Providing tax representation, personal income tax preparation, and consulting services nationwide as well as to U.S. citizens internationally.

BACKGROUND

My IRS experience includes almost 35 years in the IRS in technical and managerial positions, achieving the position of Associate Chief in the Office of IRS Appeals. In addition, I have been over 22 years in private practice as an Enrolled Agent and tax resolution specialist providing tax help to my clients. During my IRS career, I worked and performed managerial reviews of thousands of IRS cases involving IRS collections, audits, and appeals. Now in private practice as a United States Treasury licensed Enrolled Agent (EA) and Federally Authorized Tax Practitioner (FATP), I offer my breadth of knowledge and experience to clients who need tax help. I focus on matters of IRS, FTB, and other state tax agencies representation (audits, collections, and appeals), consultation, personal income tax preparation, and litigation support (expert witness). My main office is in Santa Clarita, California, but with today’s technology, I am able to represent clients internationally.

My goal as an EA is to help you navigate the often-complex world of IRS, FTB, and other states tax administration and enforcement to minimize financial consequences and stress.

This is your one-stop shop for IRS and FTB tax help!! The sooner you get help with your tax problem, generally, the less complex and costly your resolution will be.

TAX PRACTICE AREAS (Click here for more detailed information)

Who are Enrolled Agents?
Enrolled Agents (EAs) are tax professionals who receive their exclusive right to practice before the IRS directly from the United States Government (U.S. Treasury Department), proving their competence in Federal taxation matters before the United States Treasury Department.  Most Enrolled Agents (EAs) focus on tax return preparation, with fewer providing tax resolution services that deal with IRS, FTB and other agency tax audits and collection controversies.

Individual states license Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and attorneys. They may or may not specialize in tax audit, collection, or administrative appeal resolution.

Owe a Lot of Back Taxes and Want to Take an International Trip?
It’s imperative to promptly address and settle your IRS tax obligations if you’re considering traveling outside the United States. The IRS is now communicating with the State Department, prompting them to take action such as denying the issuance of new passports or renewals or even revoking existing passports for taxpayers with outstanding tax liabilities exceeding $64,000 in tax, penalties, and interest (this amount is adjusted annually for inflation). These debts include U.S. individual income taxes, trust fund recovery penalties, business taxes for which taxpayers are personally liable for and other civil penalties. 

The IRS must have filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien, and all administrative remedies under the law have lapsed, or have been exhausted or issued a levy in their efforts to collect these debts. Booking a trip abroad only to encounter the unpleasant surprise of being unable to leave the U.S. due to a revoked passport or inability to get a new one is best avoided at all costs!

IRS Scams
Be alert to fraudulent contacts by scammers pretending to be IRS employees! Thousands of taxpayers suffer financial loss and identity theft monthly when they provide personal and financial information or make payments to these fraudsters!! Most of these crooks use scare tactics like claiming a warrant will be issued for your arrest or that the IRS will levy (attach) your bank and other financial accounts or salary if you do not pay immediately! They often demand payment using an atypical method, such as gift cards, virtual currency, or a Western Union money transfer. Be alert for clues that you are about to be scammed!!

The typical and legitimate method for the IRS to make initial contact with you is almost always by an IRS letter or notice of a pending tax audit or non-payment of an IRS tax liability. If you have never received such a letter or notice, be very careful about unexpected calls allegedly from an IRS employee! Bottom line – if you are surprised by a call from someone alleging to be from the IRS, get their name, employee or badge number, the title of their position, their office address, and their contact phone number. Tell them you will call them back after you have verified their information.  You can then call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 and confirm the call was legitimate.  If you cannot get through to the IRS, contact me, and I will verify the information through my channels.

Here is a link to the IRS website where they share information on the latest IRS scams.

Communicating with the IRS or State Tax Agency Employees
Taxpayers should exercise care in deciding whether or not to talk personally with an IRS Revenue Agent or Revenue Officer or state tax agency employees personally. In the worst-case scenario, inadvertently making the wrong statement could turn what should have been a civil resolution into a potential criminal tax matter. IRS Revenue Agents are well-trained to look for “badges of fraud” in their IRS audits. Always be truthful in your statements to IRS or state tax agency employees. An intentionally false statement or providing fabricated documents can land you in very hot water! I recommend retaining the services of an EA or other qualified and experienced tax resolution specialist to handle direct communication with an IRS or State tax agency employee.

Should you handle your tax controversy or audit alone?
Navigating the IRS and State tax controversy resolution process can be complicated. To effectively manage it alone, a taxpayer must invest substantial time delving into the nuances of the Internal Revenue Code, IRS Regulations, case law, rulings, procedures, and the revered Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) that dictates IRS protocols and policies. In addition, it takes education and experience to master tax strategies for negotiating favorable resolutions. The financial ramifications of handling a tax controversy independently could far surpass the cost of enlisting the services of an experienced Enrolled Agent or CPA tax resolution specialist.

Just be aware that not all accountants, attorneys, or Enrolled Agents specialize in tax resolution services. You may believe that prior technical or managerial experience from within the IRS may be vital to your representation choice. While I think such IRS experience is very helpful, it is certainly not a requirement, as I have met some very competent professionals who never were IRS technical employees or managers.

When to enlist professional tax help.
While I generally do not recommend any taxpayer take on the IRS or a State tax agency without representation, I am sensitive to clients with financial challenges. I may be able to suggest ways to get IRS tax audit help or IRS collection help and guidance while minimizing your out-of-pocket costs. If you feel capable and comfortable with communicating directly with an IRS Revenue Officer, IRS Revenue Agent, IRS Tax Compliance Officer (TCO), IRS Appeals Officer, IRS Settlement Officer, or any other employee involved in your IRS, FTB, or state tax audit or collection controversy, retaining me to explain your options, suggest strategic guidance and review documents could make the difference between the success or failure of your tax resolution efforts! If you get in over your head, I am available and qualified to jump in and take over to resolve your tax controversy.

Time is of the essence when dealing with IRS and other tax agency issues. From my 34+ years of inside-the-IRS experience, I assure you the earlier you seek and receive tax audit or collection tax help for resolving your IRS, FTB, or other state tax audit, tax collection, or other tax controversy, the faster you can resume a normal life. Tax audit and collection problems are like tooth decay. They will worsen if ignored, resulting in a “financial” root canal! You do NOT want the IRS, FTB, or other state tax agency doing a “root canal” on your finances!!

An important note about tax liabilities.
Tax liabilities are almost always secured debts.  An IRS federal lien arises after demand and non-payment of tax, including interest, additions to tax, and assessable penalties. The IRS federal tax lien is affixed when the assessment is made and continues until satisfied or becomes unenforceable. The lien is not perfected against certain creditors until public notice is given, but the timing of the secured interest still arises at the time of assessment. Issues surrounding the priority of tax liens and competing claims can be complicated, and advice/assistance from a tax attorney may be needed. The services I provide relate solely to secured tax debts, and all references on this website are related to the resolution of federal or state liabilities related to secured tax liabilities. If you have unsecured debts, such as credit cards or personal loans, help is available from numerous attorneys or specialized debt-resolution companies to address those liabilities. 

Do your homework before selecting a firm to represent you!
I highly recommend you research any individual or firm BEFORE you commit to having them represent you in your IRS tax or State tax audit, collection, or administrative appeal matter. You can delegate authority to have someone represent you, but ultimately, you are solely responsible for your IRS, FTB, or other state income or employment tax liability. The Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance are two sources worth checking out. This is a link to my BBB profile. You should be aware that many large firms have a high turnover of employees. Being shuffled among employees can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience for the clients and can frustrate the IRS or State employees.

Accessibility.
Many of my clients are local (Santa Clarita, Saugus, Canyon Country, Valencia, Newhall, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Altadena, Van Nuys, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, and other Los Angeles County cities and valleys). However, many of my other clients reside in other counties, states, and even internationally (I currently have a client in Oman!). Today’s technology allows us to communicate effectively over the internet, including video conferencing.

Local clients can meet with me in my Santa Clarita office. I may be available to meet at their residences for local clients with mobility restrictions. Clients appreciate my accessibility and the fact that they ALWAYS have me assisting or representing them in their tax audit, collection, or appeals case—never a junior employee.

Updated: 4/20/2025

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