IRS and Washington Business Tax Defense Attorney

Business Tax Attorney IRS or Washington State tax problems can quickly put your business at risk. Lack of compliance can lead to penalties, unexpected tax assessments, audits, or other problems that strain your time and resources. Our business tax attorneys can help you deal with the full range of business tax problems – learn how we can help you get back into compliance and protect your business. General tax issues are rarely simple, but taxes can pose a particularly complicated dilemma for business owners. Tax laws and rules are difficult to understand, and missteps can easily lead to challenges that jeopardize your business, such as the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP), liens, levies, unpaid payroll taxes, or lost business licenses. To make matters worse, many of these problems get significantly worse the longer you wait to address them. This is why it’s important to talk to a business tax defense attorney from Seattle Legal Services, PLLC, at the first sign of trouble. Whether you’re facing issues with the IRS or the Washington Department of Revenue (DOR), our team can help. To set up a consultation with a tax defense business lawyer, contact us by calling 425-428-5262 or using our online contact form.

Key Takeaways: 2026 Business Tax Defense

  • 2026 IRS Interest has adjusted to 6% for the second quarter; however, large corporate underpayments over $100,000 face rates as high as 8%.
  • WA B&O Surcharge of 0.5% is now active for high-revenue businesses exceeding $250 million in Washington taxable income.
  • Capital Gains Tiering now applies for the 2026 filing season, with a top rate of 9.9% for long-term gains exceeding $1 million.
  • The 39% Penalty risk remains for businesses discovered by the DOR before registering; the look-back period for discovery is seven years.
  • Amnesty Deadline: International remote sellers have until May 31, 2026, to apply for the special VDA program with a 12-month sales tax look-back.

Who We Represent – Business Tax Clients

In addition to helping individuals with their taxes, we also provide services for all kinds of businesses. We can help regardless of the structure of your business, how it’s taxed, or the type of taxes you pay. Seattle Legal Services represents the following types of business clients:
  • Small businesses
  • Corporations
  • Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
  • Partnerships
  • S-Corps
  • Sole proprietors
  • Multi-state businesses
We also provide tax resolution services to businesses with complex owner hierarchies, involving multiple domestic or international entities and individuals. In addition to working with business clients, our attorneys also represent trusts, non-profits, and other taxpayers.

Types of Business Tax Problems We Handle

Businesses must deal with tax agencies on the federal, state, and potentially even local levels, and our attorneys can guide you through all of it. Unlike many other tax firms that only deal with federal taxes, we help our clients who are dealing with the IRS or the Washington DOR. Common federal business tax problems our attorneys handle include: Whether you need help filing back business tax returns, responding to an IRS review, navigating an audit, setting up payments on business taxes, or claiming complex credits, we’re here for you. Washington business tax matters we handle include: Let our attorneys provide guidance that addresses your state and federal tax concerns in a holistic, personalized, and extremely strategic way. You can rely on our services at any point – from before you open your doors to closing down operations.

How We Help With Enforcement Issues and Liability Risks

Not facing your business tax problems head-on might seem like the easy way out, but that’s true only in the short-term. Eventually, ignoring tax problems will catch up to you and your business in several ways. The IRS and the state tax agencies have a lot of power to enforce unfiled returns, unpaid taxes, or other compliance issues. If you’re facing any of the following enforcement actions, our attorneys can represent you and negotiate a resolution.

IRS Enforcement Actions

To collect unpaid business taxes, the IRS uses the following strategies. The IRS tends to escalate quickly – especially when trust fund taxes such as excise or payroll taxes are involved. Our attorneys help by responding to levy notices, appealing in-progress collections, dealing with Revenue Officers, and helping you figure out how to pay.

Personal Liability for Business Taxes

Personal liability is a risk with certain business taxes, regardless of your business’s structure. If you’re dealing with the following, you need representation from an experienced attorney.
  • Trust Fund Recovery Penalties
  • Responsible person interviews during TFRP investigations
  • Loss of limited liability protections for business owners – for example, alter ego claims
  • Personal asset exposure, including liens and levies like wage garnishment, for business tax debt
Protecting yourself from personal liability requires a knowledgeable attorney who understands how business taxes work, when they become personal, and how to insulate you and your team from the risks. That often boils down to strategy.

Our Strategic Approach to Business Tax Resolution

If you hire us to help with your tax issues, you will get a personalized resolution plan that considers your tax problems, objectives, budget, and multiple other factors. Our attorneys take a strategic approach to tax resolution. This means we will:
  • Carefully analyze your tax transcript.
  • Conduct a detailed financial review of your business’s financials.
  • Assess any risks you’re facing.
  • Develop a negotiation strategy focused on compliance and risk management.
  • Evaluate all appeal options, including going to Tax Court.
  • Protect ongoing operations.
We develop the strategy to resolve your tax problems, but you make the calls. We let you know the options and the implications in relation to timing and cost. Then, you decide which path to take as we proceed.

How We Protect Your Business While Resolving Tax Problems

Tax problems don’t need to derail your business – our attorneys ensure they don’t. With all clients running an in-operation business, we take immediate steps to preserve ongoing business operations. This includes:
  • Preventing forced business closure
  • Stopping business license revocation attempts.
  • Pursuing resolution strategies that protect your cash flow.
  • Preventing liens and levies from damaging your business’s reputation and financial health.

Why Hire a Business Tax Attorney Instead of a Tax Resolution Company?

Hiring an attorney-led law firm gives you several advantages over working with a tax relief company like the ones you see advertising on TV or on the radio. Working with an attorney-led firm gives you advantages such as:
  • Attorney-client privilege for communications with our firm.
  • Continuity of representation should your tax matter escalate to an appeal.
  • Legal advice if criminal charges or Tax Court litigation become a possibility.
  • Added negotiating leverage, knowing you have a licensed tax attorney on your side.
While the big tax relief firms are focused on sales, we’re focused on results. We provide ethical, sustainable services to all of our individual and business clients. Dealing with the IRS and the state can be difficult – but hiring legal tax representation should be easy. Our attorneys ensure your business gets the representation it needs to move past tax problems.

Talk to a Seattle Legal Services Business Tax Attorney Today

Most tax enforcement actions involving a business are best handled as soon as possible. Don’t wait to contact a business tax attorney at Seattle Legal Services, PLLC. We offer free consultations and have experience handling local Washington state tax issues, as well as IRS tax matters. Call us at 425-428-5262 or use our online contact form to get started.