IRS and State Audit Representation for Virginia Taxpayers
For Northern Virginia individuals and business owners, an IRS audit letter, or a similar notice from a state tax agency, never arrives at a convenient time.
The notice may ask for documentation you are not sure you still have. It may state that your return has been selected for review without explaining why. Either way, the concerns are immediate, and you need to know what this means for your finances or your business.
Ignoring it will not make it go away. Audits proceed on the IRS’s timeline, not yours, and an unanswered notice can lead to an inflated assessment, additional penalties and interest, and in some cases a lien or levy. None of these are easily reversed once they take effect.
JBD Tax Resolution provides IRS audit help and state audit representation for individuals and businesses across Northern Virginia, so you have someone standing between you and the IRS throughout the process.
What Is IRS Audit Representation?
IRS audit representation means a licensed professional communicates and negotiates with the IRS on your behalf during an audit, instead of you handling it directly.
This is sometimes referred to more broadly as tax audit representation, and it includes responding to information requests, attending meetings or calls with the auditor, and presenting your records and position in the way the IRS expects to see them.
Audit representation applies whether the audit is a correspondence audit handled entirely by mail, a more detailed office audit, or a state-level review from Virginia or another state tax agency. In every case, the goal is the same: someone who understands how the process works stands between you and the IRS.
What Triggers an IRS or State Tax Audit?
Audits are not random, though it can feel that way when the letter arrives. Common IRS audit red flags include income that does not match what employers or banks reported, deductions that are unusually large relative to income, and a mismatch between a business’s reported revenue and its industry norms.
Self-employment income and cash-heavy businesses tend to draw more scrutiny, simply because there is less third-party reporting to cross-check.
State tax audits often follow a similar pattern, and can also be triggered by an IRS audit result itself, since many states share adjustment data with the federal government. Understanding what triggered the review allows for a more accurate response, rather than an assumption about what the IRS is examining.
What to Expect During an IRS or State Tax Audit
Most audits start with a letter, not a phone call or a visit. The notice will specify what the IRS is examining and what documentation it wants, along with a deadline to respond. Correspondence audits are handled entirely through the mail and tend to focus on a specific item, like a deduction or a credit. Office audits go further, covering multiple aspects of a return and often requiring a meeting.
Timelines vary considerably. A straightforward correspondence audit can be resolved within a few months, while an audit involving multiple years or business records can take considerably longer, particularly if the IRS requests additional documentation partway through.
State audits follow their own separate timeline, which does not always run in parallel with a federal audit.
How IRS Audit Representation Works
Once you engage JBD Tax Resolution for audit representation, we begin by reviewing the audit notice and your relevant financial records to understand exactly what the IRS or state is examining.
From there, the process moves through four stages:
- Power of attorney filing. We file the necessary authorization to communicate with the IRS or state agency directly, so you are not required to field calls or letters yourself.
- Documentation review and preparation. We gather and organize the records the audit is asking for, and identify any gaps before they become a problem.
- Direct correspondence and representation. We handle all communication with the auditor, including responding to requests and attending any required meetings.
- Negotiation and resolution. If the audit results in a proposed adjustment, we review it for accuracy and negotiate on your behalf before anything is finalized.
So you gain a clear plan for IRS audit defense, with someone experienced managing the correspondence and the negotiation on your behalf.
Instead of an open-ended audit hanging over you, you get a defined process, a single point of contact, and an outcome that has been reviewed for accuracy before you are asked to accept it.
Why Virginia Taxpayers Trust JBD Tax Resolution
Neil is an IRS Enrolled Agent with over 11 years of experience in tax resolution and accounting, licensed to represent taxpayers directly before the IRS.
Personable
He’s very personable. Meaning, he sort of comes across as a good neighbor and or someone that you’d want as a neighbor. He tries to find out a little bit about your background so that he can relate to what kind of work you’re doing. And he shows a real interest in what his clients are all about.
Recent Tax & Accounting Client
Responsive
Communication is good. If we’re meeting in person versus online, he’ll email me with what I need to know, when to come over and give me all the links that I need and he gives me milestones of how things are going.
Recent Tax & Accounting Client
Knowlegable
Neil’s knowledge of taxes is Outstanding. He is the best accountant we have ever had. Only very skilled accountants can prepare the K-1 accurately and Neil has that knowledge and the ability to complete the K-1 perfectly.
Recent Tax & Accounting Client
Offer in Compromise FAQs
IRS and State Audit Representation for Northern Virginia Taxpayers
If you have received an audit notice in Fairfax, Arlington, Prince William, or Loudoun County, JBD Tax Resolution provides local, direct representation for both IRS and Virginia state tax audits.