Experienced Tax Attorney in Fresno, CA

Look for a firm with a licensed California tax attorney handling your case (not just consultants or enrolled agents), a high BBB rating, and specific experience with the IRS Fresh Start Program. Ask whether the person taking your call will personally manage your case, what their flat fee is, and how they handle FTB and EDD matters in addition to federal issues. At Valley Tax Law, every case is supervised by a licensed attorney, fees are disclosed upfront, and we handle California state tax problems alongside federal collection.

While rare, the IRS can issue a property levy on a primary residence. Working with a Fresno tax lawyer allows you to file for a Collection Due Process (CDP) hearing within 30 days of receiving a Final Notice of Intent to Levy (Letter 1058 or LT11) to stop the seizure of your home. A CDP hearing also opens the door to collection alternatives like an Offer in Compromise or installment agreement. Learn more about IRS notices and the CDP timeline.

Fees vary based on the complexity of your case, how many years of returns need filing, and which IRS program fits your situation. At Valley Tax Law, we offer a free initial financial analysis to map out your costs and potential savings before you pay a dime. Most cases are billed at a flat fee disclosed in writing before engagement, so there are no surprise hourly bills.

No. Our offices are mailing addresses only. We conduct our practice over the phone and by appointment, using a secure document portal for paperwork and electronic signatures. Many clients resolve their entire case without an in-person meeting. Please call (559) 201-0183 to see if you qualify for our tax debt resolution services.

Yes. We routinely resolve California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) income tax debts, Employment Development Department (EDD) payroll tax cases, and California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) sales tax issues. State agencies have their own collection tools, statute periods, and resolution programs, and we handle the full landscape of California tax controversy.

Are you in legal trouble or has a tax dispute been initiated against you? Has the IRS come knocking at your door or been calling your home phone number non-stop? Have you received a letter from the IRS or from a California tax agency? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you need help.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you have 30 to 90 days to respond to the letter, depending on the type of notice. The notice you receive could be anything from a simple Notice of Discrepancy (CP2000) to an intricate Final Notice of Intent to Levy (LT11 or Letter 1058) that signals an imminent wage garnishment or bank levy. In any case, the biggest mistake you can make is to do nothing.

Dealing with a tax controversy is a hassle, especially without past experience, and it is in your best interest to hire a tax litigation specialist or licensed tax attorney to assist with the issue brought forth by the tax agencies. We are the top IRS tax attorneys in the Fresno area, and the only firm in the region built exclusively around tax controversy work.

A CP2000 is the IRS's most common automated underreporter notice. It means the IRS computer compared third-party information (W-2s, 1099s, 1098s) to your filed return and found a mismatch. It is not a bill yet, but it is a proposed assessment. You have 30 days to respond. Ignoring it converts the proposal into an actual assessment, after which collection begins. Most CP2000 notices can be reduced or fully reversed with a proper response.

LT11 (from the Automated Collection System) and Letter 1058 (from a Revenue Officer) are the IRS's last notices before they can levy your wages, bank accounts, or other assets. Both give you 30 days to file a Collection Due Process appeal. That appeal stops collection immediately and gets you in front of an Independent Appeals Officer with authority to settle. Missing the 30-day window means losing CDP rights, though you can still pursue an Equivalent Hearing. Full IRS notice reference.

The IRS escalates predictably: automated notices, then a Final Notice of Intent to Levy, then actual levies on wages and bank accounts, then federal tax liens filed in county records, then potential refund seizure and passport revocation under IRC 7345 for seriously delinquent debt. The earlier we engage, the more options remain on the table. Once active levies are in place, the case becomes about damage control rather than strategic resolution.

An Offer in Compromise (OIC) is a settlement program that lets qualified taxpayers resolve federal tax debt for less than the full amount owed. The IRS evaluates your income, allowable living expenses, asset equity, and remaining collection statute to determine your reasonable collection potential. When the math works, settlements of 90 percent or more are not unusual. Be cautious about submitting your own offer without representation: revealing too much financial information without a strategy can trigger additional penalties and interest. See how the OIC process works.

Yes. The IRS often demands full repayment up front, which is unmanageable for most taxpayers. We negotiate Installment Agreements that fit within your monthly budget, including streamlined agreements (for balances under $50,000), partial-pay agreements (where the monthly payment will not fully satisfy the debt before the collection statute expires), and non-streamlined agreements for larger balances. Read about installment agreement options.

Penalty Abatement removes failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and accuracy-related penalties from your balance. The two primary paths are First-Time Abatement (available if you have a clean compliance history for the prior three years) and reasonable cause (illness, natural disaster, reliance on a tax professional, and similar circumstances). Penalties often grow to a substantial percentage of the balance owed, so abatement can dramatically reduce the total. Learn how penalty abatement works.

If your spouse or former spouse understated taxes or failed to pay them, you may not be legally responsible for the joint liability. Innocent Spouse Relief, separation of liability, and equitable relief are three separate forms of relief under IRC 6015. The rules are technical and the application is detailed, but for the right facts the relief is complete. Read about innocent spouse relief.

Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status halts IRS collection activity when your necessary living expenses meet or exceed your income. While in CNC status, the IRS will not levy wages or bank accounts, though interest and penalties continue to accrue and the collection statute keeps running. For many clients facing recent hardship (job loss, divorce, medical emergency), CNC is the right interim step before pursuing an Offer in Compromise. Learn about CNC status.

In many cases, within 24 to 72 hours of being retained. Once we file Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) and contact the assigned Revenue Officer or the Automated Collection System unit, the release goes through your employer's payroll office. We can usually file the release paperwork within the first business day. Real cases, real timelines. Wage garnishment release.

The IRS bank levy freezes the funds in your account for 21 days before they are transferred to the IRS. That 21-day window is the only opportunity to negotiate a release and recover the money. We move fast on bank levy cases because every day matters. The release typically requires demonstrating financial hardship or putting a collection alternative in place. Bank levy release.

That is one of the most common situations we see. The IRS would rather you file than not, and there is no statute of limitations on unfiled returns. We help reconstruct income, file the missing returns, and then negotiate the resulting balance through an installment agreement, OIC, or CNC status. Filing back tax returns.

Correspondence audits, office audits, and field examinations all carry different risks and different procedural rules. We represent you at every stage, from initial document requests through Appeals Office negotiation, protecting your rights under the Internal Revenue Code and limiting the audit's expansion into other tax years or unrelated items. Audit defense.

When the IRS issues a Statutory Notice of Deficiency (90-day letter) or denies a Collection Due Process appeal, the path forward is the United States Tax Court. You have a strict 90-day window to file a petition (150 days if you live outside the U.S.). Miss the deadline by one day and the assessment becomes final. Tax Court representation.