Tax laws frequently change, which means making a mistake that violates Washington state tax law is easy to do. If you are like most individuals, you have likely felt overwhelmed when dealing with the tax matters impacting your personal finances and business. Instead of dealing with the highly complex aspects of tax controversies, hire a Washington tax lawyer to resolve your legal issues.
At Seattle Legal Services, PLLC, we provide hard-working individuals with the top-notch representation they need to face the IRS and find a favorable outcome for their tax law situation. Serving Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Kirkland, and Lynnwood, our tax law professionals are ready to help you resolve your tax troubles.
Can A Washington Tax Lawyer Negotiate With the IRS?
Tax lawyers in Washington can help you deal with the IRS regarding federal tax matters. Tax disputes are stressful, and experienced lawyers can help you navigate a tense situation as calmly as possible and establish a plan for resolving your tax law issues. In addition, skilled Washington tax attorneys can submit tax payment plans to the Internal Revenue Service on their client’s behalf and work to find resolutions that benefit their clients while complying with tax law.
Your lawyer will work within the scope of the law to protect your assets and do their best to secure you a reasonable tax payment schedule and amount. In addition, if your financial situation allows, they can also help you apply for tax relief programs such as an offer in compromise, penalty abatement, innocent spouse relief, and currently not collectible classification.
What Happens When I Contact a Tax Lawyer in Washington?
You are probably curious about what to expect if you have never worked with a local tax practice. Since there are numerous reasons why a taxpayer might seek legal counsel, each client’s case is unique and must be treated as such. Seasoned Seattle, Washington tax lawyers know that treating each client’s situation with the utmost care is the best way to get a positive outcome.
However, specific processes always occur when clients seek legal representation and guidance regarding tax law from the best lawyers. When clients work with our tax law firm, they can trust that our team will treat their tax problem with the focus and thoughtfulness it deserves, stopping at nothing to discover the best resolution to their tax law issue.
An Initial Consultation
Even though you are eager to resolve your tax problem and we would immediately like to help you, the initial consultation can’t be rushed. This meeting allows your lawyer and you to become acquainted and gives them an overview of your tax situation. Whether you failed to file a tax return due to personal injury or misunderstood taxation laws pertaining to your business, we need to understand what went wrong and what tax law was broken.
Remember that there is no need to feel discomfort or embarrassment when discussing your tax law problem. Taxpayers in Seattle, Washington and across the nation are dealing with the same tax law struggles as you. Being completely transparent about your situation at the initial consultation allows us to start helping you immediately.
Discovery and Analysis
After the initial consultation, your attorney will contact the IRS and let them know that you have legal representation, and your lawyer will communicate with them regarding your tax disputes. Then your attorney will place collection holds on your assets to keep the IRS from seizing your funds or property while your tax law issue is resolved.
Next, your attorney will dive deeper into your situation, review your IRS transcripts, and analyze them. During this part of the resolution process, you will need to provide your WA tax lawyers with detailed information about your situation. If you’re a business owner, this means tax data like how much sales tax you collected, any health care coverage premiums you pay for employees, your gross receipts, and anything else that can impact your business’s tax status.
Prepare and Submit Documentation
You will be glad you hired a tax law professional when you see how much paperwork is required to resolve even a straightforward tax dispute. Whether requesting tax payment plans and submitting proof of net income to show what clients can pay or making administrative appeals to regain a revoked business license, tax law requires Washington attorneys to have documentation to support every request.
Since there are many places where document preparation can go wrong, hiring a tax law professional is necessary if you want the best chance at a positive outcome. Tax law is strict, and a minor error can have major consequences.
Negotiate and Review
Once we have submitted the necessary tax documentation to the IRS, we will negotiate on your behalf until we reach the most favorable case resolution tax law allows. Once a settlement has been reached, we will review the outcome with you. If you would like, we can also help with tax planning going forward to ensure your finances comply with tax law.
Can a Washington Tax Attorney Really Help Me?
It does not matter if you are an entrepreneur with a string of start-up companies or a past president; if you have made it onto the Internal Revenue Service’s radar, you need the best lawyers in Washington on your team. The IRS isn’t looking out for the interests of the individual taxpayer. They are working solely to collect the tax debt they are owed and enforce tax law.
Tax law problems can have personal and professional consequences, ranging from financial penalties to losing your Washington state business license. Working with an experienced legal professional provides peace of mind and ensures the best possible outcome for your tax situation. Going up against the IRS should only be attempted with legal counsel possessing a firm grasp of tax law; otherwise, the stakes are too high.
How a Washington Tax Lawyer Can Help You
Represent You During a Tax Audit
Facing an audit can strike fear into even taxpayers familiar with tax law. The idea of the IRS going over your taxes, looking for the slightest error in tax law protocol, is unnerving.
Having a tax law professional supporting you throughout the process can eliminate much of the stress associated with an audit because you’ll know you have someone familiar with Washington and federal tax law on your side. When lawyers represent clients during audits, it also sends a message to the IRS that the client is taking a hands-on approach to the audit and won’t be pushed around.
Defend Your Assets
Both Washington and Federal tax law situations can put your assets at risk. The financial repercussions of tax troubles can negatively impact your personal life and business for years, so it’s essential to take any IRS inquiry seriously, even if you don’t think you violated tax law.
If the IRS takes a tax lien out against you, it gives them a legal claim to your property, damages your credit score, and can be detrimental to finding a job. Hiring a tax attorney in Washington who is familiar with tax law will help protect your assets from seizure, and they will work to release the lien on your property.
Manage Correspondence With the IRS
Your Washington attorneys will communicate with the IRS regarding your tax law situation. Allowing your attorneys to handle all inquiries and responses regarding your tax law problem prevents you from inadvertently saying something that could compound your legal issue or implicate you in breaking the law.
Your Seattle, WA lawyers will go back and forth with the IRS working to establish a tax repayment plan, appeal a tax penalty, or request other tax settlement options. Relinquishing communication duties to your lawyers will also help you take a step back from the stress of managing a problematic tax law situation and allow you to relax, knowing your case is in good hands.
Explain Business Tax Law
While Washington doesn’t collect income tax from businesses or individuals, there are still other state taxes business owners are responsible for paying. For example, local taxes business operations in Washington must pay include a business and occupation tax. When they fail to pay this tax, they can expect the Washington State Department of Revenue to take notice.
Even without an income tax to worry about, there are still plenty of tax laws a business owner will need help navigating. Our Seattle area clients seek tax counsel regarding new business formations, sales tax collection, and the constantly changing tax law code.
Instruct You in Savvy Estate Planning
There is an enormous amount of insight law professionals who specialize in taxes can provide to clients in the process of estate planning. A tax lawyer in Washington assists clients by helping them find ways to minimize taxation when the estate is settled. Although the value threshold an estate must reach to be taxed following the owner’s death is high, for those it impacts, careful estate planning can offer a significant payoff in reduced taxes without breaking the law.
Make Tax Law Work For You
A tax law professional can review your business expenses and ensure you are deducting everything eligible. Since there are particular tax law requirements for deductions, having someone who knows the ins and outs of the law will keep you from making mistakes while determining what you can deduct.
You may also be eligible for tax credits, such as the Washington State Working Families Tax Credit. Unfortunately, many individuals are not aware of tax credits that can apply to them, causing them to leave money on the table. Discussing your financial and personal circumstances with an attorney familiar with tax law will guarantee you get all the tax perks that could benefit you.
Provide Quality Referrals of Other Tax Professionals
Knowledgeable Seattle, Washington tax law attorneys can also connect you with a network of tax professionals who can ensure you don’t run into trouble with the IRS again. From certified public accountants to experienced bookkeepers, our tax law firm can provide you with trusted referrals to manage the aspects of your taxes that don’t involve tax law.
Help You Avoid International Tax Issues
Even if you reside in Seattle, Washington, if you have businesses or assets in other countries, you may be at risk for tax compliance issues if you don’t stay on top of tax law updates. Since U.S. tax law is challenging enough on its own, it’s worth discussing any out-of-the-country bank accounts, properties, or businesses you own with your WA tax lawyer to ensure you don’t encounter any international tax issues.
Handle Tax Planning to Ensure Tax Law Compliance
The insight law practitioners can provide into tax planning makes them excellent at helping you avoid making business moves that break tax law. Working with a lawyer to prevent mistakes is preferable to seeking tax counsel after you’re caught up in tax controversies.
A seasoned Washington lawyer advises clients on how to avoid tax problems. The extensive experience local tax attorneys have allows them to offer guidance on dealing with tax matters before they become massive issues.
Do Washington Tax Attorneys Ever Work in Other Practice Areas?
Tax attorneys in Washington sometimes represent clients in practice areas that dovetail with tax law. Estate planning, business formation, business compliance, and even family law cases can involve elements of tax law that can benefit from the expertise of a skilled tax lawyer in Washington. For example, if you are in the estate planning process, a tax law professional’s services can help prevent assets from being excessively taxed when they change hands.
Also, any significant business transactions or structural changes should be evaluated to ensure they meet Washington and federal tax law compliance standards. Finally, tax attorneys’ broad experience allows them to provide valuable insight into numerous practice areas that concern tax aspects of the law.
How Do I Choose a Good Local Tax Attorney in WA?
Finding a tax law professional you can trust with your legal matters is not a task to take lightly. However, the best lawyers in WA will set themselves apart from the crowd by running their businesses professionally, treating clients with care and compassion, and maintaining current knowledge of ever-changing tax laws. Quality Washington tax law attorneys may work in multiple practice areas, but you’ll want to hire someone who focuses on tax law.
When you find an attorney who specializes in tax law that seems promising, you will want to look them up on the Washington State Bar Association website. You will be able to see if they are in good standing or if any disciplinary actions have been taken against them. Do not trust your tax matter to a lawyer who doesn’t have high ethical standards.
The Tax Law Expertise You Need
You don’t have to leave Seattle, WA to have skilled lawyers manage your Washington and federal tax law issues. We handle numerous law practice areas, from tax planning for businesses to representing high-net-worth individuals during an IRS audit. With extensive experience in the practice areas of tax resolution and tax controversy, our law team is ready to help you find freedom from the stress of tax law troubles.
A Tax Law Firm You Trust
We are proud to offer our tax law services to the Seattle area and surrounding communities, including King County, Pierce County, and Snohomish County, as well as the rest of Washington and nationwide. Contact Seattle Legal Services, PLLC, at 206-536-3152, and let us offer you top-notch representation for your tax law needs.