If you need help with your tax matters, hiring a tax attorney may be what you need. This tax professional will help you manage your finances properly and comply with tax rules, as well as help you resolve any problems you may have with the IRS.
The question is: do you know how to find a good tax attorney? If you don’t know how to start searching, here are some tips that can help you find the best tax attorney near you to handle your particular tax matter.
What Does a Tax attorney?
A tax attorney is a professional who specializes in tax law. This type of attorney helps people improve their tax situation, comply with tax rules, and resolve disputes with the IRS or other tax authorities.
Tax attorneys generally practice in law firms or accounting firms, although some may work independently.
These professionals specialize in areas such as estate planning, personal injury, criminal law, bankruptcy, immigration, and more.
When should I hire a tax attorney?
Hiring a tax attorney can be especially helpful in the following situations:
- Tax disputes – If you have problems with the Internal Revenue Service, want to sue the IRS or want to appeal the IRS collection actions, a tax attorney can help you handle disputes.
- Tax relief – If you have federal tax debt you can’t pay and want to negotiate with the IRS, a tax attorney can help you explore the tax relief programs, including:
- Tax delinquency – If you haven’t filed your tax returns for many years, you could face penalties for not meeting your tax obligations and even face criminal prosecution. A tax attorney may be able to represent you before the IRS and help you resolve any potential penalties you may face.
- Estate planning – A tax attorney can help devise estate planning strategies as well as handle paperwork to minimize estate taxes, transfer assets to family members, set up trusts, and more.
- Starting a business – This tax professional can also help devise tax strategies for starting, buying, selling, or expanding a business.
3 tips for finding a good tax attorney
When looking for a tax attorney, it is important to keep in mind the following tips in order to find the best professional for your particular situation:
#1 Verify that the attorney has a tax license
A qualified tax attorney must have a law license in order to practice law. If you want to check if an attorney is licensed to practice law in your state, you can search for their name on your state bar association website.
Additionally, the attorney must have a preparer tax identification number (PTIN). Anyone who gets paid to prepare tax returns must have a PTIN from the IRS.
#2 Ask for experience and specialization
Not all attorneys specialize in the same areas of tax law.
Therefore, before hiring a tax attorney, it is important to ask if the attorney has experience dealing with the issues you are facing.
#3 Check clients reviews
A good way to know if a tax attorney has a good reputation is to check the opinions of their clients.
Be sure to look not only at the positive reviews online, but also at the complaints. If you see a lot of similar complaints, you may want to find another attorney to help you with your tax matters.
Where to find a tax attorney near me?
If you need the services of a tax attorney, you can check with your local bar association for specialists in your area.
You can also Google tax attorneys or ask for referrals from professionals you trust, such as your banker, accountant, or a lawyer you’ve worked with in the past.
Can I get free legal help?
If you need the services of a tax attorney but don’t have enough income to pay for them, you may be able to get free or low-cost help from a tax attorney at a low-income tax clinic, known as LITC, in your area. These clinics specialize in representing low-income individuals who need to resolve their tax problems with the IRS. To locate an LITC in your area, check the Taxpayer Advocate Service website.