Guy A. Finocchiaro, CPA

Every new client walks in with a number in their head, usually the one the IRS quoted them on the phone, or the one they half remember from a notice they shoved in a drawer two years ago, and that number is almost never right.

The IRS keeps its own record of your account, and it lives in your transcripts. Every penalty, every payment, the filing gaps, the date your collection clock started, it’s all sitting in there whether you’ve looked or not.

I’ve watched someone make payments toward a balance that was already wrong, and I’ve watched a balance drop by half the second we pulled the real records.

You can’t build a resolution on a guess, which is why we pull your transcripts before we give you a single opinion on what you qualify for. The plan only holds when it’s built on what the IRS has on file, not your memory of a couple of rough years.

If there’s a notice sitting somewhere you keep meaning to deal with, and a number in your head you’re not sure is right, comment NOW and I’ll send you the first thing to check before you call the IRS.