Do you need a tax attorney to help you get a "fresh start" through an Offer in Compromise, Innocent Spouse Relief, or an IRS or FTB installment/payment plan? Daniel Layton has, where appropriate, effectively achieved lien and levy relief through the various IRS and FTB procedures appropriate for his clients.
Offers in Compromise. Successfully negotiating a tax liability via an Offer in Compromise is more than filling out a form and submitting a financial statement. Once received and approved for review, the Internal Revenue Service performs a thorough, detailed investigation and analysis of your income, expenses and assets, often combing carefully through years of financial records. If an inexperienced CPA or lawyer does not spot issues before submission, incorrectly identifies and characterizes your financial picture, or fails to argue convincingly for the best possible treatment of your case, the IRS may ask for thousands of dollars more than you should pay or require you to restart the process entirely.
Innocent Spouse Relief. Tax Attorney Daniel Layton's practice has a special focus on helping clients entitled to innocent spouse relief. During his tenure as a trial attorney for the IRS, he handled every Innocent Spouse Relief trial in Central California, advancing Innocent Spouse case law in Tax Court and the Ninth Circuit . Since starting his own law firm, Daniel has used his insider knowledge for the benefit of his divorced or widowed clients.
Innocent Spouse Relief is one of the few times that equity and fairness is paramount in the Internal Revenue Service's and Franchise Tax Board's guidelines and in the tax laws. But, the IRS and FTB often decline to grant relief based on incomplete or insufficient information or presentation of the case. In addition, inexperienced representatives sometimes wrongly believe it is impossible to get Innocent Spouse Relief without physical abuse or where the requesting-spouse has received substantial assets or alimony in the divorce. Mr. Layton has used his experience to help clients obtain relief in these scenarios, even where the IRS initially turned his clients away.
Installment plans. Not all payment plans are the same. Where clients owe over $50,000, the IRS may require a full financial analysis and make life-altering requests a precondition of full-payment by installments. The FTB may push for an impossible-to-maintain short-term payment plan. Obtaining a payment plan you can live with can require deep understanding of the rules, a convincing presentation, and expert negotiation. An experienced attorney can help you achieve a payment plan that meets your needs, allows you to stay in compliance, and allows the IRS or FTB to be fully-paid over time.
Daniel W. Layton, Esq., may be reached at (626) 790-8602.
Pasadena Tax Attorney Daniel W. Layton