Tax Lawyer In Berkley, MI

A Tax Lawyer in Berkley, MI from Austin & Larson Tax Resolution serves Berkley taxpayers through phone consultations, secure video meetings, an encrypted document portal, and in-person meetings at our Brighton office (roughly 30 miles from Berkley). The IRS does not require physical proximity to your representative. Our Michigan-based attorneys appear on your behalf via Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) regardless of which Oakland County city you live in.

Three things make remote tax representation work as well as in-person service for most cases. The IRS communicates with your representative by mail, fax, secure messaging, and phone, not by physical visit. Document exchange happens through an encrypted client portal, which is faster and more auditable than couriering paper between offices. And when in-person matters, the 30-mile drive to our Brighton office is shorter than the wait time at most downtown Detroit firms.

Austin & Larson Tax Resolution handles the full range of IRS and Michigan Department of Treasury problems facing Berkley individuals and businesses. The most common case types from Oakland County clients are payroll tax (Form 941) trust fund liability, self-employment and estimated tax shortfalls, unfiled returns, wage garnishment defense, and audit representation. Bridgette Austin and the team file Form 2848 immediately on engagement, which routes all tax authority contact through our office.

Services we provide to Berkley-area clients:

• Payroll tax (Form 941) trust fund liability. This hits Berkley small business owners along the Woodward Avenue corridor and other commercial strips. Payroll tax is trust-fund revenue, which means the IRS pursues it more aggressively than any other collection matter. The Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP) can assign personal liability to any “responsible person” inside the business, including officers, bookkeepers, and shareholders. We defend against TFRP assessments and negotiate resolution.
• Self-employment tax and estimated tax penalty defense. Berkley has a high concentration of self-employed professionals: real estate agents, independent consultants, contractors, medical providers, and creative professionals. Estimated tax shortfalls accumulate fast and trigger CP504 and Letter 1058 within a year of the missed quarter. We file missing returns, structure payment plans, and request first-time or reasonable-cause penalty abatement where it applies.
• Wage garnishment and bank levy defense. Active collection. We file Form 2848 the day we are engaged and contact the IRS to halt the levy. Most wage garnishments are released within 24 to 72 hours of our involvement.
• Unfiled return preparation. Three to ten years of missing returns prepared accurately. Often we reduce the assessed amount where the IRS has filed a Substitute for Return (SFR) on your behalf, because SFRs claim no deductions or credits.
• IRS audit representation. Correspondence, office, and field audits, plus state-level Michigan Department of Treasury audits. The client does not attend.
• IRS appeals. Form 12203 or a formal protest, followed by representation at the Appeals conference.
• Tax Court representation. When appeals does not resolve the case, Bridgette Austin’s JD plus EA combination allows her to file the Tax Court petition and litigate.
• Michigan Department of Treasury matters. State-level sales tax audits, MI individual income tax disputes, MI Corporate Income Tax problems, and state wage garnishment defense.

Berkley searchers will see national chain ads at the top of the Local Pack. National chains route cases through a sales department, then a separate case manager, then a separate resolution team, with handoffs at every stage. Austin & Larson Tax Resolution staffs your case at consultation with the same team that resolves it. We work Michigan tax matters every day, including Michigan Department of Treasury procedures most national firms have never touched.

Three concrete differences worth knowing:

One team, no handoffs. National chains sell your case, then transfer it. Bridgette Austin and the Austin & Larson team staff your case at the consultation and carry it through resolution. The person you speak to first is part of the team that finishes the case.

Michigan tax authority fluency. State of Michigan tax matters need someone who knows the state forms, the Hearings Division, and the Michigan Tax Tribunal process. National chains write IRS-only content because most of their staff has never worked a Michigan Treasury case. We work both authorities every week.

Real attorneys, real EAs, real CPAs, all in-house. National chains rely heavily on Enrolled Agents and outsource or simply lack JD-level work. The JD plus EA pairing under Bridgette Austin, combined with the CPA plus EA pairing under Dustin Larson, means complex cases that need litigation or attorney-client privilege stay with the firm. No referral fees, no handoff loss.

Do you have an office in Berkley, MI?

No, Austin & Larson Tax Resolution does not have a physical office in Berkley. We have three Michigan offices: Brighton, Lansing, and Saginaw. Our Brighton office is roughly 30 miles from Berkley and serves as the nearest in-person meeting location for Berkley-area clients. Most of our Berkley case work happens through phone consultations, secure video meetings, and an encrypted document portal, which the IRS accepts for all standard representation. We are transparent about this because Berkley clients deserve a clear answer, not a fake-local virtual address.

Can a tax lawyer in Brighton actually represent me in Berkley?

Yes, and the way the IRS works makes this routine. Once we file Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) for you, all IRS contact routes through our Brighton office, regardless of where you live in Michigan. Wage garnishment release requests, audit responses, appeals filings, and resolution program submissions all happen through mail, fax, secure messaging, and phone, not in-person visits. Bridgette Austin and the Austin & Larson team represent Berkley clients the same way they represent Brighton clients, with no difference in service quality or speed.

When should I hire a tax lawyer instead of a CPA?

You need a tax lawyer in Berkley, MI when the matter moves past return preparation into legal exposure. The triggering events: a Letter 1058 (Final Notice of Intent to Levy), a CP504, a wage garnishment, a bank levy, payroll tax (Form 941) trust fund problems, three or more years of unfiled returns, a Statutory Notice of Deficiency with a 90-day Tax Court window, any IRS Criminal Investigation contact, IRS appeals representation, or any case where total exposure exceeds $50,000. CPAs handle return preparation and examination-level audits well. A tax attorney handles everything past that point. Austin & Larson Tax Resolution covers both sides under one roof.

How long does it take to resolve IRS tax debt?

The timeline depends on the resolution program. An Installment Agreement under $50,000 sets up in 30 to 60 days. Currently Not Collectible status approves in 30 to 90 days. An Offer in Compromise takes 6 to 12 months from submission to acceptance. Penalty Abatement resolves in 60 to 120 days. Active collection (wage garnishment, bank levy) is typically halted within 24 to 72 hours of Austin & Larson filing Form 2848 on your behalf. Berkley clients with simpler cases often have everything closed in under four months.

Does the IRS forgive old tax debt?

The IRS has a 10-year collection clock called the Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED), which starts on the date the tax is assessed (not the year the tax was earned). Once the CSED passes, the IRS can no longer collect the debt. Certain actions pause the clock: bankruptcy filings, pending Offer in Compromise reviews, and Collection Due Process appeals. Many older debts are closer to expiration than people realize. We pull your account transcripts and calculate exact CSED dates on every case, because waiting out the statute is sometimes the right play.

Can the IRS or the State of Michigan take my Berkley home?

The IRS can file a federal tax lien against your real property, and in severe cases can pursue a judicial sale, though forced sales are rare and require court approval. The State of Michigan can file a state tax lien that attaches to property at the county level. Both liens cloud the title and prevent a sale or refinance until the debt is resolved. Most cases never escalate to seizure. The fix is to engage representation before liens are filed, or to negotiate a lien withdrawal, subordination, or discharge after. We handle both federal and Michigan state liens for Berkley clients.

What if I haven’t filed taxes in several years?

Unfiled returns are one of the most common situations we see from Berkley-area clients. The IRS rule of thumb is six years for compliance, though we often prepare three to ten years depending on the case. Filing missing returns is the first step in nearly every resolution path; the IRS will not accept an Installment Agreement, an Offer in Compromise, or Currently Not Collectible status until you are in filing compliance. Dustin Larson and the team prepare back returns and often reduce the assessed amounts when the IRS has filed a Substitute for Return.

Is the consultation actually free?

Yes, the initial consultation is free with no obligation. It happens by phone, by secure video, or in person at our Brighton office, whichever fits your schedule. We review your IRS or Michigan Treasury notices, ask the questions we need to understand your situation, and tell you straight what the realistic resolution path looks like. We do not pressure-sell, and we will not take a case where engagement does not make financial sense for the client.