To begin with, you will need to gather some solid financial information, which should be a meticulous affair. You'll need to collect documentation for your tax returns in the year before and after the year being audited, in addition to that particular year's returns.
Why Use a Tax Attorney?
Now, any audit can be a very long, drawn-out affair, and there is all too much room for error. So, it is best to hire a tax attorney.
A good tax attorney's job responsibilities include helping people with their tax troubles, getting fines reduced, claiming tax rebates, and leading clients through the maze of rules regarding small-scale and self-employed business ventures. For small businesses in particular, a tax attorney can be as important as an accountant. The attorney will be able to foresee problems before they blow up into full-scale disasters, and he can also help a business owner streamline his business. A tax attorney is also helpful when setting up trust funds or investment portfolios.
American tax law, while being relatively clear-cut in comparison to tax law in some other countries, is liable to go through minor changes and modifications almost every year. A tax attorney, unlike the layperson, should be able to keep abreast with these changes and guide his clients accordingly.
How to Find a Tax Attorney
When looking for a suitable tax attorney, don't just go to any random attorney around the street corner. Rather, ask around, checking with friends or even your personal lawyer, for recommendations. What one should look for, fundamentally, is experience and success in dealing with the IRS. Moreover, a client would be well advised to make sure his attorney is registered with the American Bar Association.
For a person who is in trouble with the IRS, it is best to pay off fines as early as possible. They tend to increase exponentially, and the higher the fine, the greater one's chances of serving time in jail, and also of being charged higher rates by an attorney. All in all, money spent on the services of a tax attorney is money well spent.
Kinds of Tax Attorney Jobs
Now, given the complexity of tax law, tax attorney jobs are a lot more specialized than most people think.
Property tax attorney jobs, for example, primarily involve tax issues relating to real estate properties. Property tax attorneys can also help with arriving at the correct appraisals for a property so that you don't end up paying too much or too little for property taxes.
What It Takes to Become a Tax Attorney
There are a great many people who wish to have legal careers and, more specifically, want to take up tax attorney jobs. A career avenue with excellent growth prospects, job satisfaction, and great money, tax attorney jobs are available in various fields like property, business, estate, income, and international tax law.
To succeed at a tax attorney job is no easy task. It takes a lot of patience, a willingness to be meticulous, and excellent interpersonal negotiating skills. One also needs to be thoroughly knowledgeable in one's field of expertise.
Of course, this is only a sketchy outline of the world of tax attorney jobs. But you can fill in the picture by reading more to learn about this exciting and rewarding field.
