Tax
Tax Resolution
The set of services that resolve an existing federal or state tax problem — an unpaid balance, an unfiled return, an audit, a lien or levy, an incorrect notice — as distinct from tax preparation, which files a current-year return.
Tax resolution covers everything that happens after a filing goes wrong or an assessment is disputed. The common problems: back taxes owed but not paid (installment agreement, Offer in Compromise, Currently Not Collectible status); unfiled returns from prior years (Streamlined Filing procedures, voluntary disclosure); audit examinations and appeals; wrong assessments from CP2000 or CP14 notices; liens filed and levies issued; and tax-related identity theft (Form 14039).
The order of operations is what separates practitioners from paperwork mills. Filing all missing returns comes first, always, because the IRS will not negotiate with a non-filer and the collection clock does not run on an unfiled year. Once compliance is current, the choice is between paying (installment or full), settling (Offer in Compromise), or waiting out the statute (Currently Not Collectible). Penalty and interest abatement runs alongside on the basis of first-time-abatement or reasonable cause.
The federal statute of limitations for collections is 10 years from assessment (Collection Statute Expiration Date). Extending the CSED through installment-agreement paperwork or an unnecessary Offer in Compromise can add years to the collection window and cost more than the debt itself. Representation from someone who reads the transcripts before filing anything is what avoids that.
Rubric Financial's tax resolution practice is led by Nitasha Ahuja, EA, a former IRS professional whose 15+ years inside the agency spanned the Taxpayer Advocate Service, the Examination Division, and Accounts Management. Engagements are scoped to the specific matter, quoted as a fixed fee after a discovery call, and directed personally.
Common pitfalls
- Paying a national tax-relief company an upfront fee before any transcript pull or engagement; the FTC has repeatedly sued this industry over promises no practitioner can make
- Signing IRS forms without reading them; Form 656 (OIC) and Form 433 (financial disclosure) carry consequences beyond the immediate case
- Ignoring a CP14 or CP2000 notice past the response window; the IRS's automated collection escalates on its own timeline and the options narrow at each step
- Believing 'pennies on the dollar' ad copy; an Offer in Compromise is only accepted when the taxpayer's actual Reasonable Collection Potential is below the balance owed
Related service
See the related serviceRelated terms
Have a Tax Resolution situation in your business?
Federal, state, and local returns prepared and reviewed by a licensed CPA, with the planning done before year-end rather than after it.