Updated: July 31, 2024

Former IRS Agents and Revenue Officers for Tax Relief

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

IRS Agent

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

Ronnie Hines

Ronnie Hines

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS & California Agent

Owner of TaxTechnicians in Chandler, Arizona

Ronnie is an experienced tax resolution professional with over 24 years of experience. She worked for California’s Franchise Tax Board for 7.5 years and then for the IRS for another 11.5 years as both an Auditor and Appeals Officer. She now helps taxpayers resolve IRS and state tax issues. Ronnie is also a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist (CTRS).

Michael Raanan

Michael Raanan

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Agent

President of Landmark Tax Group in Tampa, Florida

Michael spent 8 years working as an IRS Agent in Los Angeles, CA. After becoming an Enrolled Agent, he founded Landmark Tax Group and has since resolved thousands of tax cases, saving his clients over $500 million in settlements.

Herb Cantor

Herb Cantor

CPA and Former IRS Appeals Officer

CPA at MD Sullivan in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Herb worked for the IRS for over 20 years in the Small Business, Large Business, and Appeals Divisions. He holds a Master’s in Taxation and has resolved tax disputes involving individuals, businesses, and estates—including Tax Court litigation, excise taxes, and civil penalties.

Julie Lynch

Julie Lynch

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Revenue Officer

EA at MD Sullivan in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Backed by 38 years of experience in the IRS Collection Division, Julie now works with other former IRS agents at MD Sullivan LLC in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She focuses on helping individuals and businesses deal with unpaid taxes, unfiled returns, liens, and wage garnishments.

Peter Salinger

Peter Salinger

Enrolled Agent and Former Revenue Officer & Appeals Settlement Officer

Owner of Salinger Tax Consultants in Fort Myers, Florida

Peter worked at the IRS for over 30 years, including time in the Offer in Compromise group. With cross-divisional experience, he brings deep knowledge of IRS processes to help clients navigate complex tax cases.

Lawrence Danny

Lawrence Danny

CPA, Certified Tax Coach, and Former IRS Civil Fraud Agent

CPA at Lawrence J. Danny CPA P.C. in Woodland Hills, California

Lawrence Danny worked as an IRS Civil Fraud Agent for 4 years and now helps clients with civil and criminal tax issues, including audits and unfiled returns. He has extensive experience with both the IRS and CA FTB.

David M. Ramirez

David M. Ramirez

JD, EA, MST, USTCP, and Former IRS Agent

Tax Relief Specialist at Tax Relief Services in Honolulu, Hawaii

David Ramirez, based in Hawaii, spent 8 years as an IRS Agent and Examiner before founding Tax Relief Services. With 20+ years in private practice, he’s helped resolve millions in back taxes and is one of the few non-attorneys authorized to practice before the U.S. Tax Court.

Edward Babitzke

Edward Babitzke

EA and Former IRS Revenue Officer

Enrolled Agent at Babitzke and Associates in Sioux City, Iowa

Edward retired after 32 years of federal service, including 14+ years as an IRS Revenue Officer. Now an EA, he helps relieve the stress of IRS issues so clients can focus on what matters—family, friends, and business.

Billy Fauller

Billy L. Fauller, III

EA, CTRS, and Former IRS Revenue Officer

Managing Member of Inside Out Tax Resolution Services in Arnold, Missouri

Billy worked for the IRS from 2009 to 2017. He's the only former IRS RO in the St. Louis area with CTRS and NTPI credentials. A respected presenter, he uses insider experience to negotiate optimal resolutions for clients.

Jacqueline Richardson

Jacqueline Richardson

EA, Former IRS Agent & Sales Tax Auditor

CEO of the Society of Wealth in Galveston, TX

With over 40 years of tax experience—including time with both federal and state agencies—Jacqueline uses insider audit knowledge to help individuals, businesses, and nonprofits resolve income, payroll, excise, and state tax issues.

David Yarbourgh

David Yarbourgh

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Agent

Tax Resolution Services in Mount Pleasant, SC

David founded Tax Resolution Services in 1992 after working at the IRS. He’s helped thousands resolve federal and state tax problems across multiple southern states, including NC, SC, GA, and VA.

Jacqueline Nguyen

Jacqueline Nguyen

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Revenue Agent

CEO at Tax Relief 911 in Houston, TX

Jacqueline spent over a decade as an IRS Agent and 20+ years as a Senior Auditor at TIGTA. Her 30+ years of government experience gives her deep insight into IRS audits, collections, and fraud prevention.

Dwight Roberts

Dwight Roberts

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Agent

President/CEO of Tax Resolution Center of Illinois in Springfield, IL

Dwight spent 15+ years as an IRS Revenue Agent handling exams, audits, and collections. He now uses his insider experience to help clients navigate complex audits, mitigate collection actions, and pursue appeals or Tax Court filings.

Cheryl Phen

Cheryl Phen

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Agent

CEO/Tax Accountant at IRS Tax X Relief & Accounting LLC

Cheryl spent over a decade auditing business and individual returns for the IRS and has also worked for top national firms like Intuit and Merrill Lynch. She helps clients resolve audits, collections, and criminal investigations.

Justin Costello

Justin Costello

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Revenue Officer

Founder of Costello Tax Resolution in Hilliard, Ohio

Justin spent 15 years at the IRS before starting his firm. He now helps clients with wage garnishments, tax liens, unpaid taxes, and unfiled returns. He’s also a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist and NTPI Fellow.

William McConnaughy

William McConnaughy

CPA and Former IRS Revenue Agent

CPA at McConnaughy Accountancy Corporation in Sacramento, California

With over 30 years as a licensed CPA and a Master’s in Taxation, William previously worked at the IRS and now represents clients in both examination and collection matters across the IRS and state tax authorities.

Phil Williams

Phil T. Williams

Enrolled Agent and Former IRS Agent

President of PW E.A Tax Services, Inc. in Grand Prairie, Texas

Phil retired from the IRS after 38 years in the small business and self-employed division. Now an Enrolled Agent and Certified Fraud Examiner, he helps taxpayers resolve complex examination and fraud cases.

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:

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.