Accountant/ lawyer will not return my call












1















I have an accountant who is also a lawyer who did my taxes for about 7 years. I received a notice from the IRS for the years that he filed the taxes saying that I owed $5,000. I sent him the notice and could not get him to respond. I called him multiple times, his office confirmed he received it but I could not get a call back from him. I did not get any more notices, so I figured that it was a collection agency and he took care of it. I later found out that was not a collection agency, it's a law firm that works with the IRS to attempt to settle disputes. And they only send you a yearly notice.



Now I have received another notice that I owe $17,000 and they are going to continue to add fees and multiply this. I have again attempted to call him and call him and call him and I have received no response. He has done this before with other things, and I know from other people he tends to put things off and procrastinate. Whenever we have truly truly hit the point that Armageddon was going to happen, he would swoop in and take care of it but I can't wait any longer for this. At this rate if I do truly owe anything I'm going to owe a mortgage by the time he gets around to it.



Is there some governing Authority that I can report him to to put him in gear? Is there some way that I can talk to someone at the IRS that will either directly contact him or help me in some way? The lawyers that sent me the notice we're not really of much help in that capacity.










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  • 6





    Please clarify if you have confirmed directly with the IRS that these notices are genuine. You say "received a notice from the IRS" but then you say it came from a law firm. First issue is whether this could be a scam. You'd think your accountant/lawyer would advise you on this when you sent him the info, but he's apparently not doing anything for you.

    – nanoman
    5 hours ago











  • Can you clarify how much longer the second notice? Since you say they are annual, did this happen a year later?

    – user73687
    2 hours ago
















1















I have an accountant who is also a lawyer who did my taxes for about 7 years. I received a notice from the IRS for the years that he filed the taxes saying that I owed $5,000. I sent him the notice and could not get him to respond. I called him multiple times, his office confirmed he received it but I could not get a call back from him. I did not get any more notices, so I figured that it was a collection agency and he took care of it. I later found out that was not a collection agency, it's a law firm that works with the IRS to attempt to settle disputes. And they only send you a yearly notice.



Now I have received another notice that I owe $17,000 and they are going to continue to add fees and multiply this. I have again attempted to call him and call him and call him and I have received no response. He has done this before with other things, and I know from other people he tends to put things off and procrastinate. Whenever we have truly truly hit the point that Armageddon was going to happen, he would swoop in and take care of it but I can't wait any longer for this. At this rate if I do truly owe anything I'm going to owe a mortgage by the time he gets around to it.



Is there some governing Authority that I can report him to to put him in gear? Is there some way that I can talk to someone at the IRS that will either directly contact him or help me in some way? The lawyers that sent me the notice we're not really of much help in that capacity.










share|improve this question









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  • 6





    Please clarify if you have confirmed directly with the IRS that these notices are genuine. You say "received a notice from the IRS" but then you say it came from a law firm. First issue is whether this could be a scam. You'd think your accountant/lawyer would advise you on this when you sent him the info, but he's apparently not doing anything for you.

    – nanoman
    5 hours ago











  • Can you clarify how much longer the second notice? Since you say they are annual, did this happen a year later?

    – user73687
    2 hours ago














1












1








1








I have an accountant who is also a lawyer who did my taxes for about 7 years. I received a notice from the IRS for the years that he filed the taxes saying that I owed $5,000. I sent him the notice and could not get him to respond. I called him multiple times, his office confirmed he received it but I could not get a call back from him. I did not get any more notices, so I figured that it was a collection agency and he took care of it. I later found out that was not a collection agency, it's a law firm that works with the IRS to attempt to settle disputes. And they only send you a yearly notice.



Now I have received another notice that I owe $17,000 and they are going to continue to add fees and multiply this. I have again attempted to call him and call him and call him and I have received no response. He has done this before with other things, and I know from other people he tends to put things off and procrastinate. Whenever we have truly truly hit the point that Armageddon was going to happen, he would swoop in and take care of it but I can't wait any longer for this. At this rate if I do truly owe anything I'm going to owe a mortgage by the time he gets around to it.



Is there some governing Authority that I can report him to to put him in gear? Is there some way that I can talk to someone at the IRS that will either directly contact him or help me in some way? The lawyers that sent me the notice we're not really of much help in that capacity.










share|improve this question









New contributor




M. Gio is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












I have an accountant who is also a lawyer who did my taxes for about 7 years. I received a notice from the IRS for the years that he filed the taxes saying that I owed $5,000. I sent him the notice and could not get him to respond. I called him multiple times, his office confirmed he received it but I could not get a call back from him. I did not get any more notices, so I figured that it was a collection agency and he took care of it. I later found out that was not a collection agency, it's a law firm that works with the IRS to attempt to settle disputes. And they only send you a yearly notice.



Now I have received another notice that I owe $17,000 and they are going to continue to add fees and multiply this. I have again attempted to call him and call him and call him and I have received no response. He has done this before with other things, and I know from other people he tends to put things off and procrastinate. Whenever we have truly truly hit the point that Armageddon was going to happen, he would swoop in and take care of it but I can't wait any longer for this. At this rate if I do truly owe anything I'm going to owe a mortgage by the time he gets around to it.



Is there some governing Authority that I can report him to to put him in gear? Is there some way that I can talk to someone at the IRS that will either directly contact him or help me in some way? The lawyers that sent me the notice we're not really of much help in that capacity.







united-states taxes irs legal






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edited 6 hours ago









Ben Miller

79.9k20219286




79.9k20219286






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asked 6 hours ago









M. GioM. Gio

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111




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New contributor





M. Gio is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 6





    Please clarify if you have confirmed directly with the IRS that these notices are genuine. You say "received a notice from the IRS" but then you say it came from a law firm. First issue is whether this could be a scam. You'd think your accountant/lawyer would advise you on this when you sent him the info, but he's apparently not doing anything for you.

    – nanoman
    5 hours ago











  • Can you clarify how much longer the second notice? Since you say they are annual, did this happen a year later?

    – user73687
    2 hours ago














  • 6





    Please clarify if you have confirmed directly with the IRS that these notices are genuine. You say "received a notice from the IRS" but then you say it came from a law firm. First issue is whether this could be a scam. You'd think your accountant/lawyer would advise you on this when you sent him the info, but he's apparently not doing anything for you.

    – nanoman
    5 hours ago











  • Can you clarify how much longer the second notice? Since you say they are annual, did this happen a year later?

    – user73687
    2 hours ago








6




6





Please clarify if you have confirmed directly with the IRS that these notices are genuine. You say "received a notice from the IRS" but then you say it came from a law firm. First issue is whether this could be a scam. You'd think your accountant/lawyer would advise you on this when you sent him the info, but he's apparently not doing anything for you.

– nanoman
5 hours ago





Please clarify if you have confirmed directly with the IRS that these notices are genuine. You say "received a notice from the IRS" but then you say it came from a law firm. First issue is whether this could be a scam. You'd think your accountant/lawyer would advise you on this when you sent him the info, but he's apparently not doing anything for you.

– nanoman
5 hours ago













Can you clarify how much longer the second notice? Since you say they are annual, did this happen a year later?

– user73687
2 hours ago





Can you clarify how much longer the second notice? Since you say they are annual, did this happen a year later?

– user73687
2 hours ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















9














This sounds like a scam. The IRS sends notices of amounts due, they don't enlist 3rd party services for that. The IRS does make use of 4 different 3rd party collection agencies:




CBE - P.O. Box 2217 Waterloo, IA 50704; 1-800-910-5837

ConServe - P.O. Box
307 Fairport, NY 14450-0307 1-844-853-4875
Performant - P.O. Box 9045
Pleasanton CA 94566-9045 1-844-807-9367
Pioneer - PO Box 500 Horseheads,
NY 14845 1-800-448-3531




However, they state:




Even with private debt collection, you shouldn’t receive unexpected
phone calls from the IRS demanding payment. When people owe tax, the
IRS always sends several collection notices through the mail before
making phone calls.




Payment of taxes/penalties are done via checks to the US Treasury or online at IRS.gov, any scam will request payment to a different entity. Make sure this is not a scam first.



The governing authority for tax-preparers is the IRS. You can submit a complaint via Form 14157, but that won't do anything to help you get the current issue resolved. If this is not a scam, you need a competent tax-preparer. Take the letters and your tax documents to someone else. Likely your agreement with your current preparer limits their liability to fee's paid, and probably doesn't require them to help with follow-up IRS inquiries for free.



PS - Even if this is a scam that requires no further attention, find yourself a new tax-preparer, yes, it is busy-season for them, but that's not an excuse for ignoring repeated calls from a long-term client.






share|improve this answer































    4














    The first thing to do is verify that this is not a scam and that you really do owe the IRS money. Contact them.



    If the debt is legitimate and you can't get your lawyer to respond, contact the authorities. Contact the local bar association to see what recourse is available in your state:



    Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions due to a lawyer's malfeasance. Some of these agencies are notoriously slow.



    Contact the Chief Disciplinary Counsel (CDC) in your area. One of the issues in their domain is a lawyer who does not respond to client phone calls, emails, or letters.



    Another possibility is to see another attorney and get a second opinion. Second opinions are usually fairly inexpensive. As a last resort, you may have to sue your lawyer.






    share|improve this answer































      2














      If your agreement with the accountant/lawyer included a promise that he would assist in handling subsequent IRS assessments, then you could pursue him in court for breach of contract. But this would likely be expensive and take a long time. It may be more realistic to proceed as you would if his practice had gone bankrupt and shut down. That is, get a new accountant/lawyer ASAP.



      If you are in need of documents that the previous one has (lesson: always keep your own copies), note that you can get copies of past tax returns directly from the IRS. If it's other documents like receipts, you could send a strongly worded letter to the unresponsive office that you want to be sent your existing tax records immediately so you can seek other advice. The office may well comply to get you off the guy's plate if he is unable to handle it.






      share|improve this answer






















        protected by JoeTaxpayer 2 hours ago



        Thank you for your interest in this question.
        Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).



        Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?














        3 Answers
        3






        active

        oldest

        votes








        3 Answers
        3






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        9














        This sounds like a scam. The IRS sends notices of amounts due, they don't enlist 3rd party services for that. The IRS does make use of 4 different 3rd party collection agencies:




        CBE - P.O. Box 2217 Waterloo, IA 50704; 1-800-910-5837

        ConServe - P.O. Box
        307 Fairport, NY 14450-0307 1-844-853-4875
        Performant - P.O. Box 9045
        Pleasanton CA 94566-9045 1-844-807-9367
        Pioneer - PO Box 500 Horseheads,
        NY 14845 1-800-448-3531




        However, they state:




        Even with private debt collection, you shouldn’t receive unexpected
        phone calls from the IRS demanding payment. When people owe tax, the
        IRS always sends several collection notices through the mail before
        making phone calls.




        Payment of taxes/penalties are done via checks to the US Treasury or online at IRS.gov, any scam will request payment to a different entity. Make sure this is not a scam first.



        The governing authority for tax-preparers is the IRS. You can submit a complaint via Form 14157, but that won't do anything to help you get the current issue resolved. If this is not a scam, you need a competent tax-preparer. Take the letters and your tax documents to someone else. Likely your agreement with your current preparer limits their liability to fee's paid, and probably doesn't require them to help with follow-up IRS inquiries for free.



        PS - Even if this is a scam that requires no further attention, find yourself a new tax-preparer, yes, it is busy-season for them, but that's not an excuse for ignoring repeated calls from a long-term client.






        share|improve this answer




























          9














          This sounds like a scam. The IRS sends notices of amounts due, they don't enlist 3rd party services for that. The IRS does make use of 4 different 3rd party collection agencies:




          CBE - P.O. Box 2217 Waterloo, IA 50704; 1-800-910-5837

          ConServe - P.O. Box
          307 Fairport, NY 14450-0307 1-844-853-4875
          Performant - P.O. Box 9045
          Pleasanton CA 94566-9045 1-844-807-9367
          Pioneer - PO Box 500 Horseheads,
          NY 14845 1-800-448-3531




          However, they state:




          Even with private debt collection, you shouldn’t receive unexpected
          phone calls from the IRS demanding payment. When people owe tax, the
          IRS always sends several collection notices through the mail before
          making phone calls.




          Payment of taxes/penalties are done via checks to the US Treasury or online at IRS.gov, any scam will request payment to a different entity. Make sure this is not a scam first.



          The governing authority for tax-preparers is the IRS. You can submit a complaint via Form 14157, but that won't do anything to help you get the current issue resolved. If this is not a scam, you need a competent tax-preparer. Take the letters and your tax documents to someone else. Likely your agreement with your current preparer limits their liability to fee's paid, and probably doesn't require them to help with follow-up IRS inquiries for free.



          PS - Even if this is a scam that requires no further attention, find yourself a new tax-preparer, yes, it is busy-season for them, but that's not an excuse for ignoring repeated calls from a long-term client.






          share|improve this answer


























            9












            9








            9







            This sounds like a scam. The IRS sends notices of amounts due, they don't enlist 3rd party services for that. The IRS does make use of 4 different 3rd party collection agencies:




            CBE - P.O. Box 2217 Waterloo, IA 50704; 1-800-910-5837

            ConServe - P.O. Box
            307 Fairport, NY 14450-0307 1-844-853-4875
            Performant - P.O. Box 9045
            Pleasanton CA 94566-9045 1-844-807-9367
            Pioneer - PO Box 500 Horseheads,
            NY 14845 1-800-448-3531




            However, they state:




            Even with private debt collection, you shouldn’t receive unexpected
            phone calls from the IRS demanding payment. When people owe tax, the
            IRS always sends several collection notices through the mail before
            making phone calls.




            Payment of taxes/penalties are done via checks to the US Treasury or online at IRS.gov, any scam will request payment to a different entity. Make sure this is not a scam first.



            The governing authority for tax-preparers is the IRS. You can submit a complaint via Form 14157, but that won't do anything to help you get the current issue resolved. If this is not a scam, you need a competent tax-preparer. Take the letters and your tax documents to someone else. Likely your agreement with your current preparer limits their liability to fee's paid, and probably doesn't require them to help with follow-up IRS inquiries for free.



            PS - Even if this is a scam that requires no further attention, find yourself a new tax-preparer, yes, it is busy-season for them, but that's not an excuse for ignoring repeated calls from a long-term client.






            share|improve this answer













            This sounds like a scam. The IRS sends notices of amounts due, they don't enlist 3rd party services for that. The IRS does make use of 4 different 3rd party collection agencies:




            CBE - P.O. Box 2217 Waterloo, IA 50704; 1-800-910-5837

            ConServe - P.O. Box
            307 Fairport, NY 14450-0307 1-844-853-4875
            Performant - P.O. Box 9045
            Pleasanton CA 94566-9045 1-844-807-9367
            Pioneer - PO Box 500 Horseheads,
            NY 14845 1-800-448-3531




            However, they state:




            Even with private debt collection, you shouldn’t receive unexpected
            phone calls from the IRS demanding payment. When people owe tax, the
            IRS always sends several collection notices through the mail before
            making phone calls.




            Payment of taxes/penalties are done via checks to the US Treasury or online at IRS.gov, any scam will request payment to a different entity. Make sure this is not a scam first.



            The governing authority for tax-preparers is the IRS. You can submit a complaint via Form 14157, but that won't do anything to help you get the current issue resolved. If this is not a scam, you need a competent tax-preparer. Take the letters and your tax documents to someone else. Likely your agreement with your current preparer limits their liability to fee's paid, and probably doesn't require them to help with follow-up IRS inquiries for free.



            PS - Even if this is a scam that requires no further attention, find yourself a new tax-preparer, yes, it is busy-season for them, but that's not an excuse for ignoring repeated calls from a long-term client.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 6 hours ago









            Hart COHart CO

            32.1k57490




            32.1k57490

























                4














                The first thing to do is verify that this is not a scam and that you really do owe the IRS money. Contact them.



                If the debt is legitimate and you can't get your lawyer to respond, contact the authorities. Contact the local bar association to see what recourse is available in your state:



                Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions due to a lawyer's malfeasance. Some of these agencies are notoriously slow.



                Contact the Chief Disciplinary Counsel (CDC) in your area. One of the issues in their domain is a lawyer who does not respond to client phone calls, emails, or letters.



                Another possibility is to see another attorney and get a second opinion. Second opinions are usually fairly inexpensive. As a last resort, you may have to sue your lawyer.






                share|improve this answer




























                  4














                  The first thing to do is verify that this is not a scam and that you really do owe the IRS money. Contact them.



                  If the debt is legitimate and you can't get your lawyer to respond, contact the authorities. Contact the local bar association to see what recourse is available in your state:



                  Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions due to a lawyer's malfeasance. Some of these agencies are notoriously slow.



                  Contact the Chief Disciplinary Counsel (CDC) in your area. One of the issues in their domain is a lawyer who does not respond to client phone calls, emails, or letters.



                  Another possibility is to see another attorney and get a second opinion. Second opinions are usually fairly inexpensive. As a last resort, you may have to sue your lawyer.






                  share|improve this answer


























                    4












                    4








                    4







                    The first thing to do is verify that this is not a scam and that you really do owe the IRS money. Contact them.



                    If the debt is legitimate and you can't get your lawyer to respond, contact the authorities. Contact the local bar association to see what recourse is available in your state:



                    Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions due to a lawyer's malfeasance. Some of these agencies are notoriously slow.



                    Contact the Chief Disciplinary Counsel (CDC) in your area. One of the issues in their domain is a lawyer who does not respond to client phone calls, emails, or letters.



                    Another possibility is to see another attorney and get a second opinion. Second opinions are usually fairly inexpensive. As a last resort, you may have to sue your lawyer.






                    share|improve this answer













                    The first thing to do is verify that this is not a scam and that you really do owe the IRS money. Contact them.



                    If the debt is legitimate and you can't get your lawyer to respond, contact the authorities. Contact the local bar association to see what recourse is available in your state:



                    Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions due to a lawyer's malfeasance. Some of these agencies are notoriously slow.



                    Contact the Chief Disciplinary Counsel (CDC) in your area. One of the issues in their domain is a lawyer who does not respond to client phone calls, emails, or letters.



                    Another possibility is to see another attorney and get a second opinion. Second opinions are usually fairly inexpensive. As a last resort, you may have to sue your lawyer.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 3 hours ago









                    Bob BaerkerBob Baerker

                    17.5k12652




                    17.5k12652























                        2














                        If your agreement with the accountant/lawyer included a promise that he would assist in handling subsequent IRS assessments, then you could pursue him in court for breach of contract. But this would likely be expensive and take a long time. It may be more realistic to proceed as you would if his practice had gone bankrupt and shut down. That is, get a new accountant/lawyer ASAP.



                        If you are in need of documents that the previous one has (lesson: always keep your own copies), note that you can get copies of past tax returns directly from the IRS. If it's other documents like receipts, you could send a strongly worded letter to the unresponsive office that you want to be sent your existing tax records immediately so you can seek other advice. The office may well comply to get you off the guy's plate if he is unable to handle it.






                        share|improve this answer




























                          2














                          If your agreement with the accountant/lawyer included a promise that he would assist in handling subsequent IRS assessments, then you could pursue him in court for breach of contract. But this would likely be expensive and take a long time. It may be more realistic to proceed as you would if his practice had gone bankrupt and shut down. That is, get a new accountant/lawyer ASAP.



                          If you are in need of documents that the previous one has (lesson: always keep your own copies), note that you can get copies of past tax returns directly from the IRS. If it's other documents like receipts, you could send a strongly worded letter to the unresponsive office that you want to be sent your existing tax records immediately so you can seek other advice. The office may well comply to get you off the guy's plate if he is unable to handle it.






                          share|improve this answer


























                            2












                            2








                            2







                            If your agreement with the accountant/lawyer included a promise that he would assist in handling subsequent IRS assessments, then you could pursue him in court for breach of contract. But this would likely be expensive and take a long time. It may be more realistic to proceed as you would if his practice had gone bankrupt and shut down. That is, get a new accountant/lawyer ASAP.



                            If you are in need of documents that the previous one has (lesson: always keep your own copies), note that you can get copies of past tax returns directly from the IRS. If it's other documents like receipts, you could send a strongly worded letter to the unresponsive office that you want to be sent your existing tax records immediately so you can seek other advice. The office may well comply to get you off the guy's plate if he is unable to handle it.






                            share|improve this answer













                            If your agreement with the accountant/lawyer included a promise that he would assist in handling subsequent IRS assessments, then you could pursue him in court for breach of contract. But this would likely be expensive and take a long time. It may be more realistic to proceed as you would if his practice had gone bankrupt and shut down. That is, get a new accountant/lawyer ASAP.



                            If you are in need of documents that the previous one has (lesson: always keep your own copies), note that you can get copies of past tax returns directly from the IRS. If it's other documents like receipts, you could send a strongly worded letter to the unresponsive office that you want to be sent your existing tax records immediately so you can seek other advice. The office may well comply to get you off the guy's plate if he is unable to handle it.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 6 hours ago









                            nanomannanoman

                            5,04311015




                            5,04311015

















                                protected by JoeTaxpayer 2 hours ago



                                Thank you for your interest in this question.
                                Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).



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