What To Expect from JK Harris

Most clients want to know what, when, and how things will happen with their case. Learn more about the step-by-step process.

Step-By-Step Strategy to work with IRS

We'll personalize a step-by-step strategy to work with the IRS on your case. The following timeline will give you a good idea of how our process works. Every case is unique and will receive personalized attention.

1. Meet with our consultant

   Meet with one of our consultants face to face to begin the resolution process. You will be instructed on what you need to bring with you to the first meeting. From this initial meeting, the consultant will collect information from you, which will be analyzed by our Licensed Taxpayer Representatives to determine what might be the best way to resolve your tax problem.

2. Receive a detailed analysis of your tax issue

   Our Licensed Taxpayer Representatives will prepare a Professional Staff Report, detailing their recommendations on resolving your tax problem. This report will be sent back to your consultant who will schedule a second meeting with you to review your resolution options. From there, you may decide to hire JK Harris to begin working on resolving your tax issue, or you make take the report and attempt to resolve the problem on your own. If you are not in compliance, meaning you have not filed all of your past tax returns, you will be given the option to have those prepared at this point.

3. Stop attempted collections

   If you have contracted for a Stay of Collections due to a levy or garnishment, we will attempt to stop any enforced collection action against you – such as a lien or a levy – by filing for a Stay of Collections.

4. Power of Attorney is filed

   We begin the process of lifting your IRS burden promptly. JK Harris will file your Power of Attorney with the IRS. This document gives us the power to represent you and legally requires the IRS to negotiate with us instead of you. Please know this - you will continue to be contacted by the IRS during this time; Revenue Agents may even tell you we have not contacted the IRS. This is usually not the case. JK Harris is not identified as your representative on the Power of Attorney; the name of your individual Licensed Taxpayer Representative is identified on the form. If the IRS contacts you, let them know you have signed a contract authorizing JK Harris to represent you.

5. Submit your financial documents

   When your Professional Staff Report is completed, you are provided a documentation checklist. Using this checklist, you will need to go through your records and provide us with all the documents the IRS will require to negotiate a resolution on your behalf. You have the option of submitting these to your consultant, or mailing them to our corporate headquarters. It cannot be emphasized enough how critical this step of the process is because negotiating and settling your case cannot occur until this step is completed.

6. The resolution process begins

   Your case specialist will begin work on your case when your financial information is scanned into our database and routed to them. Depending on the resolution process you choose, the amount of time it takes to resolve your case will vary.

7. We review your Offer in Compromise (OIC) or other tax resolution with you

   We will set a time and date for you to review your OIC or tax resolution offer with your consultant. We will provide you at that time, with a list of any other financial documents the IRS will require of you.

8. We submit your OIC/resolution offer to the IRS

   We finalize your offer. Once everything is assembled, we will review your documentation and the offer for you. You sign your OIC or other tax resolution offer, verifying it represents the true facts of your case. We will then help you send everything to the IRS.

9. Resolution and peace of mind

   We finalize your case. You must be prepared to wait. An Offer in Compromise is a lifesaver of a program for many taxpayers, but it does not come easily. It can take anywhere from 6 to 24 months to finalize your case. Other methods of resolution can be finalized much quicker than an OIC. Be prepared to provide your most up to date versions of your financial information over and over again. This is because the IRS requires information 90 days old or older be updated with current information. Stay strong and remain patient.

10. Appeal, if necessary

    We will negotiate your offer up until the final submission. We work for you in the original submission of your offer, but the IRS makes the ultimate decision on which offers they accept. If the IRS officially denies your tax resolution offer – which can and does happen. – We can recontract you for the appeals process.

IRS Intimidation Tactics

The IRS rarely gives up without a fight. As we work to resolve your IRS problem to your advantage, you might expect the IRS to use one or more of the following tactics to attempt to persuade you to make a deal with them on their terms.

Keep in mind.

By law, the IRS must leave you alone, although you will continue to receive written correspondence from them. Once you become a JK Harris client and we submit your Letter of Representation and Power of Attorney, the IRS is legally required to deal with us, not you. The IRS may try to get you to work with them directly. If you receive a call from an IRS agent, ask for that person's name and ID number, politely refer him / her to us. End the call and call your case specialist at JK Harris. Give them the name and ID number of the person you spoke with at the IRS.

The IRS may tell you we have not contacted them.

They may tell you we have not filed this form or that form. This may or may not be the case. The Power of Attorney you sign for us to work your case does not have 'JK Harris' on it; it has the name of the Licensed Taxpayer Representative working your case. This is the reason the IRS may say JK Harris has not contacted them. The individual working your case is credentialed to deal one on one with the IRS on your behalf. If you have any question about the status of your case, contact your JK Harris case specialist. We'll give you the facts. Our databases are updated regularly and we can keep you informed on the status of your case as it progresses.

The IRS may try to outwait you.

It may seem like it takes forever for your case to move through the IRS bureaucracy. It will be easy to get frustrated and to take the bait and settle on the IRS' terms. Don't. We will work tirelessly on your behalf until we achieve the best resolution for you.

The IRS will ask for your documentation again and again and again.

Be prepared for some leg work. You will need to provide financial documentation on many occasions. The IRS considers any documentation over 90 days old to be out of date. Make copies of all your documentation at the start. Be prepared to update the information each month and resubmit the necessary documents frequently.