Austin & Larson Tax Resolution
Tax Lawyer In Williamstown Township, MI
IRS and Michigan Department of Treasury problems, worked by an attorney and a CPA in-house.
The First Move After an IRS Notice
The day an IRS notice arrives, the only thing that matters is which clock it started. Some notices give you 90 days, most give 30, and a few give you almost none. Read the clock first, then act.
Whatever you do, avoid a few common missteps. Ignoring the notice and tucking it away is a mistake, since the IRS runs on automated systems that keep ratcheting up enforcement until someone intervenes. Picking up the phone and calling the agency on your own is risky too, every word you say becomes part of your record, and people handling these calls for the first time frequently agree to extended timelines or inadvertently open up additional tax years. And don’t rush to pay an amount that might not hold up under a transcript review; the IRS does make mistakes, and in some cases, paying the full balance is actually the worst decision you can make. A tax lawyer in Williamstown Township, MI can review your notice, check it against your actual transcripts, and step in before any of these pitfalls cause lasting damage.
Then the work starts. The firm pulls your Account Transcripts, Records of Account, and Wage and Income Transcripts for every year you owe, which almost always surface something the client did not know was on file. It files Power of Attorney, Form 2848 for the IRS and Form 151 for the Michigan Department of Treasury, within the first day of an engagement, so both agencies contact the firm and not you. Only then does the plan get built around what the transcripts actually show.
Most tax-resolution firms put a lawyer or an accountant on your case. This one puts both on every file: Bridgette Austin, JD, EA, and Dustin Larson, EA, CPA, from your first call until the IRS closes the case in writing.
The Tax Problems Williamstown Township Actually Brings Us
Williamstown Township is farm country in eastern Ingham County, a short drive from the state capital, and the cases here look nothing like a big-metro caseload. The pattern is farm and self-employment income, small Williamston businesses behind on payroll tax, and Lansing-area public employees whose side income reshaped a joint return.
Schedule F and self-employment deficiencies
When you earn farm income on Schedule F or contract income on a 1099-NEC or 1099-K, the payer reports it to the IRS, and the computer matches that against your Schedule SE. If you paid self-employment tax on less than the third-party data shows, the IRS can prove the shortfall without you saying a word. That is why these are among the easiest cases the IRS works. A W-2 audit has to weigh deductions, basis, and business purpose. A Schedule SE deficiency just needs a calculator and the 1099 data already on file.
Missed estimated payments
Self-employed and farm filers are supposed to pay tax as they earn it. Most pay too little, and the year-end balance plus an underpayment penalty lands all at once at filing time. For farmers there is a separate rule that changes this entirely, covered in the next section. For everyone else, the firm negotiates the balance, files penalty abatement where the law allows, and sets up an Installment Agreement when the number cannot be paid at once.
Unpaid 941 payroll tax for small businesses
Williamston Main Street businesses with a few employees produce real 941 problems. Unpaid payroll tax carries personal liability for owners, officers, and bookkeepers through the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty, and the IRS can pursue them individually even after the business closes. The firm defends those assessments and negotiates business agreements that keep the company running.
State employees and dual-income joint returns
With the capital next door, plenty of households here pair a state government W-2 with side income. When one spouse’s 1099 work or under-withholding created the debt and the other did not know, Innocent Spouse Relief can take the second spouse off the hook for the balance.
Tax Debt is Often
Intimidating
Frustrating
Confusing
Embarrassing
Stressful
… But it Doesn’t Have to Be
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.
What We Do | Tax Resolution
Offer In Compromise
Installment Agreements
Non-Collectable Status
Compliance
Revenue Officer Representation
Levies & Wage Garnishments
Bankruptcy
Audit Representation
Tax Return Preparation
Handling tax resolution may feel daunting, but with our expert guidance, you'll experience relief knowing seasoned professionals are by your side. At Austin & Larson Tax Resolution, our experienced Michigan tax lawyers are dedicated to delivering the reassurance and help you deserve. Well-regarded for their expertise and in-depth understanding of Michigan State tax regulations, our proficient tax relief lawyers provide a full spectrum of services, from thorough consultations to exceptional legal advocacy, all focused on securing the most favorable resolution to your tax matters.
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.
The Farmer’s Deadline Most Tax Pages Skip
If at least two thirds of your gross income comes from farming, the IRS does not expect quarterly estimated payments from you. You can skip them entirely by filing your return and paying the full tax due by March 1. Miss that, and the underpayment penalty under Section 6654 starts running.
The rule, in plain terms: a qualifying farmer can either make one estimated payment by January 15 instead of four, or skip estimates and file and pay in full by March 1 of the following year. When March 1 falls on a weekend, the deadline shifts to the next business day. The safe-harbor target is also lower, two thirds of your current-year tax rather than the 90 percent everyone else faces. Farm income goes on Schedule F, and Form 2210-F is what figures any penalty that does apply.
Here is the part that mattered this year. For 2025 returns the March 1 deadline landed on March 2, 2026, because March 1 was a Sunday. Then the IRS waived the estimated-tax penalty outright. Notice 2026-24 gave qualifying farmers and fishermen until April 15, 2026 to file and pay, because a late correction to the Form 8995 instructions and the software delays behind it made on-time filing impossible for many. The waiver applies automatically if you qualify and do not report a penalty on the return. If you already filed and paid one, Form 843, marked “Request for Relief under Notice 2026-24,” gets it back.
Most pages aimed at this keyword never mention any of it. The firm watches these rules closely because a large share of the local caseload turns on them.
If the Problem Is Your Property Assessment, That Is a Different Door
If your tax problem is a jump in your property assessment, that is not an IRS matter and it does not run through a tax-resolution firm. It starts at the township, and the deadlines are tight.
The path is local first. Your assessment change notice arrives in February. To contest the value, you protest to the March Board of Review using the state Petition to Board of Review, Form L-4035. In Williamstown Township the assessor is Steve Vaughn, and the treasurer is Kim VanErp. If the Board of Review does not fix it, residential and agricultural property can be appealed to the Michigan Tax Tribunal in Lansing by July 31. You have to protest locally first, or the Tribunal will not take the case. And keep paying your taxes while you appeal, because Michigan requires it; you can ask for a refund if you win.
One local reality the generic pages skip: in a rural township the hard part is evidence. Good comparable sales are thinner on the ground than in a dense subdivision, which makes the value case harder to build. Taxable value also moves under Proposal A, which caps the yearly increase on a capped parcel at the rate of inflation or 5 percent, whichever is lower, until the property changes hands.
What the firm handles is the other side of the ledger: income, self-employment, business, and payroll tax with the IRS and the Michigan Department of Treasury. If you are not sure which problem you have, the assessment notice and any IRS or Treasury letters tell the story in one call. The township assessing office and treasurer’s office publish the local dates and forms.
Your Tax Debt Doesn’t Have to Define Your Future
Overwhelming tax debt can feel like a weight you’ll never shake, but you don’t have to face it alone. If you’re searching for a Tax Lawyer in Williamstown Township, MI, Austin & Larson Tax Resolution has the experience and dedication to fight for the relief you deserve. Call us today at (866) 668-2953 or request your free consultation online. We offer same-day callbacks Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm. Operating out of our Brighton office, we proudly serve Williamstown Township and communities across Michigan through convenient remote consultations.
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!
Tax Debt is Often
Intimidating
Frustrating
Confusing
Embarrassing
Stressful
… But it Doesn’t Have to Be
Who Works on Your Case
Two practitioners work your file, and they cover two different jobs that most firms split between a lawyer and an outside accountant.
Bridgette Austin, JD, EA, Vice President
Bridgette is a licensed attorney and an IRS Enrolled Agent. The law degree lets her represent clients in U.S. Tax Court when a case cannot be settled administratively. The Enrolled Agent credential carries unlimited representation rights before the IRS on collection, audit, and appeals. For unfiled returns going back years, possible fraud-penalty risk, or Trust Fund Recovery exposure, the attorney credential and attorney-client privilege matter from the first call.
Dustin Larson, EA, CPA
Dustin is an Enrolled Agent and a licensed Certified Public Accountant who came up through the accounting program at Ferris State University. The CPA precision is where the IRS financial disclosures, the Form 433-A and the 433-B, decide whether an Offer in Compromise lives or dies. For Schedule F and Schedule C reconstruction, having a CPA build the numbers is a real edge.
Both jobs, one engagement
Tax law and accounting are not the same work. A solo tax attorney outsources the math. A CPA-only shop cannot take you into Tax Court if the case escalates. The firm keeps both in-house, and it handles the IRS and the Michigan Department of Treasury under a single engagement instead of referring the state half to another office. The two people you meet at the consultation are the two people who work the file until the IRS issues written closure. There is no hand-off to junior staff after you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
I just got an IRS notice. What is the first thing to do in Williamstown Township?
Do not ignore it, do not call the IRS yourself, and do not pay it blindly. First read which deadline it started. Most notices give 30 days. A Letter 1058 or LT11 gives 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing on Form 12153. A Notice of Deficiency gives 90 days to petition U.S. Tax Court. Pull your account transcripts to see what is on file, then file Power of Attorney, Form 2848 for the IRS and Form 151 for Michigan, so the agencies contact your representative instead of you. The firm files both in the first day of an engagement.
Is there a tax lawyer with an office inside Williamstown Township?
No. The closest of the firm’s four Michigan offices is in Lansing, roughly 20 minutes west on I-96. Tax resolution is document heavy and time sensitive, so most Ingham County clients work with the firm remotely. Some drive to the Lansing office for the first meeting.
Can a tax lawyer stop a wage garnishment or bank levy?
Usually within 24 to 72 hours of filing Power of Attorney and proposing an alternative such as an Installment Agreement or Currently Not Collectible status. A bank levy holds your funds for 21 days before the bank sends them to the IRS, so there is a window to act if you move quickly. Call the day the levy notice arrives.
I have not filed in years. How many returns do I have to catch up?
Usually the last six. IRS Policy Statement 5-133 sets six years as the normal filing compliance window, though a revenue officer on the case, a business return, or a large balance can push it further back. No resolution, including an Offer in Compromise, a payment plan, or Currently Not Collectible status, is available until you are filed. If the IRS filed a Substitute for Return for you, that version carries no deductions and usually overstates what you owe.
Can you handle Michigan Department of Treasury debt, not just the IRS?
Yes, and most clients owe both. The firm files the Michigan Authorized Representative Declaration, Form 151, and works the state in parallel with the federal case under one engagement. Michigan can intercept your refund and move on liens and license matters, so the state side should not be left for later.
My property assessment jumped. Can you appeal it for me?
A property assessment dispute is a separate local process, not an IRS matter, and it is not what the firm handles. It runs through the March Board of Review using the state Petition to Board of Review, Form L-4035, and then the Michigan Tax Tribunal by July 31 for residential and agricultural property. You must protest locally first, and you should keep paying your taxes while you appeal. The firm handles income, business, and payroll tax with the IRS and the Michigan Department of Treasury.
Does the IRS ever just forgive old tax debt?
Not automatically, but it does expire. Each assessment carries a 10 year Collection Statute Expiration Date. After 10 years the IRS can no longer collect that year, although bankruptcy, an Offer in Compromise under review, certain appeals, and time spent outside the country pause the clock. Your account transcripts show the exact date for each year you owe.
Learn From The Experts
IRS LT11 Notice (Or Letter 1058): How To Stop An IRS Levy
Written By: Michael Vale Reviewed By: Bridgette Austin, Esq., EA, Co-Founder and Tax Attorney Last Reviewed: August 9, 2026 An IRS LT11 notice, also sent as Letter 1058, is the last warning the IRS gives before it can legally take your wages, bank accounts, or other...
How To Respond To An IRS Notice Of Deficiency
Written By: Michael Vale Reviewed By: Bridgette Austin, Esq., EA, Co-Founder and Tax Attorney Last Reviewed: August 7, 2026 An IRS notice of deficiency starts a 90-day clock, and that clock is the first thing to deal with. You have 90 days from the date printed on the...
CP504 Notice: What The IRS Can Actually Take And What To Do First
Written By: Michael Vale Reviewed By: Bridgette Austin, Esq., EA, Co-Founder and Tax Attorney Last Reviewed: August 5, 2026 If a CP504 notice just landed in your mailbox, here's the short version. The IRS wants a past-due balance, and it's warning you that it will...