Utah IRS Tax and Tax Planning Lawyer

Gilland Law Firm PC

1436 South Legend Hills Drive
Suite 301
Clearfield, Utah 84015
USA

(801) 444-9302

www.utahtaxattorney.pro

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Law Firm Overview Free Consultation

At Gilland Law Firm PC, we understand the importance of making our clients comfortable throughout the legal process. That is why we provide a casual atmosphere within our office and make certain that we treat every client as a person, not as a case number. We personalize each solution to your individual situation. We have worked hard to create a positive relationship with the IRS, one that will benefit you in your situation.

We offer information and support that will help you in your individual IRS tax problem and continually monitor your progress. We are attentive to your needs and provide you with realistic and reasonable options tailored to meet your needs and goals - now and in the future.

Utah Tax Attorney Jim Gilland understands the IRS tax problems facing his fellow Utah taxpayers. As a resident of Utah and business owner, Tax Attorney Jim Gilland understands the issues taxpayers are dealing with. Many former prospering Utah businesses are now under stress, bankruptcy, or even behind on payroll taxes. A bad economy can lead to many IRS tax problems and you as a taxpayer should not have to go it alone. The various federal tax laws are numerous ever-changing and complex.

The majority of taxpayers do not understand their rights before the IRS. A taxpayer needs help to resolve their tax problems or receive IRS debt relief. To resolve IRS problems requires not only the understanding of the tax law, but how the IRS operates internally. Attorney Jim Gilland understands the tax law and how the IRS operates this allows us to solve your IRS problems in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

Practice Areas

Corporate Taxation

Tax Planning

Additional Practice Areas: IRS Tax Debt; Past Due Tax Returns; Wage Garnishment; Back Payroll Taxes; IRS Liens and Levies; IRS Tax Audit; Installment Agreement; Offer In Compromise; Penalty Abatement; Innocent Spouse Relief; Statute Of Limitations; Currently Not Collectible; Bankruptcy.

Practice Areas Description

Gilland Law Firm PC offers legal service on the following areas of practice:

- Tax Problems

Tax problems usually fall into three forms: past due tax returns, tax debts owing to the IRS and audits. Business tax problems are usually in the form of unpaid payroll taxes. Of those problems there are two main categories of tax problems. Those who have filed their IRS taxes and have not paid the taxes due, and those who have not filed their federal taxes and therefore, not paid their taxes due. In either event, as an experienced IRS tax attorney, these are the types of tax problems that I help taxpayers resolve.

* IRS Tax Debt

If your find yourself in a situation where you have just prepared your taxes and you owe more than you can afford on your IRS tax returns, we can discuss your options and plan a detailed course of action on your behalf. I will then negotiate with the IRS to determine the most advantageous plan of action for your personal situation. As a local Salt Lake Tax Attorney concentrating in IRS Problem Resolution, I can help you put your IRS tax debts behind you.

* Past Due Tax Returns

Having a past due status on a tax return is a serious situation. If you obtain an extension to file your tax return and you fail to file by the extension date you could be in serious trouble. Willful failure to file your tax return is considered a felony. You could end up in prison if nothing is done about this situation.

* Wage Garnishment

The IRS will not hesitate to take money you owe straight from your employer before it gets into your paycheck, leaving you without money to pay your basic living expenses. All the IRS cares about is getting back what you owe and they will stop at nothing. You do not have time to lose. In today's struggling economy the loss of a quarter of your wages can have a devastating impact on your budget and almost every other aspect of your life.

* Back Payroll Taxes

With some tax problems - like not paying or even not filing personal income taxes - it can take the IRS a while (even years) to “catch on”. And even when they do finally realize there’s a problem, they may not react so quickly. That is not the case with payroll taxes. If payroll taxes are not paid, the IRS is all over it. They’ll come down on the business and potential responsible persons extremely fast and when they do, they are often particularly nasty about it. The IRS would rather shut down your business and liquidate your assets than give you the opportunity to not pay even more payroll taxes.

* IRS Liens and Levies

An effective method of collection by the IRS is the lien and the levy but it can be a financial nightmare for anyone who is unlucky enough to be at the receiving end. A taxpayer may face one or both of these government collection activities due to an unpaid tax debt. A levy is a seizure of your property to satisfy a tax debt. The IRS is not required to go to court to seize your property or to file a lien against your property. A lien is filed by the IRS in order to protect the government’s interest in an unpaid tax debt.

* IRS Tax Audit

In the minds of the IRS you are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to defending yourself from an IRS tax audit. People who get audited have a time consuming and aggravating process to contend with. The very best thing to do is to avoid getting noticed by the IRS. The only problem is that when you file a schedule C with your 1040, one is more likely to be audited than are people with just w-2 income. In the fiscal year 1995 3% of all income between 25,000 and 50,000 were audited, compared with about one percent of 1040A returns reporting income in the same range.

- Solutions for Tax Problems

Tax Attorney Jim Gilland will find out if you qualify for a reduction of penalties and taxes owed to the IRS and which IRS tax resolution method will be the correct strategy to end you IRS tax debt. Attorney Jim Gilland has used proven ways to get out of debt with the IRS and avoid having your Bank Account Levied... Your Paycheck Garnished... Your Assets Seized... IRS Agents Showing Up at Your Home or Work... or Going to Jail. An experienced tax attorney will have the knowledge to utilize one of the tax solutions below:

* Installment Agreement

The IRS does not have to agree to an installment agreement, nor do they have to agree to the amount of the installment agreement. There are 3 types of installment agreements: streamlined installment agreement, installment agreement, and partial pay installment agreement. As a local Salt Lake Tax Attorney concentrating in IRS Problem Resolution, I can help you decide if an IRS Tax Debt Installment Agreement is the right solution to your IRS problem.

* Offer In Compromise

The Offer in Compromise is designed to allow a taxpayer to settle their debt for less than they owe to the IRS. What many advertisements and TV ads talk about, however, is settling for “pennies on the dollar” and not that that a taxpayer must qualify in order for an offer to be accepted. Because of this and the large number of unacceptable offers submitted to the IRS each year, only a very small fraction of the offers submitted, are actually accepted. However, if you can qualify for a reduction in total tax debt, it can be a very sweet deal.

* Penalty Abatement

However, pursuant to Federal Law, the taxpayer must be able to show "reasonable cause" before the IRS will agree to penalty abatement. Reasonable cause means regardless of the taxpayer's "exercise of ordinary care and prudence," he was unable to file his tax return or pay his taxes on a timely basis. Generally, the success of penalty abatement depends on the taxpayer's past history of filing their tax returns and paying their taxes.

* Innocent Spouse Relief

As a general rule, when one spouse signs a tax return prepared by the other spouse, he/she is swearing under oath to the correctness of the return. Additionally by signing a joint return, they are obligating themselves to pay the entire balance owed regardless of which spouse earned more. If the return was filed late, this includes interest and penalties. Therefore, Congress passed a law which was designed to protect ex-spouses who find themselves liable for the other spouse's tax debt. There are three types of innocent spouse relief: basic innocent spouse relief; separate liability election; and equitable relief.

* Statute Of Limitations

Did you know that your IRS problems will eventually end? The IRS can only collect on your taxes for 10 years from the date of the assessment of the tax. There is also a time limit on audits which is 3 years from the date of the filing of the tax returns. However, there are many factors which can extend these time periods, including submitting an offer in compromise which is not accepted, requests for due process hearings, and requests for innocent spouse relief or filing a bankruptcy that is not discharged. Determining when the statute of limitations expires is important to know what the best option is to resolve your case.

* Currently Not Collectible

Currently Not Collectible, or what is sometimes called hardship status, is a temporary solution to an IRS problem. Generally it is used when someone is having a difficult time economically, for instance when they have lost their job or had their hours cut back. It can also be used when a statute of limitations is close to expiring or in conjunction with a bankruptcy. Currently Not Collectible is a status where the IRS agrees that the taxpayer has no ability to pay their debts on a monthly basis. Interest and penalties will continue to accrue against the debt. However, the statute of limitations will also continue to run as well which means that you will be closer to when the IRS can no longer collect the debt.

* Bankruptcy

Although not considered by most people to be a solution to their IRS problems, in some cases, IRS debts can be discharged in bankruptcy providing they meet three conditions. It is important that your tax professional evaluate your case to be sure that it meets these conditions, before you will know if bankruptcy is a valid option for you. Essentially, there are two types of bankruptcies for individuals: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is a liquidation bankruptcy and Chapter 13 is a reorganization bankruptcy. Any further discussion on this subject is beyond the scope of this article; however, if your case does warrant a bankruptcy option, we can discuss that further in person.