Washington, DC tax attorney · IRS disputes
Washington, DC tax attorney for IRS disputes.
Mr. Powell reads the IRS notice and answers it. He handles federal tax matters nationwide from 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300 in Washington, DC. A Washington, DC tax attorney represents individuals and closely held businesses in IRS examinations, administrative appeals, collection matters, penalty disputes, matters involving unfiled returns, and United States Tax Court cases. The IRS notice and the date printed on it control the available path, and each notice states its own response period rather than a period this page can supply.
Federal IRS and Tax Court representation may extend nationwide. State-law matters are limited to the District of Columbia and Maryland.
The agency procedures described on this page were checked on irs.gov and ustaxcourt.gov on September 4, 2026. The federal notice paths on this page were rechecked on irs.gov and ustaxcourt.gov on September 10, 2026. This page moved to this address on September 10, 2026. The notice in hand controls over this summary.
Start with the IRS notice.
An IRS dispute starts with a federal notice: an examination letter, a collection notice, a penalty notice, or a document that states a United States Tax Court deadline. The letter identifies the taxpayer, tax period, issue, and available response.
The next step depends on the document. An examination develops the factual record. Appeals reviews certain disputed adjustments and collection actions. The Tax Court acts only when a timely petition invokes its jurisdiction.
Law Office of Alexander Powell, PLLC has an office at 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006. Call (202) 821-1980. Mr. Powell is admitted in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and before the United States Tax Court.
Official source: IRS Audits
Official source: U.S. Tax Court, Starting a Case
Official source: IRS Topic 202, tax payment options
The work
IRS dispute representation.
IRS audit defense
Examinations, responses, and the administrative record for individuals and closely held businesses nationwide.
U.S. Tax Court
Petitions, case development, settlement, and trial after a Notice of Deficiency or other Tax Court matter.
Collections and relief
Unpaid tax, liens, levies, payment options, and related collection hearing rights.
Unfiled returns
Past-due IRS returns, missing-return notices, and substitute-for-return years.
FBAR and foreign accounts
Foreign accounts, FinCEN Form 114, FBAR penalties, and related international information returns.
Office, admissions, and record.
A Washington, DC tax attorney with a record built in trials, appellate chambers, and tax law.
More than 75 cases tried to verdict for the State of Maryland. More than 100 appellate opinions drafted while serving as a staff attorney at the Appellate Court of Maryland. American Bar Association Tax Section writing and speaking. Cited in Law360 Tax Authority for tax controversy analysis.
The firm represents individuals and closely held businesses in IRS examinations, collections, penalty disputes, matters involving unfiled returns, and U.S. Tax Court cases.
For tax year 2022, IRS Statistics of Income counted 343,810 individual income tax returns in the District of Columbia. 46,820 of those returns reported adjusted gross income of $200,000 or more. Counts are rounded to the nearest 10. These figures are return counts, not examination rates.
Questions
Common questions.
What is a Washington, DC tax attorney?
A Washington, DC tax attorney represents individuals and closely held businesses in IRS examinations, administrative appeals, collection matters, penalty disputes, matters involving unfiled returns, and United States Tax Court cases. The IRS notice and the date printed on it control the available path, and each notice states its own response period rather than a period this page can supply.
What work does a Washington, DC tax attorney handle?
The work runs the federal notice paths from end to end: IRS examinations, administrative appeals before the Independent Office of Appeals, collection matters including liens and levies, penalty disputes, unfiled returns, foreign-account reporting, and United States Tax Court cases. Federal IRS and Tax Court representation may extend nationwide from the Washington, DC office, while state-law matters are limited to the District of Columbia and Maryland. D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue disputes are a separate practice with their own page.
What is the difference between an IRS audit, an Appeals matter, a collection case, and a Tax Court case?
An IRS audit examines a return and the records that support it, and it usually opens with a letter such as Letter 525 or an information document request on Form 4564. The IRS Independent Office of Appeals reviews certain disputed adjustments and collection actions, and it charges no filing fee. A collection case concerns an assessed balance, a lien, or a levy, and a final notice of intent to levy carries a 30-day Collection Due Process right under 26 U.S.C. section 6330. A United States Tax Court case begins with a timely petition, which after a Notice of Deficiency is due within the period Internal Revenue Code section 6213(a) sets.
Does a Washington, DC tax attorney handle personal and business matters?
Both. The firm represents individuals and closely held businesses. An IRS examination, collection case, or Tax Court petition can name a person, a business, or both, and a closely held business and its owners often appear on related notices for the same years. The notice names the taxpayer and the tax years, and that name and those years set the scope of the matter.
Where are D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue disputes explained?
On the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue attorney page. That page covers proposed assessments from the District, the informal conference with the Audit Division, and the written protest to the Office of Administrative Hearings, which OTR states is due within 30 days from the date the notice is sent. Maryland state-law tax controversies have a separate page again, built on the Md. Code, Tax-General sections 13-508 and 13-510 windows.
If the letter is already in hand.
Use IRS Letter Check when the paper is a supported federal notice. Use How do I respond to an IRS collection notice? when the paper is a collection letter. Use IRS audit defense, IRS collections, or U.S. Tax Court when the path is already clear. Use the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue disputes page when the letter is from the Office of Tax and Revenue.
Related pages
Related IRS dispute resources.
- IRS audit defenseStart here when the paper is an IRS examination notice.
- IRS AppealsIndependent Office of Appeals review is a separate path from an examination or a Tax Court petition.
- Audit reconsiderationA closed audit with an unpaid assessment and new information is a different path.
- U.S. Tax CourtA Notice of Deficiency states a Tax Court deadline. The date on that notice controls.
- How do I respond to an IRS collection notice?Read the paper notice first. Identify the letter code, the assessed balance, and any date printed on it.
- IRS collectionsUnpaid balances, liens, levies, and payment options.
- Unfiled tax returnsPast-due IRS returns and missing-return notices such as CP59.
- D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue disputesOTR notices, the informal conference, and the OAH protest path.
- D.C. OTR collectionsLiens, levies, payment agreements, and the Certificate of Clean Hands for a District tax balance.
- FBAR attorneyForeign accounts, FinCEN Form 114, and related international information returns.
- Maryland tax attorneyState-law tax controversies in Maryland are a separate practice page.
- Practice areasReview the firm’s federal, District of Columbia, Maryland, and international-reporting scope.
- About Mr. PowellAdmitted in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and before the United States Tax Court.
- Start hereSend a high-level summary of the IRS or tax letter and the date printed on it.
- Attorney vs national tax reliefMill vs boutique vs BigLaw, as facts.
Send the letter code and the date printed on it.
Tell me what the IRS letter concerns and the deadline shown. Send only a high-level summary.
Schedule an initial consultationRequesting a consultation does not make Mr. Powell your lawyer, provide legal advice, or protect a deadline.
Law Office of Alexander Powell, PLLC. 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006.