Tax Resolution
IRS Audit Help and Examination Support
Most IRS letters are not audits. The ones that are have deadlines, and how you respond in the first two weeks shapes everything after.
First, work out what you actually received
The great majority of IRS correspondence is not an examination. It is a notice about a specific discrepancy — a figure that does not match a third-party report, a balance due, a missing form. Those are resolved by responding accurately and on time, and treating one as a full audit wastes effort and money.
A genuine examination is different in kind. It asks for records supporting positions taken on a return, it has a defined scope, and it has deadlines that are real. What it is not is an accusation — an examination is a request for substantiation, and substantiation is a documentation exercise before it is anything else.
What we do
- Read the notice properly and tell you what it actually is and what it is asking for
- Establish the scope — which year, which items, and what would satisfy the request
- Assemble and organize the supporting records, and identify gaps early
- Prepare and submit the response within the deadline stated on the notice
- Correspond with the IRS on your behalf where authorised to do so
- Deal with the outcome — agreement, adjustment, payment arrangement or appeal
Where a matter requires representation beyond what we provide, we will tell you plainly and help you find it rather than take it on and hope.
What not to do
- Do not ignore it. Deadlines on IRS notices are enforced, and missing one removes options that were available before it passed.
- Do not send everything you have. Responding beyond the scope of the request invites scope you were not facing.
- Do not phone the IRS to argue before you understand what the notice says.
- Do not amend the return in question before establishing whether that helps or hurts.
Frequently asked questions
I got a letter from the IRS. Am I being audited?
Probably not. Most IRS letters are notices about a specific item — a mismatch with a third-party report, a balance, a request for a missing form. A genuine examination says so and defines its scope. The first step is reading it properly rather than assuming the worst.
How far back can the IRS examine?
There is a general statute of limitations for assessment, and it extends in defined circumstances such as substantial understatement — and does not run at all for an unfiled return. Which applies depends on the specific facts, which is part of what an initial review establishes.
Should I respond myself?
For a simple notice with clear supporting documentation, often yes. For anything examining positions across a return, or where you are not certain what the request covers, representation is worth it — largely because the scope of your response determines the scope of the enquiry.
What if I cannot find the records?
Missing records are common and not automatically fatal. There are reconstruction approaches the IRS accepts for certain categories of expense, and knowing which ones apply is most of the work. Reconstructing before you respond is far better than admitting a gap and hoping.
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