The Process
From first call to closed case.
Tax debt feels chaotic because the IRS communicates in fragments — a notice here, a levy threat there. The work of resolving it is actually orderly. Here's the sequence every case follows, and why the order matters.
See what the IRS sees
It starts with a free 30-minute phone consultation, followed by the online case evaluation form and a free 30-minute follow-up meeting where Attorney Clarke presents his analysis and recommended resolution. If you engage, a power of attorney (Form 2848) comes next. I pull your complete IRS transcripts electronically: every balance, penalty, missing return, pending action, and collection deadline. Most clients learn something about their own case in the first week — sometimes that the problem is smaller than the notices made it feel, sometimes that a deadline is closer than they knew.
Model every path
Through the secure portal you complete the online case evaluation form. I apply the IRS's national and local expense standards to it and model each resolution side by side — what an Offer would likely settle for, what an installment agreement would cost monthly, whether hardship status is supportable. Then we talk. You choose the path knowing the realistic numbers, and I quote the flat fee from the published schedule.
File, negotiate, close
I prepare and file the resolution package, respond to every IRS inquiry, and handle every conversation with the examiner, agent, or settlement officer — you never speak to the IRS unless you want to. Your transcript stays on the monitor until the resolution is accepted, collection activity stops, and your file closes with the paper to prove it.
What You'll Feel
The first change is silence.
Once the power of attorney is on file, IRS collection contact routes to me. The letters stop landing on your kitchen table; the calls stop coming to your phone. For most clients that happens in the first days of the engagement, before the substantive work even begins.
From there, you'll always know three things: where the case stands, what happens next, and what it costs — because the fee was fixed before we started.
| Week 1 | POA filed · transcripts pulled · contact reroutes to me | ✓ |
| Weeks 2–4 | Case evaluation form · resolution modeling · path chosen | ✓ |
| Month 2+ | Resolution filed · IRS processing & negotiation | Active |
| Close | Agreement accepted · collection stops · file documented | Done |
Resolution Roadmaps
The path, category by category.
Every case follows the same investigation and analysis spine — then branches into the resolution the numbers support. Here is each major path, start to finish.
Payment Agreement
Forms 2848 · 433 · 9465 · 433-DIf the IRS rejects the proposal: a Collection Appeals Program case (Form 9423) puts the decision in front of an independent Appeals officer — fast.
Offer in Compromise
Forms 2848 · 433-A (OIC) · 656If the offer is rejected: an appeal (Form 13711) within 30 days keeps the case alive in front of Appeals — where many offers are actually won.
Currently Not Collectible
Forms 2848 · 433-FOngoing: the IRS revisits CNC periodically; the account is monitored and the status defended at each review — and if finances change, the case pivots to the next best path.
The Map, At A Glance
One spine. Three paths. Every appeal covered.
Every case starts on the same investigation-and-analysis spine, then branches into the resolution the numbers support. Solid green arrows are the direct route; dashed green arrows are the appeal route when the IRS pushes back.
Free Tax Debt Tools
Free tax debt tools. No sign-up. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Answers you can get right now, before you ever pick up the phone. Each tool runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is transmitted or stored.
Type a transcript code (570, 846…) or a notice number (CP504, CP2000, LT11…) and get a plain-English meaning, an urgency level, and next steps.
Open the decoderSee what IRS interest alone costs on your balance — per day, per month, and per year, with daily compounding at the current quarterly rate.
Open the calculatorStart with a free 30-minute scheduled phone consultation,
followed by a 30-minute free video or Portsmouth, NH office consultation.
For your convenience, Attorney Clarke is willing to travel to a Regus satellite office in Nashua, Bedford, Manchester, and Concord, NH, or to a Regus office in Boston, Bedford, Peabody, Wakefield and Lawrence, MA, to discuss your case in person.
If you live outside NH and MA, Attorney Clarke can still represent you before the IRS under federal practice rules. In this case, all meetings can be held through phone or video conferencing.
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