After your business has been audited and you’ve received the Texas Notification of Audit Results for state taxes, penalties and interest, Texas Tax Group can provide audit settlement services. As part of your right to representation, this service is designed to help your business achieve the best possible settlement. Timing is critical at this point as you have 30 days to pay or request redetermination – or 20 days if the notification is a jeopardy determination. The tax policy experts at Texas Tax Group will guide you through the settlement negotiation.
What to Expect
During the settlement negotiation, a state tax expert will:
- Facilitate payment options, which includes making arrangements for a payout agreement, if warranted
- Negotiate the waiver of penalties and interest, which is more likely to occur if you can pay the entire tax assessment in a single, lump-sum payment
- Offer additional options, if you are charged with fraud
If Texas Tax Group and the client agree with the assessment, but funds are not immediately available, you can apply for a 24- to 48-month interest-free payment plan, which is often obtained. In some instances, Texas Tax Group attempts to have certain penalties waived in exchange for a lump-sum payment of the audit liability. Attending an administrative hearing is rarely necessary to obtain settlement action. Instead, most Texas Tax Group settlements are typically resolved when one of the following is issued:
- Settlement and compromise agreement
- Motion to dismiss issued by the assigned hearings attorney
At Texas Tax Group, our above-average pre-hearing settlement rate occurs largely because we know and understand the agency’s unwritten policies related to settlement negotiations. To begin the process, you must first apply for and obtain approval for an administrative hearing. From there, Margie Merwin, the settlement coordinator at Texas Tax Group, will negotiate the best settlement option based on the audit liability and your ability to pay it. Unfortunately, the settlement process is a lengthy administrative hearing that costs both you and the agency time and money. For this reason, it’s in everyone’s best interest to agree on a settlement – if that’s what you prefer. If, however, the case proceeds further due to unresolved differences, our director of administrative hearings, Jeff Jansen, is prepared to take the case to trial.
Why Texas Tax Group
Simply put, experience matters. At Texas Tax Group, our team of former state auditors, supervisors, trainers and tax policy experts has collectively defended 2,300 audits over a period of 10 years. The team is equipped with more than 400 years of combined agency experience, which provides a unique insider’s understanding of the audit process. This often results in more favorable and efficient audit outcomes and settlement options.
- Perform pre-audit tax research
- Prepare business records prior to meeting with the auditor
- Manage or host the audit at one of our four locations in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio or Austin
- Protest disputed results
- Negotiate settlement options
- Represent you in an administrative hearing with the State Office of Administrative Hearings