Tax Resolution Services in Los Angeles, CA
Simplicity Financial is a fully remote, CPA-led firm providing tax resolution services for individuals, closely held businesses, churches, and nonprofits throughout Los Angeles, working directly with the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) on back taxes, notices, and payroll tax problems. Shaun Glenn, CPA, MSA, MST, leads the firm and has spent 15+ years working with nonprofit, church, and business finances. For many Los Angeles taxpayers, tax problems build up gradually: a missed filing here, an unanswered notice there. The right next step depends on your situation, and a CPA in California can help you understand where you stand before you decide what to do next.
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Common Tax Problems We See in Los Angeles
Los Angeles County is enormous and economically diverse, and that variety shows up in the IRS problems we see, whether you’re in Downtown LA, Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Glendale, Long Beach, or Santa Monica. Individuals and organizations all face a slightly different version of the same core issue: a balance that grew while it was ignored.
Received an IRS Notice
A notice about a balance due, a proposed adjustment, or an unfiled return doesn’t automatically mean serious trouble. It usually means you need to take a specific next step, and knowing which one matters more than reacting fast.
A Federal Tax Lien or Levy
If the IRS has already filed a lien or issued a levy on wages, bank accounts, or receivables, timing matters. A CPA can review what’s happening and outline the realistic paths forward.
Multiple Years of Unfiled Returns
Falling behind on personal or business filings is common in Los Angeles, especially among 1099 contractors and gig workers in entertainment, production, and freelance creative work. Getting compliant comes before pursuing any relief option.
Payroll Tax Issues for a Business or Nonprofit
A small business, production company, or nonprofit that fell behind on payroll tax deposits carries personal liability risk for owners and officers. This is where Simplicity Financial’s church, nonprofit, and small-business payroll background matters.
Clergy and Ministry Tax Issues
Housing allowance and SECA questions often layer on top of an existing balance due for pastors and ministry staff, adding complexity a generalist preparer or a national resolution mill may not catch.
What Tax Resolution Services Include
Tax resolution covers the range of programs and processes available to taxpayers who owe money to the IRS or the FTB, or who need to correct a filing problem before either agency takes further action. For Los Angeles clients, Simplicity Financial works across the following areas.
Installment Agreements
An installment agreement lets you pay a tax balance over time instead of in one lump sum, through several IRS options, including streamlined, non-streamlined, and partial-pay plans, or a similar program the FTB runs at the state level, and a CPA can help determine which structure actually fits your budget rather than one you can’t sustain.
Offer in Compromise (OIC)
An OIC allows some taxpayers to resolve a balance for less than the full amount owed, based on income, expenses, assets, and ability to pay, though not everyone qualifies, and the criteria differ from the IRS’s broader Fresh Start Program.
Currently Not Collectible (CNC) Status
CNC is a designation the IRS can apply when a taxpayer’s necessary living expenses leave nothing available to pay a tax debt, pausing active collection while the balance, interest, and penalties keep accruing until the status is reviewed again, and qualifying usually takes the same financial review a CPA would use for a Currently Not Collectible application.
Penalty Abatement
Penalty abatement can reduce or remove certain penalties, though not the underlying tax itself, for taxpayers with a clean recent filing history or a documented reasonable cause, such as illness or a natural disaster, depending on your specific penalty type, such as failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, or failure-to-deposit, and your filing record over recent years.
Innocent Spouse Relief
Innocent spouse relief may apply when one spouse is held responsible for tax debt created by a former or current spouse’s reporting errors on a joint return, such as unreported income or overstated deductions, and the IRS looks closely at what each spouse knew, or should have known, when the return was filed.
Unpaid Payroll Tax and Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP)
Unpaid payroll tax and Trust Fund Recovery Penalty issues affect Los Angeles business owners, church administrators, and nonprofit staff who manage payroll, since under IRC §6672 the IRS can hold specific “responsible persons” personally liable for payroll taxes withheld from employees but never deposited, an area where our church and nonprofit payroll background matters most.
IRS and FTB Notices, Levies, and Wage Garnishment Responses
These notices are time-sensitive and tend to escalate, moving from a simple balance-due letter to a formal Notice of Intent to Levy if left unanswered; how quickly you respond affects what options remain, including whether an existing levy or wage garnishment can be released once you’re back in compliance.
Why Work With a CPA-Led Firm
The Los Angeles tax resolution market includes a wide range of providers; some CPA and attorney-led, others structured more like sales operations that promise dramatic debt reduction before ever reviewing your file. Simplicity Financial is licensed and CPA-led: Shaun Glenn holds a CPA license, a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA), and a Master of Taxation (MST), and every case goes through him directly rather than a call-center intake process.
Here’s what that means in practice. We won’t tell you that you qualify for a specific dollar reduction before reviewing your actual financial picture; eligibility for programs like Offer in Compromise depends on documented income, expenses, and assets, and it’s determined by the IRS or FTB, not promised in advance by any firm. What we can offer is a straight, CPA-reviewed read on your options and what each one would involve.
How Tax Resolution Works With Simplicity Financial
The process starts with understanding where you actually stand, not with a sales pitch.
- Review your situation: We look at your IRS and FTB account history, notices received, and filing status to understand the full picture.
- Determine what you may qualify for: Based on your income, expenses, assets, and filing history, we identify realistic options: an installment agreement, OIC, CNC status, penalty abatement, or a combination.
- Prepare and file the paperwork: This includes any unfiled returns, financial disclosure forms, and the specific application for the program that fits.
- Represent you with the IRS or FTB: As your CPA, Shaun can communicate directly with the IRS or FTB on your behalf so you’re not fielding agency calls yourself.
- Build a plan to stay compliant going forward: Resolving a past problem matters less if the same issue resurfaces next year, so we build in a plan for staying current.
What We'll Typically Ask For
Most resolution programs require a similar starting set of documents, and gathering these early speeds up the process:
- Copies of recent IRS and FTB notices
- Prior-year tax returns, including any unfiled years
- Recent pay stubs or profit-and-loss statements
- A basic list of monthly living or business expenses
- Bank and asset information, for programs like OIC or CNC that consider ability to pay
If you don’t have all of this together yet, that’s a normal part of the first conversation: figuring out what’s missing and how to get it.
FAQs About Tax Resolution Los Angeles, CA
Do I need a lawyer or a CPA for a tax levy?
Both can represent you before the IRS, but a CPA is often the more direct route for a levy tied to a collection or compliance issue rather than a legal dispute. A CPA can request a collection hold and work toward a resolution option in the same engagement.
What should I do after an IRS revenue officer visited me?
Respond promptly and get your financial documentation together before your next contact. A CPA can communicate with the revenue officer on your behalf and help ensure what you submit is accurate and complete.
What if I haven't filed income taxes in several years?
Filing is almost always the right first move, even if you don’t have full payment ready. It’s usually a prerequisite for any relief program, and it stops the situation from getting worse.
How much does tax resolution cost?
Simplicity Financial doesn’t publish flat packages because every case depends on the actual work involved. A CPA can review your situation and outline what’s needed before quoting any fee.
Can Simplicity Financial help if my Los Angeles business owes unpaid payroll taxes?
Yes. Unpaid 941 taxes and Trust Fund Recovery Penalty exposure are areas where our experience with multi-employee and church or nonprofit payroll structures is a genuine advantage over generalist resolution firms.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered tax advice. Tax rules can change, and outcomes depend on your specific income, assets, filing history, and other details. Simplicity Financial can review your situation and provide guidance, but we can’t promise a specific result in advance.
Make Simplicity Financial Your Los Angeles Tax Resolution CPA
When you’re searching for tax resolution Los Angeles businesses and individuals can actually trust, Simplicity Financial combines CPA-led IRS experience with the convenience of a fully remote service model.
From installment agreements and Offer in Compromise reviews to unfiled returns and payroll tax issues, we help individuals, businesses, and nonprofits understand their IRS tax resolution options and take the next step with a licensed professional, not a sales pitch.