Scope creep
An examination opened on one issue becomes an examination of three, because a helpful answer opened a door that was not previously open.
Tax service
IRS & state audit representation
You do not have to speak to the examiner. With a Form 2848 on file we handle the correspondence, control what is produced, and keep the examination inside its stated scope.
The problem
Why self-representation goes badly
Not because taxpayers are dishonest, but because they answer questions that were never asked.
Over-production
Handing over everything requested, and a little more to seem cooperative, routinely surfaces issues the examiner had no intention of looking at.
Deadlines that bind
A statutory notice of deficiency carries a 90-day petition window that cannot be extended. Miss it and the assessment stands, regardless of merit.
What we do
How we represent you
Our managing partner is a CPA and a Certified Internal Auditor. Understanding how examiners build a case is directly useful in dismantling one.
- Power of attorney and first contactForm 2848 filed immediately so all correspondence routes to us. In most examinations you never speak to the examiner at all.
- Scope controlEvery information document request reviewed before anything is produced. We respond fully to what was asked and nothing beyond it.
- Issue development and defenseBuilding the factual and legal support for each position, with the substantiation organized the way an examiner expects to receive it.
- Correspondence and field examinationsFrom automated CP2000 underreporter notices through to field examinations conducted at the business.
- State examinationsFlorida Department of Revenue sales and use tax and corporate income tax audits, plus examinations from other states where you file.
- Appeals and beyondWhere the examiner's position is wrong, a written protest to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals, and coordination with tax counsel if litigation becomes necessary.
- Post-examination cleanupFixing whatever produced the exposure, so the same issue is not waiting in the next open year.
How it works
A process you can follow
Four stages, with a defined deliverable at each one. You always know where the work stands.
1
Take over
Power of attorney filed, deadlines calendared, and the examiner told that all contact now comes through us.
2
Assess
We review the return, the underlying records and the examiner's likely theory before responding to anything.
3
Respond
Document requests answered precisely and on time, with our own narrative framing the facts.
4
Resolve
Agreement where the position is right, Appeals where it is not, and a clear recommendation on which is which.
Who it's for
What we handle
From a single automated notice to a full field examination of a multi-entity group.
CP2000 underreporter notices Correspondence examinations Field examinations S-corp reasonable compensation Worker classification audits Florida sales tax audits Research credit examinations
Deliverables
What you get
- Form 2848 filed so the examiner deals with us, not with you
- Every document request reviewed before anything is produced
- A written position statement supporting each contested item
- Appeals protest drafted and argued where the facts support it
- A written debrief on what caused the exposure and how to close it
2848
Power of attorney filed within days
90 days
Petition window after a notice of deficiency, no extensions
CIA
Representation informed by audit-side experience
Questions
Frequently asked
For a simple math-error notice, often yes. For anything asking about substantiation, methodology or specific deductions, no. The risk is not that you will say something untrue: it is that you will volunteer context that expands the examination. Examiners are trained to follow what they are given. Represented taxpayers produce less and close faster.
A mix of automated scoring, third-party document matching, and specific issue campaigns. Common triggers in businesses our size include S-corp owners taking distributions with little or no wages, large or unusual Schedule C deductions, research credit claims from contingency-fee studies, worker classification patterns, and mismatches between K-1s and personal returns. Some selections are simply random.
A correspondence examination often closes in three to six months. A field examination of an operating business commonly runs nine to eighteen. Appeals adds several months more. The single biggest driver of duration is how quickly and completely each information request is answered, which is one of the practical arguments for representation.
Then we say so, quantify it accurately, and focus on the parts that matter: correct measurement of the adjustment, penalty abatement where reasonable cause exists, and preventing the issue from expanding into other years. Defending an indefensible position damages your credibility on the issues where you are actually right.
Related
Often paired with
Notices, Penalties & Resolution
Decode the notice, abate the penalty, close the file.
Learn moreInternal Controls & Tax Risk
Auditor-built controls that keep every filing clean.
Learn moreR&D and Business Tax Credits
Credits you have earned and can defend on audit.
Learn more