Asking a CPA for help with an IRS letter

Q. If I get a letter from the IRS asking for a clarification, and I used a CPA. Do I just send the CPA the letter? Will they charge me for additional work?
— Taxed

A. Don’t waste time in contacting your CPA and answering the IRS.

You should send the CPA a copy of the IRS letter, said Gail Rosen, a Martinsville-based certified public accountant.

“You never want to answer the government without getting advice from your CPA first,” Rosen said. “The last thing you want to do is answer the IRS wrong and try to correct it later.”

As for your relationship with your CPA, Rosen said, the terms of agreement specifying what services are covered under the fee you paid are usually covered in the engagement letteryou signed with your CPA.

“You can also request that your CPA give you an estimate of any billable amounts before they start working,” Rosen said.

Good luck with the IRS!

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for The Star-Ledger and she’s the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Click here to sign up for the NJMoneyHelp.com weekly e-newsletter. Like NJMoneyHelp.com on Facebook and follow it on Twitter.