JK Harris turns tax representation industry on its ear

On Friday, we formally announced we have ceased doing business as usual.

We have made groundbreaking changes to the way our company provides its tax representation services. Our goal of providing superior services to assist taxpayers with back tax debt remains the same. Our new approach however, will improve those services, enhance advocacy on behalf of our clients, and streamline our operations.

With our new sales model, we have begun offering our services in phases, starting with basic tax services. For a reduced fee, we will begin in Phase 1 by addressing any delinquent tax returns, any other simple pending issues and we will create a plan to show the client’s options for tax resolution. The client can then take that prepared plan, the Professional Staff Report (PSR for short) and use it themselves, with another tax professional, or they can choose to move on to Phase 2 with JK Harris.

Phase 2 of JK Harris’ new sales model is the tax resolution part of the contract. In Phase 2, JK Harris represents the client before the IRS for the given tax issues at hand. Clients may be recommended for an Offer in Compromise, Installment Agreement or Currently Not Collectible status in this phase. The JK Harris tax team will then work to resolve your back tax issues. Should it be necessary, JK Harris also offers an Appellate Phase, should the IRS turn a client’s resolution down.

Unlike other tax firms, our consultants will meet with clients in person for the initial contracting stage, again when the Professional Staff Report has been prepared and upon request when needed. Having a dedicated consultant assigned to the client’s case means that the client will now have a partner to meet face-to-face with at all times of the process. Other tax representation firms can only work cases via telephone and electronic communications after the initial meeting.

Contact JK Harris today. Our consultants are available to meet with our clients in 325 locations. Let our tax team get to work on your back tax debt so you can get on with your life.

IRS Announces Qualified Disaster Treatment for Haiti

A new designation of the earthquake in Haiti by the IRS aims to increase charitable contributions to those suffering by adding tax incentives. Below is the press release from the IRS’ website.

Washington — The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance that designates the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 as a qualified disaster for federal tax purposes. The guidance allows recipients of qualified disaster relief payments to exclude those payments from income on their tax returns. Also, the guidance allows employer-sponsored private foundations to assist victims in areas affected by the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti without affecting their tax-exempt status.

Charities usually fall into one of two categories — public charities or private foundations. Under the tax law, a private foundation that is employer-sponsored may make qualified disaster relief payments to employees affected by a qualified disaster. These payments generally include amounts to cover necessary personal, family, living or funeral expenses that were not covered by insurance. They also include expenses to repair or rehabilitate personal residences or repair or replace the contents to the extent that they were not covered by insurance. Again, these payments would not be included in the individual recipient’s gross income.

Qualified disasters include Presidentially declared disasters and any other event that the Secretary of the Treasury determines to be catastrophic. The IRS has determined that the earthquake in Haiti that occurred this month is an event of catastrophic nature for purposes of the federal tax law.

The IRS will presume that qualified disaster relief payments made by a private foundation to employees and their family members in areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti to be consistent with the foundation’s charitable purposes.

Click here to go to the press release.

Posted by JK Harris & Company