PAYROLL TAX PROBLEMS · SPOKANE, WA & THE INLAND NORTHWEST
Unpaid payroll taxes are the debt the IRS pursues hardest, because the withheld portion was never the business's money to begin with. It moves fast, and the trust fund recovery penalty can make the balance yours personally — even if the business closes. Our enrolled agents and tax attorneys step in early, deal with the revenue officer, and build a plan that keeps the doors open.
Licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS · Flat fees, quoted in writing before any work begins
WHAT IT IS
Resolving unpaid Form 941 and 940 liabilities, missed deposits, and trust fund recovery penalty assessments for owners and small businesses.
WHO IT HELPS
Business owners who fell behind on deposits during a cash crunch and now have a revenue officer, a Letter 1153, or a personal assessment on the way.
WHAT IT COSTS TO START
Nothing. The first case review is free, and payroll cases are quoted as a flat fee once we've seen the transcripts.
HOW IT WORKS
Payroll cases have their own rules and their own urgency. The goal is a resolution that protects the business, the owner, and the people who work there.
1
Which quarters are unpaid, what the IRS has already sent, and whether a revenue officer has been assigned. Bring every notice.
2
The IRS will not negotiate old payroll debt while new deposits are being missed. We get current deposits on schedule first — that alone changes the tone of every conversation that follows.
3
With your power of attorney, we handle the officer's information requests, financial statements, and interviews — including the Form 4180 interview that decides who gets assessed the trust fund penalty.
4
An in-business installment agreement, a partial-pay plan, penalty abatement, or a defense against personal assessment where the facts support it — quoted in writing before we begin.
The IRS can assess the withheld portion of unpaid payroll taxes — the trust fund — personally against anyone it considers a responsible person who willfully failed to pay: owners, officers, sometimes bookkeepers who signed checks. Closing the business does not erase it, and bankruptcy generally doesn't either.
That's why timing matters. Getting represented before the revenue officer's interview, keeping current deposits flowing, and documenting who actually controlled the money are the levers that determine whether the debt stays with the company or lands on you.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED PLAINLY
Yes, for the trust fund portion — the income tax and the employee share of Social Security and Medicare that was withheld — if the IRS determines you were a responsible person who willfully failed to pay it over. The employer's matching share generally stays with the business.
It's the interview a revenue officer uses to determine who was responsible for the unpaid trust fund taxes. What you say there matters enormously, and you are entitled to have a representative present or to have the questions handled through us.
Often, yes. In-business trust fund express agreements and regular installment agreements are available to businesses that are current on deposits and can show they will stay that way.
Not without advice. Closing doesn't end the trust fund exposure, and it can eliminate options that exist only for operating businesses. We'll walk through what closing would and wouldn't change before you decide.
Yes. We handle Washington Department of Revenue and Employment Security Department matters alongside the federal side, and work with business owners across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana.
FREE CASE REVIEW
A licensed practitioner — not a salesperson — will call you back within one business day. Prefer to talk now? Call Ravinder Toor at (509) 385-5876 or Jonathan George at (951) 723-0752 — weekdays 8am–6pm Pacific.
Your information is 100% confidential. No judgment, no middlemen — just results.
Request your free review
PATRIOT TAX RELIEF
A free, confidential call with a licensed practitioner — not a salesperson. Bring the unopened letters; we'll read them together.