“I need help filing my taxes” is much different from “I need help getting out from under IRS debt that has accumulated from years of delinquency with penalties and interest.” While a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) provides valuable services and helps with some tax needs, a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist (CTRS) is a specialized service provider educated and equipped to navigate extremely complex tax issues.
Think of a CTRS as a specialized physician to whom you are referred when the medical issue you are facing is beyond the scope of expertise of your family care practitioner. Not all CPAs have experience dealing with the IRS, so it’s important you understand when you need a more qualified tax practitioner that knows the complexities of the system, or you will get lost in the IRS world.
What Does a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist Do?
Tax resolution professionals provide review of your unique IRS circumstance, strategize the most effective way to get back in compliance while paying the least amount of money allowed by law, and represent you in addressing personal or business tax matters.
The extensive expertise in these intricate IRS matters is what sets a CTRS apart from a CPA, and it’s not just bragging rights. Certified Tax Resolution Specialists are tax professionals with considerable education and experience in IRS tools such as financial hardship status, installment agreements, offers in compromise and removal of penalties. They are tax problem solvers, and the CTRS accreditation process isn’t easily obtained.
Again, think of this type of service provider like you would a physician who has attained credentials and expertise beyond the scope of medical school.
Certified Tax Resolution Specialists: Education and Experience
CTRS Designation Requirement
Professionals who wish to be a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist, must first be Enrolled Agents, CPAs, or an attorney. These qualifications have their own prerequisites and extensive education and testing to begin with, so you know that anyone sitting to take the CTRS exam has a strong legal and financial foundation.
The CTRS exam consists of two parts: 150 objective questions covering all areas of IRS Problem Resolution, the second, a comprehensive case problem requiring preparation of a tax problem case for resolution.
This designation is not one given for life, either. The comprehensive two-part exam is only a portion of this designation, but maintaining this level of expertise requires continuing education and experience that is evaluated with each renewal period. Our tax codes change, and new strategies for tax relief are tested each year.
Knowing you have an advocate that keeps abreast of these changes, meets continuing professional education minimums, and whose work is reevaluated provides peace of mind and ensures competent representation, especially when you’re facing a mound of debt and penalties from the IRS.
CTRS Experience Requirement
For CTRS accreditation, a practicing tax attorney or CPA must have a minimum amount of hands-on experience and must have performed several intricate and involved resolution actions in their practice.
In addition to having their work evaluated and reviewed and passing a sweeping test on various tax codes, practices, and case studies, there are more requirements to become a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist.
CTRS are bound to a code of ethics and must exhibit high moral and professional character, a requirement that the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers takes quite seriously. This professional ethics requirement is to ensure that professionals who carry the CTRS designation are not only capable of handling a labyrinth of complex tax resolution cases, but to ensure that taxpayers have moral guidance and representation in some of the most difficult issues they face.
What Types of Solutions Do Certified Tax Resolution Specialists Provide?
There are many strategies to overcome a hard tax situation that will suit both the taxing authorities and their clients. Some of which include:
- Wage Garnishment Relief
- IRS Bank Levy Release
- Payment Plan
- Offer in Compromise
- Installment Agreement
- IRS Audit Representation
- First Time Penalty Abatement
- Innocent Spouse Relief
- Delinquent Tax Returns
The web of problems taxpayers can find themselves in are just as complex as the codes written about them, and it’s important to know when you should call an expert for IRS representation. Again, it’s when you need guidance and advocacy beyond tax preparation.
When You Need an Advanced Tax Professional
Tax Problems from Combined Business and Personal
Many self-employed individuals and small business owners find out the hard way that mixing business and personal finances is not wise. This problem can cause a number of errors in tax filings and uncover a host of infractions and penalties in IRS audits, often resulting in an enormous increase in the amount of taxes owed.
There are attainable and reasonable options to get out from under these types of tax problems, and it’s imperative to have a reputable and experienced tax resolution firm to advocate for you and your unique situation. Most taxpayers who find themselves facing enormous back taxes this way are honest and hardworking people who inadvertently made errors when filing.
Regardless of your situation, you deserve trusted and tried representation when facing the IRS.
Face the Internal Revenue Service with Confidence
Whether you are facing years of debt from non-filer issues, have myriad business and payroll tax problems, or have found yourself up against the Internal Revenue Service through marriage or another means that’s no fault of your own, everyone deserves tax problem resolution options from an experienced, educated, and thorough representative.
You don’t have to fight this alone, and, in fact, you don’t even have to speak to the Internal Revenue Service at all, as long as you’ve engaged with a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist. We can handle everything on your behalf and help you reclaim your life from the clutches of the federal government. Schedule a free consultation with us to learn about your options and possibilities to reclaim your life with a CTRS on your side.
