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A CP2000 gives 30 days. A notice of deficiency gives 90. Neither can be extended, and neither cares that the letter went to an old address.
Tax service
Notices, penalties & resolution
Most notices are wrong, or right about less than they claim. We work out which, respond within the window, and get penalties removed where there are grounds.
The problem
Notices punish delay
Almost every IRS notice carries a response window. Missing it converts a proposal into an assessment.
Penalties stack
Failure to file, failure to pay and accuracy-related penalties can apply to the same year at once, with interest compounding daily on the total.
Silence is agreement
An unanswered proposed adjustment becomes final by default. At that point the argument shifts from “is this right?” to the much harder “can this be reopened?”
What we do
What we resolve
From a single automated letter through to several years of unfiled returns and an active collection case.
- Notice review and responseWe decode what the notice actually says, verify the IRS figures against your records, and respond within the window, often disputing rather than paying.
- First-time abatementAdministrative penalty relief available where the prior three years are clean. It is granted on request, but only if someone asks.
- Reasonable cause abatementWhere first-time relief does not apply, a documented reasonable-cause argument: illness, records loss, reliance on a professional, or circumstances beyond your control.
- Unfiled returnsBringing several years current in the right order, which usually produces a materially better result than accepting an IRS substitute for return.
- Installment agreementsStreamlined and non-streamlined arrangements sized to what the business can actually sustain, so the agreement does not default in month four.
- Offer in compromise assessmentAn honest evaluation of whether you qualify on reasonable collection potential. Most advertised offers do not, and we will tell you that.
- Lien and levy responseCollection due process requests, lien subordination or withdrawal, and levy release where it is preventing the business from operating.
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
Decode
We identify the notice type, the real issue behind it, and the exact deadline that applies.
2
Verify
IRS figures are checked against your records. A significant share of automated notices are wrong or overstated.
3
Respond
A written response with supporting documentation, filed within the window and tracked to acknowledgement.
4
Resolve
Abatement requested, an agreement negotiated where a balance genuinely remains, and the underlying cause fixed.
Who it's for
Situations we handle
If you have a letter you have not opened yet, that is exactly the point at which to call.
CP2000 underreporter notices Failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties Payroll deposit penalties Several years unfiled Active collection or levy Florida DOR assessments Accuracy-related penalties
Deliverables
What you get
- A plain-language explanation of what the notice actually means
- Independent verification of the figures before you pay anything
- A written abatement request citing the applicable grounds
- An installment agreement sized to real cash flow, where a balance remains
- The underlying cause identified so the same notice does not return
30 days
Typical CP2000 response window
3 yr
Clean history required for first-time abatement
FTA
Relief granted on request, but only if requested
Questions
Frequently asked
Not before it is verified. Automated notices are generated by matching third-party documents to your return, and they are wrong often enough to be worth checking every time: a 1099 issued twice, a cost basis the broker did not report, a K-1 already included elsewhere on the return. Paying an incorrect assessment is treated as agreement and is much harder to unwind afterwards.
An administrative waiver for failure-to-file, failure-to-pay and failure-to-deposit penalties, available where you have filed all required returns and had no penalties in the prior three years. It is not discretionary in the usual sense: if you meet the criteria and ask, it is generally granted. The point is that it is not applied automatically. Someone has to request it.
Often, through reasonable cause. The standard is ordinary business care and prudence: serious illness, a natural disaster, destruction of records, or reliance on a professional who gave incorrect advice. Lack of funds alone is not reasonable cause for failure to pay, though the circumstances that caused it sometimes are. Contemporaneous documentation makes the difference.
An offer in compromise is a real program, but it is far narrower than the advertising suggests. The IRS calculates reasonable collection potential from your assets and future income, and if that figure exceeds the debt, the offer will be rejected regardless of hardship. For most profitable businesses it is not available. We will run the calculation and tell you honestly, rather than charge you to file something that will fail.
Related
Often paired with
IRS & State Audit Representation
We deal with the examiner so you can run the business.
Learn morePayroll & Employment Tax
Forms 941, 940, W-2 and reasonable-compensation support.
Learn moreBusiness Tax Returns
Forms 1120, 1120-S and 1065 filed accurately and on time.
Learn more