J. William Seabrooke CPA P.C.

There is an excellent possibility that no matter how honest that you think that you are, how many times you attend church each week, or what an outstanding citizen that you consider yourself to be, one day you’ll go to the mail box and receive a letter from the Department of the Treasury, specifically the Internal Revenue Service.  Even Clint Eastwood can’t really describe just how bad your day will become afterwards.  There is an important note here – the IRS will always contact you in writing via the U.S. Mail.  They do not use unsolicited phone calls, e-mails, “twitters”, Facebook invitations etc. 

 What should you do after you receive your letter?  There are some very important steps to follow.  Recommendation #1 below is among the most important.  What is not mentioned is to contact your CPA, tax preparer, and attorney before you send any response to the IRS.  It would also be best to provide each of them with a copy of the letter for their review and to provide you with both a recommended response to the letter and alternative courses of action for you to follow.

 Here’s the IRS’ recommendations:

Eight Things to Know If You Receive an IRS Notice

Every year, the IRS sends millions of letters and notices to taxpayers. Many taxpayers will receive this correspondence during the late summer and fall. Here are eight things every taxpayer should know about IRS notices – just in case one shows up in your mailbox.

1. Don’t panic. Many of these letters can be dealt with simply and painlessly.
2. There are number of reasons the IRS sends notices to taxpayers. The notice may request payment of taxes, notify you of a change to your account or request additional information. The notice you receive normally covers a very specific issue about your account or tax return.
3. Each letter and notice offers specific instructions on what you are asked to do to satisfy the inquiry.
4. If you receive a correction notice, you should review the correspondence and compare it with the information on your return.
5. If you agree with the correction to your account, usually no reply is necessary unless a payment is due.
6. If you do not agree with the correction the IRS made, it is important that you respond as requested. Write to explain why you disagree. Include any documents and information you wish the IRS to consider, along with the bottom tear-off portion of the notice. Mail the information to the IRS address shown in the upper left-hand corner of the notice. Allow at least 30 days for a response.
7. Most correspondence can be handled without calling or visiting an IRS office. However, if you have questions, call the telephone number in the upper right-hand corner of the notice. Have a copy of your tax return and the correspondence available when you call to help us respond to your inquiry.
8. It’s important that you keep copies of any correspondence with your records.

For more information about IRS notices and bills, see Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process. Information about penalties and interest charges is available in Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax for Individuals. Both publications are available at IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Links:

• Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process
• Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax for Individuals