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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.
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.
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 or fax me your (and your spouse's, if applicable):
full name as typically shown on 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 the:
Social Security Number, and
date of birth for you (and your spouse, if applicable).
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 crossouts or whiteouts.
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
