IRS Revenue Agents conducts tax audits of individual and business taxpayers. They are not responsible for collecting delinquent taxes and instead work to assess the correct amount of tax.
Revenue Agent Qualifications
Revenue Agents generally have a bachelor’s degree or higher in accounting. They need to be knowledgeable of tax laws in order to evaluate a taxpayer’s return and look for any omissions or errors.
Not all audits are performed by Revenue Agents. Generally, Revenue Agents are tasked with more complex or comprehensive audits, such as field audits of a business. These audits require a visit to the physical location of the business and may involve an inspection of the company’s books and financial records. The IRS expends significant resources to conduct a field audit, so expect to look closely for opportunities to assess additional taxes, along with penalties and interest.
Other types of audits, such as correspondence audits, may be performed by other IRS employees with less knowledge or experienced than Revenue Agents.
Working With an IRS Revenue Agent
If a Revenue Agent has been assigned to your case, that is a sign that the IRS is going to closely examine your income, losses, deductions, and credits. You should contact a tax attorney for assistance and audit defense representation.
If you have an attorney, you generally won’t be required to deal with the IRS Revenue Agent directly. Your attorney can handle that, and your communications with your attorney are protected by attorney-client privilege.
IRS audits are a stressful and challenging experience. You need to cooperate and accommodate the IRS examiner, but you don’t want to volunteer unnecessary information or say the wrong thing. Having a tax attorney handle the case for you can eliminate a lot of your anxiety.
If your case does result in the assessment of additional tax, your attorney can help you with the next steps, including:
- Challenging the proposed adjustments to your return
- Appealing the adjustments or petitioning the Tax Court
- Negotiating a resolution to your tax debt
- Avoiding collection actions such as tax liens or levies
Contact a tax attorney to have them handle the IRS Revenue Agent and the tax audit process on your behalf.
The Gartzman Law Firm can help you with tax audits and other IRS tax problems. Use our contact form to request a consultation with an Atlanta tax resolution attorney.