Category: Tax Fraud

What Happens If You Commit Tax Fraud? Possible Prison and Fines

9 September, 2024 | Tax Fraud Tax Penalties

Summary The punishment for tax fraud depends on the type of fraud committed and the specific law broken. Criminal tax fraud can lead to imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations. Civil tax fraud leads to civil penalties of 75% of the under-reported tax. Tax fraud involves willfulness, which includes knowledge, intent, and purpose. Accidental, careless, or negligent mistakes are not considered tax fraud. Real-world exam... CONTINUE READING

IRS Special Agents Investigating You? Here’s What to Do

9 September, 2024 | Tax Fraud Tax Help

Summary If you're being investigated by IRS special agents, it's crucial to contact a tax attorney immediately. They can assist in handling the investigation, safeguarding your rights, and potentially providing legal representation in a criminal court case. IRS special agents investigate possible tax crimes, and an investigation can begin when an auditor, collection officer, investigative analyst, the public, or law enforcement alerts them to a potential crime. The investigation inv... CONTINUE READING

Can You Go to Jail for Not Paying Taxes?

4 May, 2022 | Tax Compliance Tax Debt Tax Fraud Tax Penalties

The short answer to the question of whether you can go to jail for not paying taxes is “yes.” Whether a person would actually go to jail for not paying their taxes depends upon all the details of their individual tax circumstances. Sometimes people make errors on their tax returns or are negligent in filing, but they are not intentionally trying to avoid paying taxes. It is a long-standing policy of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) not to pursue prosecution of individuals who fail to fi... CONTINUE READING

Tax Fraud vs. Negligence

4 March, 2018 | Tax Fraud

Tax Fraud vs. Negligence I often receives phone calls from potential clients that are worried that either 1) their tax return has exaggerated expenses or lacks all the income, or 2) they took tax credits that they were not entitled to take.  Often the taxpayer went to a tax preparation firm, and did not review what the person included on the tax return. This is obviously a big mistake, since the taxpayer is solely liable for the information included on t... CONTINUE READING

IRS Tax Fraud Alerts

2 May, 2013 | Tax Fraud

IRS Tax Fraud Alerts Tax fraud is common, and not always the fault of the taxpayer.  The IRS warns taxpayers of scams and fraud that they might unknowingly become a part of.  Listed are some common tax fraud types that taxpayers should be knowledgeable about. Tax Return Preparer Abuse It is important for taxpayers to choose a tax preparer car... CONTINUE READING

What Happens If You Commit Tax Fraud? Possible Prison and Fines

Summary The punishment for tax fraud depends on the type of fraud committed and the specific law broken. Criminal tax fraud can lead to imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations. Civil tax fraud leads to civil penalties of...