Tax Attorney Richmond, VA

Last updated: August 26, 2026. This page provides general information, not legal or tax advice. Agency rules, forms, eligibility standards, and deadlines can change. A tax attorney should review the actual notice and account history before recommending a response.

Tax Help for Richmond Individuals and Businesses

A federal or Virginia tax matter usually begins with a notice, an unpaid assessment, a missing return, an audit request, or collection activity. The most important first questions are which agency issued the notice, what deadline applies, whether the stated balance is accurate, and whether enforcement has already begun. A Richmond taxpayer may be dealing with the Internal Revenue Service, the Virginia Department of Taxation—commonly called Virginia Tax—or a local taxing authority. Each has different procedures and remedies.

J. David Tax Law represents individuals, self-employed taxpayers, and businesses in tax controversies. Representation may include obtaining account information, reviewing returns and assessments, communicating under an appropriate power of attorney, responding to information requests, preparing an administrative protest or appeal, and evaluating payment or collection alternatives. The right approach depends on the type of tax, the age of the liability, filing compliance, available records, income, expenses, assets, and the taxpayer’s ability to pay.

IRS Tax Problems We Handle

Federal matters can involve individual income tax, employment and payroll taxes, business liabilities, penalties, or unfiled returns. Filing missing returns is often an early step because many IRS payment and settlement programs require current filing compliance. Taxpayers should not assume that filing a return means the full balance must be paid immediately; filing and resolving the resulting balance are related but separate issues.

• IRS audits and examination responses, including document requests and disputed adjustments.
• Federal tax liens and questions about release, withdrawal, discharge, or subordination where available.
• IRS levies involving bank accounts or other property.
• IRS wage levies and requests for release based on payment arrangements, hardship, or other applicable grounds.
• IRS installment agreements for taxpayers who can pay over time.
• Offers in Compromise for eligible taxpayers whose facts support settlement under IRS standards.
• Currently Not Collectible status when enforced payment would prevent a taxpayer from meeting necessary living expenses.
• Penalty relief, including first-time abatement or reasonable-cause requests when the requirements are satisfied.
• Innocent spouse relief where joint-return liability and the surrounding circumstances support a request.
• Payroll and employment-tax matters, which may involve business liabilities and potential responsible-person exposure.

The IRS currently describes payment plans, qualifying Offers in Compromise, temporary collection delay, and penalty relief as possible tax-debt options. These programs do not erase debt automatically, and continued penalties, interest, liens, or future-compliance requirements may apply. Review the IRS’s current tax-debt options and Topic 202 payment guidance.

Virginia Department of Taxation Problems

Virginia Tax administers state taxes and may issue bills, assessments, audit findings, and collection notices. A Virginia matter should not be treated as an IRS case with the agency name changed. State forms, appeal rights, collection tools, financial disclosures, and settlement standards are separate. The notice itself normally identifies the tax period, amount, response instructions, and deadline that control the immediate next step.

Virginia assessments, audits, and administrative appeals

If a taxpayer disagrees with an assessment, the response should focus on the applicable deadline and the records or legal position supporting the disagreement. That may require reconstructing returns, reconciling third-party information, addressing residency or sourcing, documenting deductions, or responding to an audit request. Virginia’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights summarizes taxpayer protections and agency responsibilities. Waiting until collection begins can reduce the practical options available, so disputed assessments should be reviewed promptly.

Virginia payment plans

A taxpayer who agrees with the balance but cannot pay in full may be able to request a payment arrangement. The agency can require financial information and ongoing compliance, and interest or applicable penalties may continue. A proposed monthly payment should be realistic enough to maintain while keeping current taxes paid. Virginia Tax publishes current information about payment plans.

Virginia Offers in Compromise

Virginia has an Offer in Compromise process, but submitting an offer does not guarantee acceptance. A request may concern doubt as to liability or doubt as to collectibility, and the required analysis and supporting records differ. Collectibility requests generally require a candid financial presentation addressing income, necessary expenses, assets, liabilities, and the amount that could reasonably be collected. See Virginia Tax’s current Offer in Compromise guidance before relying on a form or eligibility assumption.

Virginia currently-not-collectible treatment and hardship

When collection would create financial hardship, Virginia Tax may consider an adjustment or currently-not-collectible treatment based on documented circumstances. This is not forgiveness: the liability may remain due, and the agency may review the taxpayer’s ability to pay later. Current filing compliance and financial documentation can be important. Virginia Tax explains its currently-not-collectible process and hardship considerations.

Virginia liens, wage levies, and bank levies

Virginia Tax states that an unpaid bill can lead to collection action if the taxpayer does not pay or respond. Its published procedures include wage levies, bank or financial-institution levies, referral to collection agencies, and a Memorandum of Lien. The agency states that a wage levy can direct an employer to withhold 25% of net wages, while a bank levy can require a financial institution to hold and remit funds up to the balance due. A recorded Memorandum of Lien is public and may remain effective for a substantial period. Read the agency’s current collection-action guidance. Exempt funds, hardship issues, an incorrect assessment, or a viable resolution proposal may affect the response, but the taxpayer should act before the notice deadline whenever possible.

What to Do After Receiving a Virginia Tax Notice

1. Identify the sender and notice type. Confirm whether the notice came from the IRS, Virginia Tax, the City of Richmond, or another authority. Do not send a response to the wrong agency.
2. Record every deadline. Appeal and protest rights can depend on timely action. Keep the envelope, notice, attachments, and proof of any response.
3. Check the tax period and amount. Compare the notice with filed returns, account transcripts, payment records, withholding statements, and prior correspondence.
4. Separate liability from collectibility. First determine whether the amount is correct. If it is correct, evaluate how it can be paid or resolved; if it is not, focus on the appropriate dispute procedure.
5. Address missing filings. Unfiled returns can prevent access to payment or settlement options and may cause the agency to estimate a liability without all available deductions or credits.
6. Choose a supportable response. The answer may be documentation, an amended return, an appeal, a payment plan, a hardship request, an Offer in Compromise, or another agency-specific remedy.
7. Maintain current compliance. New unpaid taxes or missing returns can default an agreement or undermine a pending request.

Tax Representation for Richmond Businesses

Business tax matters can involve payroll withholding, sales and use tax, income tax, estimated payments, worker classification, responsible-person issues, or missing returns. These cases often require coordination between entity records and the personal exposure of owners or responsible individuals. Because trust-fund and employment-tax liabilities can create additional risks, a business should respond quickly to notices, preserve payroll and banking records, and remain current on new deposits while addressing older periods.

Some local taxes are administered by the City of Richmond rather than Virginia Tax. A business license or local property-tax issue therefore requires confirmation of the responsible authority before selecting a procedure. The page’s reference to the Richmond office does not imply that every state or local matter follows the same process.

Preparing for a Tax-Attorney Consultation

A focused initial review is easier when the taxpayer gathers the complete notice, recent filed returns, a list of unfiled years, relevant account transcripts, payment records, and a summary of income, necessary monthly expenses, bank accounts, real estate, vehicles, retirement assets, business interests, and other significant property. Business owners should also gather payroll reports, deposit records, sales-tax filings, entity returns, and correspondence with revenue officers or auditors. Do not delay an urgent response merely because every document is not yet available; identify the deadline first and explain what remains missing.

During the consultation, useful questions include whether the balance appears correct, which deadlines control, what enforcement is active or threatened, what information the agency may require, what options are realistically available, what continued compliance is necessary, and what costs or risks accompany each approach. No attorney can responsibly promise an outcome before reviewing the relevant facts.

Richmond Tax Questions

Can Virginia Tax collect from wages or bank accounts?

Yes. Virginia Tax’s published collection guidance includes wage levies and bank or financial-institution levies. The available response depends on timing, whether the assessment is correct, any exempt funds, documented hardship, and whether a payment or other resolution can be established.

Does currently-not-collectible status eliminate the debt?

No. Federal or Virginia hardship treatment generally pauses or adjusts collection based on present ability to pay; it does not automatically cancel the underlying liability. Interest, penalties, liens, periodic financial review, or future collection may still apply.

Can a tax attorney guarantee an Offer in Compromise?

No. Both IRS and Virginia offers require eligibility, complete disclosures, supporting documentation, and agency evaluation. An attorney can analyze the standards, prepare a supportable submission, communicate with the agency, and explain alternatives, but acceptance remains an agency decision.