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Attorneys and Tax Professionals who perform legal, accounting and financial services, including
tax audit and collection representation and resolution before the Federal and State taxing authorities,
tax return preparation, and
tax consulting services
require clients to sign an Engagement Letter. This is a form of contract that defines our mutual responsibilities, the nature and scope of the services to be provided, the fee, and terms of payment for those services.
For preparing your tax returns or providing you with consulting services, the Engagement Letter is the only document that you (and if your are married, your spouse) need to sign. The Engagement Letter is a PDF Document that I can E-mail (as an attachment), fax, or mail to you. Once signed and dated, you can mail it back to me, fax it or scan/e-mail it. I will keep your information private and secure.
In order to represent you before the tax agencies, you (and your spouse, if you are married and we are dealing with a joint return or joint liability) also will need to sign a Power of Attorney (in addition to the Engagement Letter) authorizing me to represent you before the tax agency. The tax-specific power of attorney is only valid for communicating with the IRS or state tax agency. The power of attorney premits the IRS to discuss your case or situation with me, and vice-versa. The power of attorney is only required for representation clients.
Your Power of Attorney is an official document that I submit to the IRS or state tax agency. I will either e-mail, fax or mail that document to you with the Engagement Letter, or hand it and the Engagement Letter to you to sign if we are meeting to discuss your case.
For me to prepare the Engagement Letter, please e-mail, fax, or mail me your (and your spouse's, if applicable):
full name as typically shown on tax returns or official tax documents
your home address,
home, work, mobile, and fax phone numbers,
the tax form (e.g., 1040 for individual, 1120 for corporation, 1041 for trust/fiduciary returns, etc),
the tax years (or tax periods) for which you need my services,
and your E-mail address for our communication.
For the Power of Attorney, I will also need for you (and your spouse, if applicable),
Social Security Number, and
date of birth.
I will prepare and E-mail the Engagement Letter (and Power of Attorney, if required) to you. The Engagement Letter and the Power of Attorney will be PDF documents. Once you receive the Engagement Letter (and Power of Attorney, if included), please review them carefully and contact me if you have any questions. The power of attorney must be letter perfect. Neither the IRS nor state tax agencies accepts powers of attorney that have cross-outs or white-outs.
It is important to sign, date, and return the Engagement Letter (and Power of Attorney, if included) quickly (ideally, within 7 days) so as not to delay the start of our engagement. If you have any questions, please contact me by e-mail or telephone (see my contact page) as soon as possible.
As soon as I receive the signed and dated documents back along with the applicable deposit or retainer, I can begin working on your returns, perform consulting work, or begin representing you before the specific tax agency or agencies for which you need my help.
Dick Norton
Tax Resolution Specialist
Updated 1/8/24
