Although both sound like something the IRS would frown upon, tax evasion and tax avoidance are very different things. Tax avoidance refers to using legitimate methods to lower your tax liability, while tax evasion is reducing your tax liability through deception and other fraudulent actions.

While some taxpayers knowingly initiate tax evasion tactics on their own, others fall for the promise that a questionable third party can reduce their taxes owed. The IRS often catches these tax scheme promoters and sometimes finds their clients guilty of attempting to evade taxes as well.

Understanding the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion can help keep you out of trouble with the IRS. Keep reading to learn more about the difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance and how an experienced tax attorney may be able to help clear up misunderstandings with the IRS.

Read more

Buying a home is massive financial and personal decision. It’s nearly impossible to keep emotions out of the equation—the hope and anticipation when waiting to see if the sellers will accept your offer, and the anxiety during inspection and closing. 

But no matter how many fingers you’ve crossed, there’s always a chance that something will pop up and slow or halt the closing process. The inspection may find something big, or the parties involved may disagree on subsequent negotiations, or the mortgage company may decide not to lend sufficient funds. 

Another big potential dealbreaker is finding a property lien on the home. This can easily stop a deal dead in its tracks. However, if you’re not willing to give up on your dream home, and you’re committed to resolving the lien, you have options. For tax liens, you may need the help of a tax professional, and one option is to hire a tax attorney, who will have more in-depth knowledge and skills for resolving property tax liens. 

Read more

Not many small business owners or entrepreneurs particularly enjoy the accounting aspect of their business. For most people, it’s a tedious but necessary task that must be endured in order to keep doing business.

If you have simple finances and few employees, you may still be handling the books yourself. But at some point, the task may grow beyond what you alone can handle. This points many business owners in an awkward spot—large enough to need some accounting help, but not large enough to require a full-time accountant or financial department.

If you’ve found that accounts receivable or accounts payable are not up to date, or payroll details have been missing, it’s time to seek help with your accounting needs. This means asking a basic question about which accounting services are best for your small business. If you are concerned about IRS tax audits, or find yourself in need of an internal financial statement audit to reconcile some mismatching numbers, you might seek out an accounting firm with tax law experience.

Check out 10 Bookkeeping Tips for Small Businesses to make sure you haven’t missed any best practices for your accounting functions. It will help you ask better questions when choosing an accounting and auditing service.

Read more