Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, is what...

Timalyn Bowens is teaching a class of students about income tax basics When working in the tax representation space, do you ever find yourself looking at the IRS acronyms but having no idea what they mean? I used to be the same way. How can you be an Enrolled Agent, one of America's tax experts, and not know these acronyms? But then, I started working in the industry and adopted the acronyms myself. At times, I even forget what it was like when I was starting out. That's why

Uncle Sam offering US taxpayers first time penalty abatement in 2025. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does offer relief from tax...

Even if you have the transcripts without getting on the phone I recommend doing a compliance check. The revenue agent can see notes on the a

When I am working with a new client I take them through the 3 phases of tax representation . I share what those 3 phases are with my clients so they know what to expect. I teach tax professionals who I mentor to do the same. Those 3 phases are: 1 - Transcript Investigation 2 - Compliance 3 - Negotiation with the IRS After doing this for over half a decade it seems simple to me. I've come to realize that a lot of tax professionals don't follow this process. They attempt to go

An occupational phenomenon that results from chronic workplace stress. That's what the World Health Organization, also known as WHO, labeled burnout in 2019. If you have survived a tax busy season you know that can be a very stressful time. So does that mean that you have to be a victim of burnout just because you work in the tax industry? The answer is no, but ultimately the choice is yours. The majority, but not all, tax professionals that I know who have become Enrolled Ag

Tax Representation leads are just different. They don't proudly brag about their problems, making them difficult to find if you don't know where to look. Yes, we can use tax liens to find out who in our area owes over a certain amount. But then what? Are you going to use scare tactics to scare them into working with you? If that's your cup of tea and the way you like to move, best wishes to you! That's not the way I like to approach it. I don't want anyone to feel pressured

Once I pass the Special Enrollment Exam and receive my EA license I will have clients coming from everywhere. That's the fairytale that most new Enrolled Agents I meet believe. They don't understand that is not how it works at all. After the receive their license and the fairytales don't start rolling in they go into panic. Maybe I shouldn't have done this. I don't know how to get clients. How can I get clients? Well, I will tell you this. They do not fall out of the sky. Mar

"Are there any updates? "This isn't what you promised." "I gave you my paperwork yesterday, when will it be ready?" Timalyn in an office with a client. I wish it weren't true but I have actually received all the above statements from clients. Why? Because I did a poor job of managing my client's expectations. I did communicate the process clearly nor hold them accountable to my expectations. I also made exceptions for when they crossed lines and boundaries. For example, if so

When you start a business or launch a new service offering you are eager to help everyone that you possibly can. We take on work that we can't manage alone because it is not easily identifiable. If you are reading this you are probably fairly new to doing tax representation work. Tax representation is a unique service offering. The workflow and communication process is much different than tax preparation. Understanding the journey that a taxpayer goes through is key to creat

How much should I charge? This is a common question I get from tax professionals, new and seasoned. I also see it in various tax groups when it comes to tax preparation and tax representation. But I get it. It took me a while to become comfortable with my tax representation prices. That allowed me to be confident in quoting clients and delivering value. Today I'm going to walk you through the process I use to price a tax representation case. Note, that this is a framework. Wh

When you receive your EA license you become one of America's tax experts, according to the National Association of Enrolled Agents . But the license doesn't make you the expert. The knowledge you gain by helping clients makes you the expert. So if you're feeling like an imposter now, don't worry we'll get you helping people in no time. Check out last week's article to learn how to get your first tax representation client . But what do you do once they start reaching out? You'

One of the biggest impediments I see for Enrolled Agents is not knowing how to get their first tax representation client. If they allow it, it causes anxiety and then analysis paralysis. Being concerned with not knowing how to get clients can make you not do any work toward learning your craft. Not knowing how to represent clients can make you not put in the work to market yourself and get clients. See how that can become a vicious cycle? Are you stuck in it right now? If so,

For the past 4 weeks or so I have been going live each week on LinkedIn and Facebook to give insight into being an Enrolled Agent. Before...

When you become a tax professional you have more decisions to make than what you may realize. If you're reading this you are most likely an Enrolled Agent and looking for guidance on your career path. Some of the decisions you need to make are who will you serve, why, and how. Last week we began determining some of those things. If you missed that article or podcast you can still check them out. Getting them said aloud as well as written down with confidence is what we are w

Analysis paralysis gets the best of us at one time or another. I see it all too often with my fellow Enrolled Agents after they pass the...

A question I often get is, "what exactly is tax representation?" Initially I would think to myself," what? How do you not know?" But...