Taking on IRS tax law requires a strategic approach. If you’re dealing with IRS audits, unresolved payroll taxes, unfiled tax returns, or unpaid income taxes, Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC is here to assist you. Our firm brings nearly 30 years of experience in tax law, offering professional representation and defense for taxpayers in San Antonio, Austin, and surrounding areas. We understand the challenges you face and are committed to providing the clear, actionable guidance necessary to resolve your tax issues effectively.
Contact Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC at 512-257-0570 and start on the path to resolving your tax concerns with confidence.
IRS Tax Law Challenges in San Antonio and Austin
Tax challenges are inevitable, whether you’re a small business owner, a family breadwinner, or a corporate executive. These hurdles can include:
- IRS audits
- Unresolved payroll taxes
- Unfiled tax returns
- Unpaid income taxes
Successfully facing these issues necessitates a profound comprehension of tax law coupled with a strategic approach. That’s where tax attorneys come in. Armed with knowledge and experience, we can provide the guidance you need to effectively tackle these challenges, from negotiating tax liabilities and setting up payment plans, to reducing penalties.
No matter the difficulty of your tax situation, you can trust us to provide the tax advice you need.
Understanding Your Rights with the IRS
In interactions with the IRS, being knowledgeable is empowering. Did you know, as a taxpayer, you have specific rights enshrined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights? Comprehending these rights is vital for successful self-representation. They include:
- The right to be informed
- The right to quality service
- The right to pay no more than the correct amount of tax
- The right to challenge the IRS’s position and be heard, among others.
As tax attorneys, we can help you understand and exercise these rights, ensuring you’re treated fairly during a tax audit, IRS audits, and other tax-related proceedings.
Strategic Audit Defense
Experiencing an IRS audit is understandably stressful. But it doesn’t have to be. With the right audit defense strategy, developed by experienced tax attorneys, you can minimize or even dispute IRS collection efforts. Our job is to make sure that you’re not just a number in the IRS’s collection queue, but a client who deserves the strongest possible outcome.
Resolving Tax Debts Creatively
Despite facing tax debt, you should not lose hope. There are creative ways to resolve your tax debts, often for less than the full amount owed. One such method is the Offer in Compromise program, which enables qualifying taxpayers to settle their tax debts for less than the amount owed.
Through a deep understanding of tax law and a knack for creative problem-solving, we can help you explore these and other options to resolve your tax debts.
The Role of a Seasoned Tax Attorney in IRS Disputes
A seasoned tax attorney can be a game-changer during IRS disputes. Drawing from our vast litigation experience, we represent our clients through intricate tax controversies, from negotiations to court hearings. Our comprehensive understanding and strategic application of tax law ensures our clients’ best interests are upheld.
Whether it’s managing audit correspondence, resolving issues such as examinations and collection cases, or providing defense for innocent spouse relief, we’re there for our clients every step of the way.
Protecting Your Interests in Negotiations
Safeguarding your financial interests is crucial during IRS negotiations. This is why we go to great lengths to present your position, substantiate your claims with evidence, and negotiate settlements effectively. From reducing penalties and contesting inaccuracies to reaching beneficial settlement agreements, we leverage our knowledge of tax law to safeguard your interests and ensure you get the results you deserve.
Mediation and Appeals
In the event of a dispute with the IRS, you have the right to appeal. This process may involve:
- Crafting formal protests or small case requests
- Sometimes, mediation
- The IRS Appeals Mediation Programs, for instance, provide a platform for resolving disputes with the assistance of an impartial mediator.
As tax attorneys, we’re qualified to represent you throughout this process, ensuring your rights are upheld and your voice is heard.
Tax Planning and Compliance for Peace of Mind
Tax planning goes beyond merely lowering your tax liabilities; it’s about ensuring your financial well-being. By strategically making use of deductions and credits, and making informed decisions based on your tax bracket, you can enjoy more savings opportunities than with reactive tax preparation.
Moreover, with the recent updates to tax provisions like the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, comprehensive tax planning is more important than ever. We’re here to help you through these changes and utilize the available tax relief options.
Forward-Looking Tax Strategies
To make the most of your financial future, you need to look ahead. Forward-looking tax strategies, such as investing in municipal bonds for tax-free interest and maximizing contributions to retirement accounts, can optimize your tax outcomes. For businesses, restructuring transactions and leveraging tax attributes such as net operating loss can reduce taxable income.
And by collaborating with certified professionals in tax planning, you can ensure compliance with tax law and decrease the likelihood of facing IRS audits and penalties.
Staying Compliant with Changing Tax Laws
Given the ever-changing tax code, maintaining compliance can be daunting. Accurate record-keeping and an understanding of local, state, and federal tax laws are crucial. Businesses can:
- Stay informed about these changes
- Work with professionals to ensure their paperwork is compliant
- Particularly for processes like claiming the Employee Retention Credit.
Regularly updating tax software, engaging in continuous professional education, and organizing training sessions are all key measures for adapting to changes in tax laws.
Unique Support for Diverse Clientele
Our services cater to a wide array of clients in TX, including:
- Small family businesses
- Mexican-owned U.S. businesses
- Corporate executives
- High-net-worth individuals
Our tax attorneys offer tailored legal services, including advice on obtaining favorable tax treatment and representing clients in various tax-related legal proceedings.
We provide strategic tax advice for special situations and optimize tax efficiency through well-structured credit transactions. Our services include:
- Providing tax advice for privately held family businesses
- Assisting large Fortune 500 companies with tax optimization
- Serving a diverse client base with our versatile tax services
Our commitment to serving our clients is reflected in our ability to provide tailored tax solutions for a wide range of needs.
Small Business Owners and Startups
For small business owners and startups, tax planning is key. From structuring investments through entities like LLCs or S-Corps to gain tax efficiencies, to utilizing tax deductions and credits to reduce taxable income and increase investment capital, we provide customized tax advice that lays a strong foundation for your financial success.
Corporate Executives and High Net Worth Individuals
Corporate executives and high-net-worth individuals also have unique tax needs. Through our wealth management services, we integrate these needs into comprehensive financial strategies, helping you:
- Stay compliant with tax regulations
- Avoid costly fines
- Identify potential errors and missed deductions on your tax returns
- Make the most of your financial assets
Additional Relief Options and IRS Programs
Should you encounter financial hardships, be aware that there are a variety of IRS programs and alternatives at your disposal. From the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which aids taxpayers in ensuring they are treated fairly and understand their rights fully, to the Currently Not Collectible status, which provides temporary relief from IRS collection activities for taxpayers experiencing financial hardship, we can guide you through these programs and help you find a solution that’s right for you.
Exploring Currently Not Collectible Status
Currently Not Collectible status is a lifeline for taxpayers experiencing financial hardship. If you can demonstrate this hardship through a Collection Information Statement on Form 433-F, the IRS may grant you this status. This halts active collection actions such as levies and garnishments, though your tax debt continues to accumulate interest and penalties.
Each year, the IRS will send you an annual statement as a reminder of the outstanding tax debt, without reinstating active collection actions.
Innocent Spouse Relief Explained
Innocent Spouse Relief is a provision in tax law that can provide significant relief if you were unaware of errors or omissions on a joint tax return. This allows the innocent spouse to be relieved of tax liability. To be eligible, individuals must demonstrate that they were unaware of tax understatement due to their spouse’s incorrect reporting of items like unreported income or improper deductions, and that they were not complicit in the false tax items.
It’s important to note that Innocent Spouse Relief does not apply when the tax understatement is related to the individual’s own income or to household employment taxes or business taxes.
Tailored Solutions for Unique Tax Situations
Each taxpayer’s situation is distinctive, and standard solutions may not always be suitable. For instance, victims of domestic abuse may be eligible for Innocent Spouse Relief even if they were aware of errors on a joint tax return, as the abusive situation prevented them from challenging the erroneous items. Or businesses impacted by COVID-19 may qualify for the Employee Retention Credit.
Whatever your unique tax situation might be, we can create a bespoke solution tailored to your needs.
Employee Retention Credit Claims
If your business has been impacted by COVID-19, you may qualify for the Employee Retention Credit. This credit can have a significant impact on your payroll deductions and taxable profits, especially for minimum wage earners, necessitating accurate reporting for your business tax returns.
We can help you in this process and ensure you claim the credit you’re entitled to.
Complex Tax Litigation
Tax litigation can be a difficult and daunting process, but with legal guidance, you can face it successfully. We can provide the legal guidance and representation you need to resolve your tax disputes with our extensive experience advising on a range of tax issues, including:
- Federal: Involving matters that pertain to the national government, federal tax issues can include disputes over income tax assessments, tax fraud allegations, and appeals in federal tax court.
- State: Concerning individual state tax laws, state matters may involve state income tax, sales tax, and property tax disputes, as well as compliance with state-specific tax regulations.
- Local: Addressing taxes imposed by local governments, such as county or city taxes, which can include real estate taxes, local income taxes, and other municipal levies.
- International: Dealing with tax implications of cross-border transactions, international tax treaties, and issues related to taxation of foreign income and assets.
Maximizing Legal Options to Minimize Tax Liabilities
Tax planning does not have a universal, one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why we use a variety of strategies to help you minimize your tax liabilities, including:
- Estate planning
- Business tax strategy
- Investing in municipal bonds for tax-free interest
- Maximizing contributions to retirement accounts
- Leveraging tax attributes such as net operating loss
- Claiming tax credits
With effective tax planning, you can not only reduce your tax exposure but also improve your financial future.
Penalty Abatement Techniques
Penalties and interest can add up quickly, making your tax debt even more difficult to manage. But with the right approach, it’s possible to obtain penalty and interest abatement from the IRS. Whether it’s due to serious life events, incorrect professional advice, or IRS personnel errors, we can help you prove reasonable cause and request the abatement of accrued interest.
Estate Planning and Taxes
Estate planning is a fundamental aspect of financial planning. It’s about preserving wealth for future generations and securing your legacy. But without the right strategies, you may face the following taxes that can eat away at your estate’s value:
- Federal estate taxes
- Gift taxes
- Inheritance taxes
- Generation-skipping taxes
That’s why we help you implement strategies like:
- Gifting assets within annual exclusion limits
- Making charitable donations
- Transferring assets to an irrevocable trust
- Setting up a qualified personal residence trust
These strategies can help reduce your estate tax exposure.
How Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC Can Help You
At Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC, our passion lies in assisting our clients through the maze of tax law. With nearly 30 years of litigation experience, we offer representation and defense for individuals and businesses in Texas in matters before the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Tax Court. Our services include:
- Representation and defense in cases of unpaid income and employment taxes
- Assistance with unfiled tax returns
- Defense against IRS audits and examinations
- Defense against IRS collection actions
We’re here to help you find a solution that’s right for you.
We’re committed to battling the IRS for you, we want to get you started on the path to tax relief. Don’t hesitate — call Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC at 512-257-0570.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the tax challenges that Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC can assist with?
Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC is adept at providing assistance with a variety of challenges, including but not limited to unpaid income taxes, outstanding payroll taxes, unfiled tax returns, and the daunting ordeal of tax audits. For those who find themselves in the midst of these common tax issues, the firm stands ready to offer its considerable knowledge and support. With a deep understanding of the intricacies of tax law and a commitment to client advocacy, Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC is a reliable ally in tax resolution.
What are some of the options that Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC can help clients pursue for resolving tax challenges?
Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC offers a suite of solutions for those grappling with tax challenges, providing guidance on a variety of options. These options include negotiating an offer in compromise, which allows taxpayers to settle their debt for less than the full amount owed; setting up partial pay installment agreements that offer a payment plan based on what the taxpayer can afford; establishing currently not collectible status for those who are temporarily unable to pay; exploring the statute of limitations to determine if the debt may be legally expired; and seeking penalty abatement to reduce or remove penalties due to reasonable cause or IRS error. By leveraging these strategies, Ronald Arthur Stearns Sr. PLLC aims to deliver effective tax resolutions tailored to each client’s unique financial situation.
What makes Texas tax law unique compared to other states?
Texas tax law stands out due to the absence of a state income tax, which is a significant distinction from many other states. This means that individuals and corporations in Texas do not pay state taxes on their income, making it an attractive location for both personal residency and business operations. However, Texas compensates for this with other forms of taxation, such as higher property and sales taxes. Understanding the nuances of Texas’s tax structure is crucial for effective financial planning and compliance, and a seasoned tax attorney can provide invaluable guidance in navigating these unique aspects of Texas tax law.