Hanover Tax Return Lawyer

Are you looking for a tax return lawyer in Hanover, MD? 

At Crepeau Mourges, we provide tax return representation guided by 40 years of combined experience in Hanover and the surrounding area.

If you have unfiled returns, an IRS notice questioning a return you already filed, or a Maryland assessment that doesn’t match your records in Hanover, the steps you take next matter. Tax return problems rarely fix themselves. And the longer they sit, the fewer options remain, but our Hanover, MD tax return lawyer can help. We can review your filings, respond to the IRS or the Comptroller of Maryland, and work to correct the record. Both of our founders are attorneys and CPAs, with 40 years of combined practice. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.

Tax Return Lawyer Hanover, MD

A tax return lawyer is an attorney who represents individuals and businesses when a federal or state return is missing, inaccurate, or under government review. Our Hanover tax return lawyer’s work spans delinquent filings, amended returns, audits, and disputes over what a return should have reported. It also includes advising clients on legal exposure, which a return preparer is not positioned to do.

Anne Arundel County residents filed 288,158 Maryland personal income tax returns for tax year 2024, according to the Comptroller’s income tax summary. Howard County, which includes part of Hanover, added 162,040. Every one of those returns carries its own deadlines and its own room for error.

Types of Tax Return Cases We Handle in Hanover

Return problems take several forms, and some begin with a missed filing year. Others surface much later in an audit letter or a collection notice. Our Hanover tax return attorneys handle each of the following:

• Unfiled tax returns. Missed years tend to stack up after a business setback, a divorce, or a death in the family. We rebuild income figures from bank records and IRS transcripts, prepare the late filings, and address the problem before it becomes a criminal concern.
• Substitute for Return assessments. When no return is filed, the IRS may prepare one using only income reported by employers and banks, with none of your deductions. We replace it with an accurate filing and contest the inflated balance.
• Amended returns. Mistakes happen, and some start with incorrect Form 1099 reporting by a payer. Before anything goes in, we weigh whether an amendment helps you or invites new questions.
• IRS audits. An examination may begin with a letter or a field visit. We handle document requests and interviews, and we build the record the examiner will rely on.
• IRS appeals. Examiners get things wrong. We prepare written protests and present the case to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals, where many disputes are resolved without litigation.
• Tax liability and penalty relief. Late-filing and accuracy penalties can add thousands of dollars to a balance. Where the facts support it, we request abatement based on reasonable cause or other available grounds.
• Business tax. Partnership and S corporation errors pass through to the owners’ personal returns, so we correct both levels together.
• Employment taxes. Unfiled or inaccurate payroll returns can expose owners and officers to personal liability, and our goal is to fix the filings while limiting that exposure.
• FBAR. Undisclosed foreign accounts often create information return problems that sit alongside the income tax return. We explain the disclosure options and the risks tied to each one.
• Tax fraud. Once investigators suggest a return was intentionally false, a civil matter can become a criminal one. Our Hanover tax return lawyers can get involved early and handle every communication with the government.

Why Choose Crepeau Mourges as My Tax Return Lawyer in Hanover, MD?

Attorneys Who Understand the Accounting

Brian J. Crepeau is a tax attorney, Certified Public Accountant, and Certified Fraud Examiner. His practice centers on federal and state tax controversy for individual and corporate taxpayers. He handles administrative disputes with the IRS and the Comptroller of Maryland, litigates in the U.S. Tax Court, and earned his J.D. from American University‘s Washington College of Law.

Brandon N. Mourges is board certified in Tax Law by The Florida Bar and holds a Maryland CPA license. He earned both his J.D. and an LL.M. in Taxation at the University of Baltimore School of Law, after completing a B.S. in Economics at The Wharton School. Super Lawyers named him a Rising Star. That dual training matters when you need a tax lawyer in Hanover, MD.

Results in Return and Collection Disputes

Brandon Mourges has handled the return and collection matters below, and past clients have described their own experiences working with our Hanover tax return lawyers.

• A business owner with numerous unfiled returns and a prior failure-to-file conviction settled the resulting income tax appeal.
• Individuals sued by the Department of Justice over delinquent returns and substitute assessments settled through mediation with minimal financial consequences.
• A proposed deficiency of more than $13.5 million, exclusive of interest, was reduced to under $600,000 on administrative appeal.
• An IRS balance exceeding $2,000,000 was resolved through an Offer in Compromise of roughly $30,000.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

What Is Important to Understand About Tax Return Cases?

Filing Obligations, Liability, and Limitation Periods for Tax Return Cases

Federal deadlines decide how far back the IRS can reach and how long you have to claim a refund, which is why the statute of limitations shapes most strategy in these cases.

• Responsibility. The taxpayer who signs a return remains responsible for what it reports, even when a paid preparer completed it.
• Assessment window. According to IRS record-keeping guidance, the IRS generally has three years after filing to assess more tax, and early returns are treated as filed on the due date.
• Large omissions. Leaving out income greater than 25% of the gross income shown on the return stretches that window to six years.
• No return or a fraudulent return. No limitation period applies, so tax for those years can be assessed at any time.
• Refunds. A claim is generally due within three years of filing or two years of paying, whichever is later. Refunds on past-due returns are forfeited if the return is not filed within three years of its due date.
• Collection. After assessment, the IRS generally has 10 years to collect, although installment requests, offers, and bankruptcy can pause the collection statute.

Maryland sets its own limitation periods for state returns, and they don’t always match the federal ones.

What Are Important Aspects of a Tax Return Case?

Two taxpayers with the same balance can end up in very different places, something our Hanover tax return attorneys see often. A few factors usually explain the gap.

• Documentation. Bank statements, receipts, and third-party records often decide whether a figure holds up.
• Intent. An honest mistake is treated very differently from conduct the government views as willful, both for penalties and for criminal exposure.
• State and federal overlap. A change to your federal return usually triggers a matching adjustment with the Comptroller.
• Timing. Coming forward before the IRS makes contact generally leaves more options open.

What Is the Tax Return Case Timeline?

No two matters run on the same schedule, and our Hanover tax return lawyers can help you manage expectations. The number of years involved, and whether an agency has already acted, affect how long resolution takes. Most cases move through these stages:

• Review of IRS and Comptroller account transcripts, notices, and your own records.
• Preparation of delinquent or amended returns, which may take a few weeks or several months depending on how complete the records are.
• Submission of the returns and follow-up on any agency questions.
• Examination or appeal if a return is selected for review, a stage that can extend the case considerably.
• Resolution of any remaining balance through full payment, an installment agreement, or another collection alternative.

What Should You Bring to Your Tax Return Consultation?

Bring what you have to your meeting with our Hanover tax return attorney, even if the file is incomplete. We can start with partial records, and these items help most:

• Every notice from the IRS or the Comptroller of Maryland.
• Copies of prior returns, including any drafts for unfiled years.
• Forms W-2, 1099, and K-1, plus bank and brokerage statements for the years in question.
• Business ledgers, payroll reports, and receipts that support income and deductions.

At the meeting, we review your documents, explain where you stand, and outline realistic next steps. The initial consultation with our Hanover tax return lawyer is free.

Hanover Tax Agencies and Local Resources

Hanover sits between Baltimore and Annapolis, and the agencies that handle return disputes are within a short drive.

• IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. The Baltimore office in the Fallon Federal Building at 31 Hopkins Plaza helps with account questions, notices, and payment arrangements. Like other Maryland IRS offices, it operates by appointment.
• Taxpayer Advocate Service. This independent organization within the IRS assists taxpayers whose problems have not been resolved through normal channels, and you can reach a local advocate by state.
• Comptroller of Maryland. State return questions and assessments go through the Comptroller, which operates taxpayer service branch offices around the state. Its Office of the Taxpayer Advocate works with taxpayers who have been unable to resolve issues through ordinary channels.
• United States Tax Court. A taxpayer who receives a notice of deficiency can generally petition this court without first paying the disputed tax.
• Maryland Tax Court. Located at 301 West Preston Street in Baltimore, this independent agency provides the highest level of administrative review for state and local tax appeals, including decisions of the Comptroller.
• Fort Meade Tax Assistance Center. The Fort Meade tax center, part of the VITA program where Brandon Mourges has volunteered, offers free return preparation to eligible members of the military community. It is open from the last week of January through April 15.

Reach Out to Crepeau Mourges to Schedule a Consultation

Return problems are easier to resolve before an agency sets the terms. Crepeau Mourges offers a free initial consultation for tax return matters in Hanover and across Anne Arundel and Howard counties. We will review your records, explain your options, and give you a candid assessment. Contact us to schedule your consultation with our Hanover tax return lawyer.