Former IRS Agents and Revenue Officers for Tax Relief

Former IRS Agents/Officers Have the Knowledge and Experience to Solve Your Tax Problems

You have a tax problem and you need help. Who should you call? Well, if you listen to the major review sites, they'll tell you to contact one of the nationwide firms. Unfortunately, however, these bad tax companies are hardly ever the best option. Instead, you should call a local tax professional.

There are many tax pros who focus on tax problem resolution, and to help you narrow down your search, this post takes a look at a special subset of tax problem solvers: former IRS employees. First, take a look at the profiles of former IRS agents and revenue offers who work on the other side of the table now - some of them have even become USTCPs which are the only non-attorneys allowed to represent taxpayers in front of the US Tax Court. Then, continue reading about how they can help.

Former IRS Agents/Officers Who Provide Tax Relief Services

Why You Should Avoid the Big Tax Relief Firms

If you're looking for tax relief, you need to be aware of the risks. The big tax resolution companies are part of a relatively new industry, started by unscrupulous tax pros in the late 80s. These companies invested millions of dollars into advertising but they failed to focus on services.

Often, they kept the money and didn't solve the problem at all, leading to criminal charges and corporate shutdowns. In other cases, they provided taxpayers with overpriced solutions to their problems. After the first generation of tax resolution firms were shut down, their employees went to new firms and kept the scam going. 

Do not call these companies for help. Instead, you should reach out to a local professional. Enrolled Agents, tax attorneys, and CPAs can all represent you in front of the IRS, and professionally, they must follow the guidelines of Circular 230, a Treasury publication that outlines ethical rules for tax representation pros. In contrast, the big tax relief companies often put you in the hands of an unlicensed salesperson who is not bound by these considerations and who is generally not even aware of them.

Note, however, that not all tax pros are the same. Tax problems are a unique part of the accounting industry, and to get the best solution to your concern, you need a pro who's experienced with tax debt resolution. As explained below, that's often a former IRS employee.

Why Hire a Former IRS Agent/Officer?

Tax pros who have worked for the IRS have an in-depth understanding of the IRS's policies and procedures. They haven't just studied the rules. They have lived with the rules day in and out. They know how the IRS operates in both theory and reality.

Former IRS officers/agents understand what IRS employees want to see when dealing with taxpayers. They have handled tax disputes and arguments from the inside, and they can often predict the IRS's questions and concerns. These pros know the best way to stop collection actions, and they use their experience to find creative solutions for their clients. 

Beyond that, former IRS employees often have an established rapport with current IRS employees. They may also know shortcuts or have direct channels into the IRS. 

IRS Experience and Enrolled Agents

An Enrolled Agent is a tax pro who can represent taxpayers in front of the IRS. If you work for the IRS for five years in a role where you have to interpret tax regulations, you earn the EA credential. Alternatively, you can become an EA by passing a three-part test on the tax code. The three parts are focused on 1) individuals, 2) businesses, and 3) representation, practice, and procedures. 

IRS Agents Vs. Officers

If you decide to hire a former IRS employee to help with your tax problems, you'll notice two main categories: agents and officers. Although people often mistake these two words, they are different. 

An IRS officer deals with collections. They personally handle delinquent accounts. They can initiate collection actions (tax liens, wage garnishments, asset seizures, etc), but they can also help taxpayers set up payment plans or other arrangements. 

IRS agents, in contrast, focus on audits. They review tax returns from individuals and businesses for accuracy. They request records to verify information presented on a return, and they may also question a taxpayer's interpretation of the tax code. IRS Special Agents also play a similar role but focus on criminal tax issues.

Types of Problems Former IRS Employees Can Help With

Former IRS agents/officers work with individual and corporate income tax, estate tax, excise tax, and payroll tax. They help individuals, partnerships, S-corps, C-corporations, trusts, estates, and non-profits. They can help with many different tax problems including the following:

• Unpaid taxes
• Unfiled tax returns
• Unreported income
• Tax penalties
• IRS audits
• Collection actions such as tax liens and levies
• Loss of passport due to seriously delinquent tax debt
• Cryptocurrency issues
• Tax problems caused by your spouse or former spouse
• IRS notices
• Collection appeals
• Audit reconsideration/appeals
• Taxpayer disputes

A former IRS employee can help you pursue many solutions, including payment plans, offers in compromise, innocent spouse relief, and penalty abatement. They can also help you appeal IRS collection actions and assessments. 

For best results, look at the tax pros experience area — for example, some pros work more with individuals than businesses, while others are more experienced with trusts or estates. Also, consider what they did while working for the IRS, and when possible, find someone who has experience with your specific issue. 

How to Find a Former IRS Employee

Finding a former IRS employee can be difficult. Most internet searches are not going to yield the results you want. You can look through websites of local tax pros to find someone with this professional experience, but that is likely to be overwhelming and time-consuming. The best option is to use Taxcure to find tax pros who are former IRS agents. 

TaxCure is a directory of local tax attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents. When you search for a pro on TaxCure, you can filter the results based on experience with certain problems and solutions. You can also narrow down the list based on your state and preferred language spoken. 

To help you get started, here is a list of former IRS employees who now represent clients. If you are a former IRS agent who wants to be listed here, please contact us. We would love to talk with you about featuring you on this page or the other benefits you get with a TaxCure profile. 

Find a Former IRS Agent for Tax Services Now

To get help from a former IRS agent, contact one of the pros above. Or search through the TaxCure directory to find other tax pros based in your area. If you're a pro who would like to be featured on this page, contact us directly.