Need reliable, affordable enrolled tax agent

March 2, 2015 1:37 PM

Two years ago I filed an application with the IRS for the overseas assets amnesty program (silly me; it hadn't occurred to me that buying a condo was an asset--duh) and I'm still grinding through the process two years later. The accountant I've been using has basically gone MIA on my ass.

Please help me find a more reliable (and, ideally, affordable, since I'm unemployed) enrolled tax agent who is:
A. Qualified to do my taxes for 2014 and (um) 2013 and
B. Experienced in dealing with overseas assets, which I still have.

I'm in the SF Bay Area but this rare tax talent can be located anywhere because Internet!

posted by Bella Donna to Law & Government (2 answers total)

Best answer: Don't know if this is a similar situation, but I'm using Taxes for Expats who you can google. I live in the UK and am hopefully doing the streamlined procedure. I cant recommend them yet because I haven't finished, but it might help you get started?

My commiserations. It's pretty awful.
posted by mgrrl at 2:58 PM on March 2, 2015

Best answer: My general understanding with the OVDI is that if you are enrolled in it, or thinking about enrolling in it, you really need someone who lives and breathes OVDI, and they are generally expensive, and they may not be willing to do the regular part of your taxes. I would suggest that you get a regular accountant or DIY for the regular accounting and a specialist for the overseas asset related work.

I had a good experience with the Hodgen Law Firm (http://hodgen.com/). They are not cheap (but they *will* do flat-rate billing, which I really like) and I'm not 100% sure if they are taking new clients. They are based in the LA area but have a lot of remote clients.
posted by phoenixy at 5:48 PM on March 2, 2015