When a notice arrives
What happens after you send us the letter
Read the notice, note the deadline
Deadlines printed on IRS correspondence are real and some are short. This happens the day it arrives.
Pull the transcripts
We establish what the IRS actually has on file rather than working from what the letter says. The two often differ.
Respond, as your representative
A Form 2848 puts an Enrolled Agent between you and the IRS. Correspondence comes to us.
Resolve, and close the loop
An agreed adjustment, an abatement, an installment agreement — and confirmation in writing that the file is closed.
What "unlimited practice rights" means
Three credentials carry unlimited representation rights before the IRS: Enrolled Agents, CPAs and attorneys. Everyone else is limited — an Oregon Licensed Tax Preparer or Licensed Tax Consultant may represent a client in limited circumstances relating to a return they prepared, but not generally. In practice that distinction decides who can pick up the phone and speak to the IRS as you.
Representation services
What to do when a notice arrives
- 1Do not ignore it. Almost every bad outcome in this area starts with an unopened envelope.
- 2Check the deadline on it. Some IRS notices carry short response windows that affect your appeal rights permanently.
- 3Do not agree to anything on the phone. Not with the IRS, and certainly not with a firm that cold-called you about it.
- 4Bring it in. Many notices are wrong, or are resolved with a single letter and a document.
Does Oregon representation work the same way?
Oregon has its own procedures and its own appeal timelines through the Department of Revenue and the Oregon Tax Court. We handle state matters alongside federal ones, since a federal adjustment usually produces a state one.
Will you talk to the IRS so I do not have to?
Yes. With a signed Form 2848 power of attorney, correspondence and calls come to us.
I got a call demanding immediate payment. Is that real?
The IRS does not open contact with a demanding phone call, and it does not ask for payment in gift cards. Initial contact is by mail. Treat the call as a scam and bring us any letter you have actually received.
How much does representation cost?
It depends entirely on what the matter involves. We will scope it after looking at the notices, and we will tell you if the cost is out of proportion to what is at stake.
Talk it through before filing season starts
Start with a complimentary 15-minute introductory call about your situation and whether we are a good fit. No tax advice is given on that call.
Written by
Enrolled Agent, Oregon Licensed Tax Consultant
License number: Enrolled Agent 00160070-EA · Oregon Licensed Tax Consultant 35746-C
Heather has spent more than a decade preparing individual and business returns across the Portland metro and the Columbia Gorge, and holds unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS.
Last reviewed
This page is general information about Oregon, Washington and federal tax rules, not advice about your own return. Thresholds and rates change every year. Figures were verified as of August 2026 — check the linked official sources, or talk to us about your situation.