and everything in between, our attorneys have the experience you need, and we also provide services for small businesses.

WA DOR Tax Problems

State tax problems require state-level experience, and that’s one of the many things that set our firm apart from the competition. We’re based in Washington and know its tax code, audit procedures, and collection processes. Let us help with sales tax, use tax, B&O tax, and other state tax problems.

Urgency Matters – Take Action Before Tax Problems Escalate

Tax problems don’t go away when they’re ignored – they just get worse. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, unsure, or even embarrassed about what’s happening, you can be reassured that our services will provide the relief you need. 

Take a look at how common problems escalate if you don’t take action:

• Unfiled returns – The IRS may calculate your tax due using a substitute for return that overflates your liability and includes penalties backdated to the due date. 
• Tax debt – Interest and penalties make the balance snowball, and there’s a growing risk of involuntary collections like liens, levies, and the loss of your passport.
• Penalties – They’ll continue to grow until they reach 50% of your balance, while some are even higher from the start. They incur interest until resolved. 
• IRS notices – They don’t stop and always get more aggressive. If you miss a final deadline, you’ll face an unwanted tax assessment or involuntary collections. 
• Liens – Once filed, they attach to all current and future assets, and as your balance grows due to interest and penalties, it becomes increasingly harder to resolve the lien. 
• Levies – There’s not much time between the Final Levy notice and when the IRS starts seizing assets. The agency has unparalleled power to take all assets – and although it’s rare, that even includes your home. 

What happens if you don’t take action on tax problems? Best-case scenario: your tax debt continues to grow. Worst-case scenario: The IRS starts forcibly seizing your personal or business assets. 

Neither of these options is great – but we’re here to help you address these problems. 

How Seattle Legal Services Helps Resolve Tax Problems

When you contact us for help with tax problems, we take the time to get an in-depth understanding of your tax problem, and then we develop the best strategy for your situation. 

Our process includes:

• Case evaluation: tax transcripts, your financial situation, deadlines, and risk analysis.
• Strategy: a customized plan to resolve your specific tax problem.
• Implementation: filing forms, supporting documents, and building your case.
• Negotiation: experienced negotiation with the IRS or state tax agency to secure relief.
• Resolution: problem solved.

You’ll work closely with a tax attorney who communicates options clearly and guides you from tax problem to solution. 

Services to Take Your Case from Problem to Solution

Every tax problem has a resolution, and we’ll help you find the right one for your needs. Here are some of the most common solutions we provide to clients:

• Offers in compromise – apply for a settlement on IRS tax debt. WA state offers settlements through its Rule 100 Settlement, which we also help with.
• IRS payment plans – set up monthly payments on IRS tax debt.
• Currently not collectible status – get the IRS to pause collections due to hardship, until your situation improves or the tax debt expires. 
• Tax audit defense – let our experienced tax attorney represent your interests during an IRS or state tax audit.
• Penalty abatement – get penalties abated or reduced with our help.
• Tax appeals – appeal IRS collection actions, decisions, assessments, and more.
• Innocent spouse relief – secure relief for tax liabilities related to your spouse’s actions.
• Revenue officer defense – protect yourself when a revenue officer has been assigned to your case by working with our tax attorney.
• Filing back taxes – use our services to get caught up on delinquent tax returns. 

Or check out our tax resolution services page to learn more. With all of our services, we’ll file the tax relief forms needed for the situation, and if you’re eligible, we’ll let you know if you qualify for tax forgiveness.

When to Contact a Tax Attorney

Not sure if you’re ready to contact an attorney yet? In all cases, you’re better off resolving the problem promptly before matters escalate, but if you’re dealing with any of the following, that’s a critical sign you need to take action now:

• Final Notice of Intent to Levy 
• In-Progress levy or wage garnishment
• Notice of Federal Tax Lien
• Substitute for Return
• Notice of Deficiency
• Trust Fund Recovery Penalty investigation, interviews, or assessments
• Disputed tax balance or penalties
• Tax problems threatening your business’s operations

If you’re worried about tax problems, we’ll take that burden off your shoulders and help you find a solution. Contact us if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to do. 

Why Choose Seattle Legal Services

Why us? When you work with Seattle Legal Services, you enjoy the following advantages:

• Tax attorney representation
• Extensive experience with the IRS and Washington DOR tax resolution
• Seattle-based services with remote capabilities for taxpayers in other parts of Washington
• Practical, strategy-focused approach
• Resolution tailored to your specific situation
• Help for individuals and businesses

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I get a letter from the IRS?

Never ignore it. Review the deadline and requested actions. Reach out to a tax attorney for clarification or help, especially with levy, audit, and deficiency notices.

What happens if I ignore tax problems?

Unfortunately, they will only get worse. Escalation may include penalties, involuntary collections, unwanted assessments, or multiple other issues.

Can IRS tax problems be resolved?

Of course, but it’s not always a straightforward process, which is why experienced legal help is critical. 

What if I can’t pay my taxes?

You’ll incur penalties for being late and may face collection actions. But both the IRS and the Washington DOR offer payment plans and other options to help taxpayers who can’t afford to pay. 

Does Washington State have different tax rules than the IRS?

Yes, the WA DOR and the IRS have different tax codes and use different their own processes for collecting unpaid tax debt.