How to Choose the Right Tax Representative

• Beware of firms that offer free services. Offers of substantial free work often times provide inferior quality or are merely efforts to "rope" clients in and then obligate them for much greater fees later. Choosing an attorney is like choosing a doctor -- Quality Matters!!
• Do not be frightened into paying high fees. Tax practitioners are well aware of the fact that the public greatly fears the IRS and therefore plays upon those fears. Paying more money does not insure that you will receive high quality work.
• Be sure that you hire an attorney. All communications with non attorneys (CPAs, former IRS employees and enrolled agents) are not privileged and the IRS may call your non-attorney representative as a witness against you. Additionally, an attorney possesses the necessary skills and training to provide you with more options in resolving your tax matter and can take your case to Tax Court, District Court or Claims Court if necessary.
• Do not be coaxed into an office visit in order for a practitioner to quote you a fee. Once in a tax practitioner's office, you are a captive audience and may feel intimidated into paying excessive fees.
• Ask the practitioner direct questions about your case. If the practitioner is evasive or intentionally complex, it is possible that he/she is trying to disguise direct answers to your questions.
• Be sure that you seek the assistance of a practitioner who only handles IRS disputes. A great deal of focus, specialization and familiarity with different IRS branches and personnel (which requires daily involvement) is necessary for anyone to be effective in dealing with the IRS.
• Do not make emotional decisions. When you decide to hire a tax attorney, of course you are seeking the peace of mind that you problem will be handled. Regardless of who you hire, you should feel that you are properly being taken care of.
• Be sure that your representative personally handles your case. Many practitioners refer your case to others or have their office staff do most of the work. The greatest portion of any case involves direct telephone contact or face to face meetings with the IRS.
• CPAs, Enrolled Agents and former IRS employees may be valuable tax professionals for tax accounting, but are not necessarily the proper answer in solving an IRS matter. Solving an IRS dispute involves administrative law as well as access to the U.S. Tax Court, not accounting. Tax accounting services are already provided by most tax practitioners.
• Beware of organizations and telemarketers that are paid on an incentive basis for bringing your business to their firms. Be especially aware of unrealistic promises or impossible results for the purpose of gaining your business. You want to be sure that you receive top quality work and that you get the services you pay for.