Martin Cantu, EA - Tax Consultant - Tax Relief Services Blog

So why, Austin residents, should you worry about #unfiledtaxreturns? You've gotten by this long, so why worry? Lets run through the reasons: 1. A good nights sleep - believe it or not, so many clients tell me that they have not a good sleep as the years pass and they continue not to file returns. 2. The #IRS will address your situation - the difficult thing with the #IRS is to figure out their timeline. Sometimes its 5 years; sometimes 3; sometimes 8; either way they will catch up to you, on their schedule. 3. When they do, it will impact you like a stranger walking up to you on the street and slapping you on the face, hard - When they do catch up to you, the IRS will get your attention. #WageGarnishment is clearly the worst of the actions. It will get your attention - fast. #TaxParalysis prevents many Austin residents from getting past this issue. Call us today for a free phone consult about your situation, and what we can do to help you avoid the #IRS slap. Call Austi...

Lots of news this week about the #IRS' lean resources and what that means to customer service. Yes wait times are high - higher than most any other customer service business. Yes, their computer systems are antiquated leaving each representative to re-verify the same information over and over again. This wastes at least 25% of each phone call, if not more.  I do wish there was one way to verify your power of attorney for a client. I do wish their computer systems were faster. I do wish I could call ahead for a virtual appointment. Maybe we'll get that in the future. But I have to praise the telephone work of the IRS representatives I speak to from across the country. I find them to be helpful, understanding, and cheerful. This does not mean our conversations are "love-fests", but you have to a willingness to cooperate on both sides to reach an agreement. As an advocate for my clients, this is essential to moving their case on to resolution so they can get on ...

So you received the dreaded Notice of Garnishment. What do you do now? The first thing you need to understand is that by the time you received the notice, the garnishment has been acted upon. It will quickly be followed by a notice from your payroll department confirming the garnishment, the amount taken by the IRS and the amount you are left with. The amount taken reflects a mathematical calculation, leaving you a very small amount to get by with through the new payroll period.  Garnishment is the same as a slap in the face - designed to get your attention. It is the ultimate call to action.  Candidly, by the time I get involved its usually too late to get the amount taken released by the IRS. The analogy I use is that the "toothpaste is out of the tube".  At this point your goal is to establish a line of communication with the IRS. Then, you can work to  stop the garnishment by setting up a payment agreement, providing financial agreement, or somet...

Just a quick note to you to remind everyone that the earlier I can get into the game for you, the quicker we can have some success. Tax problems bear a remarkable resemblance to cancer, something many people can relate to and understand more than cancer. Not to trivialize cancer - its a horrible disease and my prayers go out some many friends, clients and family members that deal with this disease. Just like cancer, early in means early success. The later it goes the harder it gets to extricate yourself from the mess. It really paints you into a box and leaves you with few options. Yes, the medicine can be tough, but once you get past that you'll find the road open up with more choices and the added benefit of relief. We can help you with #IRSgarnishments, #IRSlevies, #IRSaudits and other tax issues. Take the first step and give us a call today. #AustinTaxHelp #SATaxHelp

We're back in Austin after a 4 year hiatus! We opened our office at 7000 n. Mopac at Far West. We strive to help taxpayers dig out of their IRS tax problems - one step at a time. Please visit our new Austin website - www.austin-tax-help.com . Time after time we hear from clients about the sense of relief we provide. From our expert advice about how to stop the IRS train to our fixed fee and installment fee agreement - let us show you the difference we can make. Our main office remains in San Antonio where will continue to help San Antonians and south Texas with a higher quality of service. #Austin-Tax-Help #SATaxHelp

Texas has a great reputation on the national scene as to taxes.  What you don't hear about is the wide net that the Texas Comptroller throws on businesses. Didn't think you taxes in Texas because we don't have taxes in Texas? Wrong! Don't take this the wrong way - I'm not criticizing the Texas Comptroller. They do a great job with the resources they have. I do wish they were a little more accomodating to taxpayers, but for the most part they do a great job. No, the burden is on the business taxpayer. Its up to you to determine what you may owe and what you need to do to handle compliance duties. Here is a great primer at the T exas Comptroller website that may help you get started.   Need more info? Contact us here .

The IRS is changing the way some Sub S shareholders are taxed. The change depends on the shareholders level of activity in the business. The IRS will now charge passive shareholders a 3.8% tax. The tax is hidden - wait for it - in the Affordable Care Act. The IRS uses a number of factors to determine whether a shareholder is passive or active. The primary test is the number of hours the shareholder spends in the business, with 500 hours being the threshold level. Most S corps are made up of active shareholders, so this change will have no impact. The significance to me of this changes, is the continuing trend on shareholders/owners/officers etc to document another aspect of their business. Also lurking in the background are other changes that may be hidden in the Affordable Care Act that are not yet well publicized. Questions - contact tax attorney Martin Cantu and the staff at #SATaxHelp.com.