Austin & Larson Tax Resolution
Tax Lawyer In Windsor Township, MI
Owe the IRS or the Michigan Department of Treasury and live in Windsor Township, Dimondale, or anywhere in Eaton County? We work your case from our Lansing office, a short drive north, with tax attorneys, CPAs, and IRS Enrolled Agents on one team.
Tax Debt is Often
Intimidating
Frustrating
Confusing
Embarrassing
Stressful
… But it Doesn’t Have to Be
There is no dedicated tax-resolution office inside Windsor Township
You will not find a tax-resolution or IRS controversy practice physically located in Windsor Township, Dimondale, or central Charlotte. For Eaton County, the specialized help comes from the Lansing area or metro Detroit.
Our nearest office is in south Lansing on Long Boulevard, a short drive from the township. We meet Eaton County clients there, or handle the full case by phone and secure document upload, so you are not driving to Detroit or Grand Rapids for every signature.
That distance question matters more than it sounds. A general attorney in Charlotte who handles tax work alongside estate planning and probate can be fine for a basic state notice or a single property tax question. For IRS audits, liens, levies, or a problem that crosses federal and state lines at the same time, the work goes faster with a team that handles those cases by volume.
You may be dealing with two tax authorities, not one
Owe both the IRS and the State of Michigan? Treat them as two separate cases. A federal Offer in Compromise does not touch your Michigan balance, and a Michigan Offer in Compromise does not touch your IRS balance.
Internal Revenue Service
Audits and exams, federal liens and levies, wage garnishment, IRS Offer in Compromise (Form 656), installment agreements, penalty abatement, Currently Not Collectible status, and unfiled federal returns.
Michigan Dept. of Treasury
State assessments and notices, Michigan tax liens and bank levies, wage garnishment, the Michigan Offer in Compromise (Form 5181), state installment agreements, and penalty waivers for reasonable cause.
Looking For A Fresh Start in Michigan?
We Are Here To Help!
Should the weight of tax debt be pressing down on you, we urge you to connect with us to avail of a no-cost
consultation. Our objective revolves around untangling tax debt complexities for clients entangled in an array of
tax-related dilemmas. It would bring us immense satisfaction to furnish you with solutions to your inquiries and aid
you in swiftly settling your tax debt matters.
Michigan vs IRS settlements: what is actually different
Both the IRS and Michigan Treasury offer settlements and payment plans. The forms, the down payments, and the timelines are not the same, and one agency accepting your offer does not bind the other.
| Feature | IRS (federal) | Michigan Treasury (state) |
|---|---|---|
| Offer in Compromise form | Form 656 | Form 5181 (collectability, liability, or federal-acceptance versions) |
| Initial payment with the offer | 20% of a lump-sum offer or the first periodic payment, plus the application fee | The greater of $100 or 20% of the offer, nonrefundable |
| Payment window if accepted | Lump sum or periodic terms | Lump sum within 30 days, 5 or fewer monthly payments, or 6 to 24 monthly payments (24-month ceiling) |
| Collection clock | Generally 10 years from the date of assessment (the CSED) | Different rules and timing than the federal clock; ask your representative about your specific assessments |
| Cross-credit | Separate process; uses Form 656 | Will consider an offer based on an already-accepted IRS Offer in Compromise (Michigan sales tax is excluded from that route) |
Two details people miss: interest and penalties keep adding up while a Michigan offer is under review, and a lien usually stays in place until the settlement is paid in full, even though active levies generally pause during the review.
The 2025 to 2026 Michigan tax changes most pages have not caught
Michigan Public Act 24 of 2025, signed October 7, 2025, decoupled the state income tax from several federal deductions created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, starting with the 2025 tax year. For many filers that means an add-back that raises Michigan taxable income even though the federal return did not change.
This one mostly lands on businesses, the self-employed, and owners of partnerships, S-corporations, and LLCs, through bonus depreciation, the Section 179 limit, the business interest deduction, and research expenses. A typical W-2 wage earner sees little change. On the prior-year items the state decoupled from, Treasury has said you generally do not need to file amended returns for 2022 through 2024.
One current detail that does not show up on generic directory pages: Treasury issued penalty-and-interest relief on certain 2025 corporate estimated payments tied to the timing of the decoupling, available by written request. Flow-through and individual filers can ask for a reasonable-cause waiver on their own underpayments.
If a 2025 add-back pushes your Michigan balance higher, the time to model it is now, not next April when the bill arrives.
Eaton County property tax appeals: the sequence people get wrong
For 2026, your taxable value can rise no more than 2.7% (the state inflation rate multiplier is 1.027). But you have to appeal in the right order, or you can lose the right to appeal at all.
Assessment notice
Read it for your taxable value and your property classification. A wrong classification alone can change the bill.
Local Board of Review
Residential and agricultural owners must start here. Skip it and you generally cannot move up.
Michigan Tax Tribunal
Residential and agricultural: file by July 31. Commercial and industrial can go straight to the Tribunal by May 31 (June 1 in 2026, since May 31 is a Sunday).
Here is the local quirk a national firm will not know. Windsor Township is split across seven school districts, including Holt-Dimondale, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Potterville, Waverly, Grand Ledge, and Charlotte. Your millage rate depends on which district your parcel sits in, so two neighbors can pay different rates. Check the school district printed on your assessment notice before you compare your bill to anyone else’s.
The pressure is real and it compounds. The 2.7% cap for 2026 sits on top of 3.1% in 2025 and 5% in both 2024 and 2023, so some parcels have seen double-digit taxable-value growth in just a few years. Simply calling the assessor is not the same as preserving your full appeal rights.
Our Process | Simple, Fast & Stress Free
Step 1: Initial Contact
During your first call to our office, we will ask you a brief
background of your current tax situation and determine the
most convenient office location for your free initial
consultation.
Step 2: Free Consultation
We will meet with you to review and discuss your individual
facts and circumstances to create a customized tax relief plan
for your situation and the next steps to take to resolve your tax
situation.
Step 3: Begin Resolving Debt
Once we have decided to move forward, we will immediately begin working with the IRS on your behalf to resolve your
case as quickly as possible. We will also provide advice and the steps you need to take to ensure you do not acquire
any additional debt while we work to settle your case. From the moment you retain our firm, we will be your voice with
the IRS and the point of contact for all taxing entities.
Step 4: Monitor Case Status
Some tax debt cases can be resolved quickly, while others may
have quite a bit of back and forth contact with the IRS to reach
full resolution. We will regularly monitor your case and keep
you in the loop along the way so you are never left in the dark.
Step 5: Tax Freedom!
It is our goal not only to resolve your current tax debt but also
to make sure that you don't have any further tax problems.
After we have reached resolution with your case, you will be
fully equipped with best practices to avoid future tax issues of
any kind.
Frequently Asked Question
Is there a tax lawyer actually based in Windsor Township?
Not a dedicated tax-resolution or IRS-focused practice. The specialized help for Eaton County comes from the Lansing area or metro Detroit. We serve the township from our Lansing office and can handle most of a case by phone and secure upload.
Do I need a tax attorney, or can a CPA handle my IRS notice?
For a simple notice or a math-error letter, a CPA or an Enrolled Agent is often enough. For an audit, a proposed assessment, a lien or levy, or anything that could reach Tax Court or collection, an attorney brings tools the others do not, including attorney-client privilege. Our team includes all three, so you are not locked into the wrong one.
Will hiring you stop an IRS or Michigan levy or garnishment?
We can request holds and work collection alternatives such as installment agreements or Currently Not Collectible status. What is possible depends on your facts, your filing compliance, and the agency involved. We do not promise a specific outcome before reviewing your account.
Do you handle both IRS and State of Michigan tax debt?
Yes. They are separate cases with separate forms, the IRS uses Form 656 and Michigan uses Form 5181, so we work each track and coordinate the timing between them.
Can you help with my 2026 property tax assessment?
Yes, through your local March Board of Review first and then the Michigan Tax Tribunal. Watch the deadlines: residential and agricultural owners file with the Tribunal by July 31, while commercial and industrial owners can file directly by May 31 (June 1 in 2026).
How recent are the changes that affect me right now?
Public Act 24 decoupling is already in effect for 2025 returns, and the 2.7% property tax cap is live for 2026. Both are newer than most directory pages reflect, which is why timing your move matters.
Get a clear read on your tax problem
The fastest next step is to pull your specific notice or assessment and get a straight answer about your options. The first consultation is free, by phone or in person in Lansing.
If your issue is the 2026 assessment, the calendar is honest pressure: the Board of Review meets in March and the Tribunal deadlines fall in late spring and summer. Earlier is better.
Weekdays 8am-6pm
Brighton, Saginaw, Lansing, and Jackson, MI
Free Phone or In-Person Consultation
Fill out the form below or give us a call today to speak with one of our tax experts!
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