Mike Habib, EA

10/12/2026

IRS Audit Appeals: How Mike Habib, EA, Represents Taxpayers and Challenges IRS Audit Findings

An unfavorable IRS audit report is not necessarily the final word. Taxpayers may be entitled to challenge proposed adjustments through the IRS Independent Office of Appeals. A strong appeal depends on sound legal analysis, organized evidence, timely filing, effective negotiation, and careful settlement review.

Mike Habib, EA, provides federal administrative appeals representation centered on three services: (1) preparation of a formal, legally supported protest; (2) Appeals conferences and negotiations; and (3) tax calculations, settlement analysis, and final resolution. The objective is to pursue the most favorable outcome reasonably available under the law and facts while protecting taxpayer rights. , ,

An unfavorable IRS audit report is not necessarily the final word. Taxpayers may be entitled to challenge proposed adjustments through the IRS Independent Office of Appeals. A strong appeal ...

09/28/2026

Tax Relief Company vs. Tax Representation Firm: Don’t Get Ripped Off

If you owe the IRS money, or a state tax agency has your bank account frozen, or you have not filed in six or more years and the letters keep coming, you are about to make a decision under pressure. That is the worst condition in which to spend three, five, or ten thousand dollars.

This guide exists to slow that moment down.

There are two very different kinds of businesses selling help with tax problems, and from the outside they are nearly indistinguishable. Both have professional websites. Both talk about “settlements” and “fresh starts.” Both answer the phone quickly. One of them is a licensed practitioner who will personally build and argue your case. The other is a call center with a sales floor, a contract, and a plan to hand your file to whoever is available.

Telling them apart takes about ten minutes and five questions. This article walks through those questions, then goes deep into the actual problems taxpayers bring to a representation firm — unfiled returns, audits, back taxes, payroll and Form 941 problems, the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty, levies, liens, and appeals — with the real rules, the real deadlines, and the real numbers as they stand in 2026.

Every form number, notice code, Internal Revenue Code section, penalty rate, and dollar threshold in this article was verified against a primary source before it was written down. Where the rules changed recently — and several changed in the last twelve months — that is flagged.

Taxpayer beware. The companies you hear on the radio, see on late-night television, and meet at the top of your search results after typing “IRS debt help” are, as a category, the most complained-about businesses in this field. The IRS itself put them on its 2026 Dirty Dozen list of tax scams. The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert about them in August 2026. State attorneys general have won judgments against them running into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Do not pay anyone anything until you have read Part Three of this article. Fifteen minutes of checking will cost you nothing. Skipping it has cost other people five figures. , , ,

Get reliable tax help, IRS tax relief, back taxes help, audit representation and tax problem resolution by licensed power of attorney. All 50 States. Free initial consultation 877-788-2937 . Tax Relief Company vs. Tax Representation Firm: Don't Get Ripped Off | Los Angeles IRS Services

09/11/2026

Why Hiring an Enrolled Agent for Tax Representation Often Beats a CPA or Tax Attorney

If you have a tax problem — an IRS audit, a collection case, a payroll tax issue, an offshore disclosure, an FTB residency audit — the first practical question after “what do I do?” is usually “who should I hire?” The honest answer is more nuanced than the marketing materials suggest. There are three credentials that are authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS without limitation: Enrolled Agents (EAs), Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), and tax attorneys. All three are real. All three have a place. And for most ordinary tax representation work, an Enrolled Agent is often the right fit — not because EAs are better than CPAs or attorneys, but because EAs are specifically trained, licensed, and tested on what tax representation actually requires.

This article walks through what each credential actually is, what each one does best, where the credentials overlap, where they don’t, and how to decide which fits your situation. By the end, you should have a much clearer sense of what you’re really hiring for and what to look for in a representative — regardless of credential.

If you have a tax problem — an IRS audit, a collection case, a payroll tax issue, an offshore disclosure, an FTB residency audit — the first practical question after “what do I do?” is usually ...

07/14/2026

Can an IRS Offer in Compromise (OIC) Settle Your Tax Debt for Less?

An IRS Offer in Compromise (OIC) may allow eligible taxpayers to settle their tax debt for less than the full amount owed—but not everyone qualifies.

The IRS reviews your:
• Income
• Expenses
• Assets
• Future ability to pay
• Overall financial circumstances

If an Offer in Compromise isn't the right solution, other options such as an Installment Agreement or Currently Not Collectible status may provide better relief.

At Mike Habib, EA, we've been representing taxpayers before the IRS and state tax agencies for more than 20 years. We don't make unrealistic promises or guarantee acceptance. Instead, we evaluate your financial situation, explain your options, and pursue the best resolution available under the law.

📞 Call today for a confidential consultation and find out whether an Offer in Compromise is the right strategy for your case.

Nationwide IRS Representation
877-78-TAXES

07/05/2026

Behind on Payroll Taxes? Trust Fund Recovery Penalty Could Follow You Personally for Years

If you run a business with employees and you’ve fallen behind on your federal payroll tax deposits, you are looking at the most aggressively collected tax debt in the United States. There is no other tax balance the IRS treats with the same urgency, and there is no other tax balance that can pierce the corporate veil and follow you home as readily as unpaid payroll taxes.

If your business is a corporation or LLC, you may be assuming — reasonably — that the entity’s liabilities stay with the entity. With most debts that’s true. With payroll taxes, it isn’t. Through a mechanism called the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP), the IRS can assess a substantial portion of unpaid payroll taxes personally against owners, officers, bookkeepers, controllers, payroll providers in some cases, and other “responsible persons” — even if the underlying business closes, files for bankruptcy, or is dissolved entirely.

This article explains how payroll tax problems develop, why the IRS treats them the way it does, what the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty actually is, who it can be assessed against, what a Form 4180 interview looks like, the personal exposure that follows you for years, and — most importantly — the path back to resolution. By the end, you will know exactly where you stand and what your next move should be.

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If you run a business with employees and you’ve fallen behind on your federal payroll tax deposits, you are looking at the most aggressively collected tax debt in the United States. There is no ...

07/02/2026

🚨 Tax Problems? Get Real Tax Relief Today!

Facing an IRS or state tax issue? You don't have to face it alone.

Mike Habib, EA — a federally licensed Enrolled Agent based in Los Angeles area, Whittier, CA — helps individuals and business owners resolve serious tax problems, including:

✅ Back taxes & unfiled returns
✅ IRS/FTB/EDD/CDTFA audits
✅ Wage garnishments & bank levies
✅ Payroll tax (941) issues & TFRP defense
✅ Offers in Compromise & installment agreements
✅ Penalty abatement

With 20+ years of experience and direct access to Mike on every case (no junior staff, no runaround), you get honest answers and a real resolution strategy — not empty promises.

📞 Call now: (562) 204-6700

🌐 myirstaxrelief.com

Flat-fee options available. Serving clients nationwide.
Don't wait for the IRS to act first — get ahead of it today.

05/20/2026

Types of IRS & State Tax Problems — and How Mike Habib, EA Can Help

If you have a letter from the IRS sitting on your kitchen counter that you have not opened yet, you already understand something important about tax problems: they are rarely just about numbers. A tax problem is the knot in your stomach when caller ID shows an unfamiliar number. It is the worry that your business checking account could be frozen before payroll clears. It is the quiet fear that the life you have built could be undone by a balance you did not even know how to calculate.

That fear is the real problem. The tax issue is just the thing causing it.

This guide is written for the person living with that fear. It walks through the most common types of IRS and state tax problems in a question-and-answer format, explains in clear language what each one actually means, and shows where the Los Angeles tax representation firm of Mike Habib, EA fits into the picture. The goal is not to sell you on a worst-case scenario. It is to take a subject that feels overwhelming and make it understandable — because a problem you understand is a problem you can solve.

Throughout, you will notice a recurring theme: you are the one whose future is at stake, and the firm’s job is to be the experienced guide who has walked this road many times before. Mike Habib does not take over your life. He takes over the part of it that involves tax authorities, so you can get back to the rest.

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Get reliable tax help, IRS tax relief, back taxes help, audit representation and tax problem resolution by licensed power of attorney. All 50 States. Free initial consultation 877-788-2937 . Types of IRS & State Tax Problems — and How Mike Habib, EA Can Help | Los Angeles IRS Services

04/24/2026

Enrolled Agent vs. CPA vs. Tax Lawyer: Who Should Actually Be Handling Your Tax Problem?

When people Google “tax attorney vs. enrolled agent vs. CPA,” they are almost never curious in the abstract. Something has already happened. An IRS notice arrived in the mail. A Revenue Officer showed up. An EDD auditor sent a questionnaire. A Franchise Tax Board letter proposed an assessment. Payroll taxes fell behind. A client sold a business and the numbers don’t add up. In that moment, the last thing anyone needs is a three-way comparison chart written by someone who has never sat across from an Appeals Officer.

So let’s skip the textbook treatment. Here is an honest, practitioner’s view of what each of these three credentials actually does, where each one shines, where each one is overkill, and how our firm — Mike Habib, EA, based in Whittier, Los Angeles County, California — fits into that picture. We serve individuals and businesses in all 50 states and U.S. taxpayers living overseas, and we work on a flat-fee basis in most engagements. That second point matters more than most people realize, and we will come back to it.

The Short Answer, Before We Get Into the Weeds
All three credentials — Enrolled Agent (EA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and tax lawyer — can represent you before the IRS. That is where the similarities largely end. CPAs are accountants first, with some tax specialists among them. Tax attorneys (board-certified) are lawyers whose superpower is litigation, legal privilege, and complex legal questions. Enrolled Agents are the only federally licensed practitioners whose credential exists solely to represent taxpayers before the IRS. We do taxes. That is the entire job.

For most tax problems — audits, collections, unfiled returns, payroll tax disputes, offers in compromise, installment agreements, penalty abatements, EDD and FTB matters, multi-state issues, expat returns — an experienced EA firm is usually the right call. For criminal tax matters, Tax Court litigation, or complex legal structuring, a tax attorney is appropriate. For a full-scope financial audit of your company’s books, a CPA firm is appropriate.

Our firm handles the first category. We refer the second and third when they’re genuinely needed — and we’ll tell you honestly when they’re not.

When people Google "tax attorney vs. enrolled agent vs. CPA," they are almost never curious in the abstract. Something has already happened. An IRS notice arrived in the mail. A Revenue Officer ...

02/27/2026

https://medium.com//why-large-tax-firms-charge-1-000-per-hour-db05343e0b46

By Mike Habib, EA | Licensed Enrolled Agent | Los Angeles County, California

02/18/2026

How to Select a Reliable Tax Resolution Firm to Resolve Your Tax Problem

The IRS sent you a notice. Now what? Here’s how to find the right help — and avoid the wrong kind.