Fort Lauderdale Payroll Tax Attorney
Business owners are often not tax specialists. Their expertise lies in running their chosen business. As such, it is not uncommon for employers to make mistakes when doing their payroll taxes. Unfortunately, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may not view these as innocent mistakes. They may see them as violations of the law and issue harsh penalties. Sometimes, business owners feel as though they have no choice but to commit these violations. If you own a business and have a tax issue, our Fort Lauderdale payroll tax attorney can help.
Requirements on Payroll Taxes
When preparing paychecks, you as an employer must deduct certain taxes from the final amount the employee earned. Once these taxes are deducted, you are then required to submit them to the IRS within a reasonable timeframe. Sometimes, you may even have to submit the taxes to the IRS the day after you distribute the paychecks among the employees. If you do not submit the taxes to the IRS in a timely fashion, you will start to incur interest and other penalties. These can cause the amount you eventually owe to be more than the amount of taxes you deducted initially.
Too many business owners find themselves in the above situation and eventually, the debt is no longer manageable. These individuals then find they are facing a debt they cannot pay. If you do not pay it though, you could face felony charges as well as civil penalties.
It is important to obtain legal advice as soon as your payroll tax debt becomes difficult for you to pay. A lawyer can advise you of the tax law, regulations, and procedures that may allow you to reduce the total amount of debt you owe. There may also be another defense available in your case, such as if you asked someone in the payroll department to submit the taxes and they did not. In this instance, you could not be held personally liable.
Classification of Employees
Employee classification is a common cause of disputes between business owners and the IRS. If you have contractors working for you, or individuals that are not classified as employees, you are not required to deduct certain taxes from their paychecks. Unemployment insurance and income taxes are just two types of taxes you do not have to deduct from an independent contractor’s paycheck, but there are others, as well.
When arguing that a worker is classified as an independent contractor and not an employee, the IRS will apply fairly strict standards to the situation. Before they do, you should speak to a tax lawyer who can help you understand the standards the IRS uses, and give you the best chance of a favorable outcome.
Our Payroll Tax Attorney in Fort Lauderdale Can Handle Your Dispute
Payroll taxes are very complicated and a dispute will only cause them to become even more confusing. At Ronald Cutler, P.A., our Fort Lauderdale payroll tax attorney can represent you during any dispute and provide the sound legal advice you need. Call us now at 386-490-9949 or contact us online to learn more.