It happens to the best of us. We carefully prepare for an appointment with our accountant or we gather all our documents and go through the process of preparing our tax returns. A short while later we receive a notice from the IRS letting us know that we underreported our taxable income. Now what? Our
How-To Legal Advice
Stop Identity Theft in its Tracks-Part One
It seems like we keep reading the same stories over and over again—thieves have cracked a corporate network and stolen credit card and personal information from thousands of people. The latest breach comes from of all places, the IRS where thieves stole personal and sensitive information from more than 100,000 people. We hear about its
Non-Profit Corporate Formation
Non-profit organizations provide a wide variety of valuable charitable, educational, and scientific services to people throughout California and the nation. If you are considering forming a non-profit, it is essential to understand the legal and tax implications of how you structure and operate such an organization. It is not simply a matter of opening your
Board of Equalization Audit
The California Board of Equalization (BOE) is tasked to the administration and collection of many non-income tax oriented taxes and fees for the state of California. Because many of these taxes and fees are an important part of the state revenue stream, enforcement of the collection of these fees is an important aspect of the
Should You Hire a Tax Attorney?
It’s the kind of mail nobody wants to receive—a letter from the IRS. It’s pretty much given that any mail you get from the agency is most likely not going to contain good news. If you receive a letter from the IRS you have an important decision to make. Should you try to represent yourself
Free Tax Resources
Imagine opening your mailbox to find an official letter from the IRS or the California Franchise Tax Board questioning a past tax return or demanding back taxes and threatening to attach your paychecks or seize your assets. If you’re like most people, a sense of panic and worry sets in as you wonder how you’ll
FBAR Requirements Part 2
To read part 1 of this post, click here. Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program The IRS reopened the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) in 2012 after taxpayers continued to express interest after the closure of the program in 2009 and 2011. The Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, also known as the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, gives taxpayers
IRS Innocent Spouse Relief Rules
When a married couple files their annual tax returns, both parties are jointly and severally liable for any unpaid taxes. This is based on the premise that a married couple jointly enjoys any income that is created by either of the parties within the marriage. If the IRS determines that additional taxes are due based
Beware of Most Recent IRS Scam
We have been noticing a high volume of clients calling us claiming someone from the IRS is threatening to serve a warrant for their arrest immediately if they do not pay, and these calls are almost always a part of an elaborate scam targeting taxpayers. CNN Money published an article warning about these suspicious scams,
Rules for Credit Rating Agencies
Credit Rating Agencies, or CRAs, are organizations that are hired to determine the creditworthiness of companies and debt issuers. The major CRAs in the United States are Standard & Poor and Fitch’s and Moody’s. After the global financial crisis of 2007, the CRAs fell under major criticism for their perceived part in granting high-credit ratings