Tax Lawyer In Northville, MI

A tax lawyer in Northville represents you in front of the IRS and the Michigan Department of Treasury when you owe back taxes, face an audit, or have collection action already running. Austin & Larson Tax Resolution files Power of Attorney (Form 2848) the day you retain us, pulls your IRS account transcripts to see every notice and assessment on file, identifies the resolution path that costs you the least, and handles every IRS conversation from that point forward. You stop getting collection calls. We start getting them.

Most people who land on this page already know they have a problem. What they don’t know is what a tax attorney actually does, what it changes, and what the first 30 days look like.

Here is what changes the day you hire us:

Power of Attorney is filed. Form 2848 goes to the IRS within 24 hours of retention. From the moment that filing posts, the IRS contacts us, not you.

Your IRS account transcripts come to our desk. Account Transcripts, Records of Account, and Wage & Income transcripts for every year you owe. We see every notice, every assessment, every payment, and every penalty that has been applied. Most clients are surprised by what’s actually on their account.

Collection action pauses. When a Power of Attorney is on file and a resolution conversation is open, the IRS pauses most enforced collection (with some exceptions for cases already in active levy). Wage garnishments can be released. Bank levies can be released. Liens can sometimes be subordinated. We pursue the right relief based on what’s on the transcripts.

The resolution strategy gets built. We identify which resolution path the case qualifies for (Offer in Compromise, Installment Agreement, Currently Not Collectible, penalty abatement, audit appeal) and how to position the financial disclosures to give you the best result the law allows.

Michigan Department of Treasury gets the same treatment. If you owe Michigan as well as the IRS (most clients do), we file the state Power of Attorney (Form 151) and run both authorities in parallel under one project plan.

The cases below are what Northville actually looks like in our practice. Because Northville sits in a higher-income corridor of Wayne and Oakland County, Austin & Larson Tax Resolution sees more business owners with payroll tax problems, more multi-year audits of professionals with complicated returns, and more Offer in Compromise filings with substantial asset profiles than we see in lower-income service areas. Your situation may not match exactly, but it probably looks like one of these.

Business owners with unpaid 941 payroll tax

This is the case type that hurts most. Unpaid 941 (federal payroll tax) carries personal liability through the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP). The IRS can pierce the corporate veil and pursue owners, officers, and bookkeepers individually for the trust fund portion of the debt. We defend TFRP assessments, negotiate business installment agreements that keep the company operating, and protect personal assets where the law allows.

Multi-year IRS audits

When the IRS opens an audit covering two or more tax years (common for higher-income filers with Schedule C, Schedule E, or pass-through income), exposure compounds. One disallowed deduction or unreported 1099 can multiply across every year under review. We represent you at the audit, negotiate findings, and escalate to Appeals when warranted.

Unfiled returns from busy professionals

Doctors, lawyers, consultants, and small-business owners who let filing slip during a busy stretch and then can’t get caught up alone. The IRS sometimes files a Substitute for Return on your behalf if you stay silent long enough, and a Substitute for Return is almost always worse than what you’d file yourself (no deductions, no credits, married-filing-separately rates). We file the missing returns first, then negotiate the resolution.

Complex Offer in Compromise candidates

Higher asset profiles, retirement accounts, home equity, business interests, and multiple income streams require more careful financial disclosure than typical OICs. Done right, the Offer still works. Done wrong, it gets rejected and you’ve handed the IRS a roadmap to your assets.

Tax debt from business closures and divorce settlements

Two situations that generate tax debt without anyone planning for it. We handle the resulting collection and negotiate the resolution.

Wage garnishments and bank levies in progress

Less common at this income level but it still happens. The fix is the same: file Power of Attorney, contact the IRS levy unit, demonstrate hardship, get the levy released.

Northville clients choose Austin & Larson Tax Resolution for three reasons most national tax relief chains and Detroit-area solo firms can’t match: a tax attorney and a CPA working the same case, nearby Michigan offices with full remote service for clients who prefer it, and direct access to the people actually doing the work. No call center, no junior staff managing a file with a senior name on the door.

A JD/EA and an EA/CPA on every case

Bridgette Austin, JD, EA serves as Vice President. The JD makes her a licensed attorney with the right to represent clients in U.S. Tax Court when a case can’t be resolved administratively. The EA gives her unlimited representation rights before the IRS on collection, audit, and appeals matters. Dustin Larson, EA, CPA leads the firm’s accounting and resolution work. He came up through accounting at Ferris State University before moving into tax resolution. The CPA credential lets him build airtight financial disclosures, which is what the IRS actually uses to decide whether to accept an Offer in Compromise or grant Currently Not Collectible status.

Most resolution firms staff one credential or the other. A solo tax attorney without a CPA outsources the numbers. A CPA without an attorney can’t represent you in Tax Court or invoke attorney-client privilege if a case has fraud penalty exposure. Bridgette and Dustin built the firm specifically to do both on every case.

Nearby offices, honest service-area framing

We don’t have a Northville office. Some Detroit-area firms claim Northville locations that are actually virtual addresses or rented mailbox suites with no practitioner on site. We say plainly that our nearest offices are Brighton (about 25 minutes northwest of Northville) and Ann Arbor (about 30 minutes west). Most Northville clients pick one for the first consultation and then handle the rest remotely. Some go fully remote from day one. Either works.

The same people on your case from start to finish

When you hire Austin & Larson Tax Resolution, the attorney and accountant you meet at the consultation work your file until the IRS issues written closure. No hand-off after the contract signs. The credentials you hired are the credentials doing the work.

Federal IRS and Michigan state tax under one engagement

Most national chains handle federal IRS cases only and refer Michigan Department of Treasury problems out to a separate firm. Many Northville clients owe both. We resolve federal and state together, with one project plan, which is faster and less duplicative than running parallel cases.

How long does it take to resolve IRS tax debt?

Resolution timelines range from 60 days to 12 months, depending on the path. A straightforward Installment Agreement can be set up in two to three months. Currently Not Collectible status takes 60 to 90 days once financial disclosures are filed. An Offer in Compromise typically takes 6 to 9 months for IRS review, sometimes longer if the IRS requests additional information. The IRS pauses most collection action once your representative files Form 2848, so the financial pressure usually lifts within the first 30 days, well before the case is fully resolved.

What’s the difference between a tax lawyer and a tax preparer in Northville?

A tax preparer files returns. A tax lawyer defends you when the IRS challenges what was filed (or wasn’t filed). Northville, MI residents need a tax preparer for routine annual filing. They need a tax lawyer when the IRS sends Letter 1058, garnishes wages, files a federal tax lien, or opens an audit covering multiple years. Austin & Larson Tax Resolution does both under one roof, which means your resolution attorney has direct access to the numbers behind your case rather than working from a separate firm’s prep work.

Can a Northville tax lawyer stop wage garnishment?

Yes, a Tax Lawyer In Northville, MI can typically stop IRS wage garnishment within 24 to 72 hours. The process: your attorney files Power of Attorney (Form 2848), contacts the IRS levy unit, demonstrates that the garnishment causes financial hardship under IRS standards, and proposes an alternative resolution such as an Installment Agreement or CNC status. Austin & Larson Tax Resolution has handled emergency levy releases the same business day when a Northville client was about to miss rent, payroll, or a mortgage payment. Call the moment you receive the levy notice.

Will the IRS accept an Offer in Compromise from a Northville, MI resident?

The IRS accepts Offers in Compromise based on financial reality, not geography. Acceptance hinges on three factors: your monthly disposable income, the realizable value of your assets, and your remaining Collection Statute. The IRS accepted around 32% of Offers nationally in 2023. The acceptance rate for represented taxpayers is meaningfully higher than for self-filers, because the disclosure forms (433-A, 433-B, 656) are unforgiving of small errors. Northville’s higher average asset profile (home equity, retirement accounts, business interests) makes professional preparation more important, not less.

Does Austin & Larson Tax Resolution have a Northville, MI office?

No, Austin & Larson Tax Resolution does not have a physical office in Northville. Our four Michigan offices are in Brighton, Saginaw, Lansing, and Ann Arbor. The two nearest Northville are Brighton (about 25 minutes northwest) and Ann Arbor (about 30 minutes west). Most Northville clients pick one for the initial in-person consultation and handle the rest by phone, video, and secure document upload. Some clients go fully remote from day one. We represent Michigan clients regardless of where you physically meet, and the practitioners on your case are the same either way.

What happens if I haven’t filed tax returns in years?

You’ll need to file before the IRS will negotiate. No resolution path (Offer in Compromise, Installment Agreement, CNC) is available to a non-filer. The IRS sometimes files a Substitute for Return on your behalf if you stay silent long enough, and a Substitute for Return is almost always worse than what you’d file yourself (no deductions, married-filing-separately rates, no credits). Austin & Larson Tax Resolution prepares the back returns first, gets you into compliance, then opens the resolution conversation. Six years of unfiled returns is the typical IRS minimum to come into compliance.

Can a Northville tax lawyer help with Michigan state tax debt, not just IRS problems?

Yes, a Tax Lawyer In Northville, MI handles Michigan Department of Treasury cases alongside federal IRS problems. State collection in Michigan can be more aggressive than federal in some respects. The state can intercept your refund, suspend professional and driver licenses for unpaid tax debt, and place liens on Michigan property faster than the IRS in many cases. Austin & Larson Tax Resolution files Michigan Form 151 (the state Power of Attorney), negotiates payment plans with the Treasury’s Collections Bureau, and pursues Offer in Compromise equivalents under Michigan tax law. Most clients owe both authorities.

Does the IRS just forgive old tax debt automatically?

The IRS does not forgive tax debt automatically, but tax debt does expire. Each tax year carries a 10-year Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED). After 10 years from the date the tax was assessed, the IRS can no longer collect on that year. Certain events pause the clock: bankruptcy filings, Offers in Compromise under review, certain appeals, and time out of the country. Most people who think their old debt will go away on its own are missing the events that extended their CSED. A Northville tax attorney pulls your IRS account transcripts and tells you the exact expiration date for each year you owe.