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★ Tax Audit Defense

Got an audit letter? Don't face them alone.

A correspondence audit, an office exam, or a full field audit — Adam Brewer deals with the examiner directly, controls what gets shared, and works to keep the outcome to what you actually owe, not what the notice assumes.

Free & confidential · Same-business-day response · Statewide California

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Attorney-Client PrivilegeLicensed in U.S. Tax CourtStatewide CaliforniaHandles FTB, EDD & CDTFAFree Consultation
What We Handle

Every kind of audit— Federal and California

From a single-issue letter to a full field examination, we step in as your representative so you deal with us, not the agent.

Correspondence Audits

The mail-based notices questioning a deduction, credit, or income item. We prepare the documentation and response so a narrow question doesn't turn into a broad one.

Office & Field Audits

In-person examinations of a return or a business. We attend on your behalf, manage the records the examiner sees, and keep the scope contained.

Sensitive & High-Stakes Audits

When unreported income or prior filing problems are in play, the attorney-client privilege matters. We handle exams where saying the wrong thing carries real risk.

California (FTB, EDD, CDTFA)

State audits run on their own rules and timelines. We defend income, payroll, and sales-and-use tax examinations in parallel with any federal case.

Why Representation Matters

The risks of handling an audit alone

You may say too much

Examiners are trained to ask open-ended questions. An honest but unguarded answer can open issues that were never on the table. A representative speaks for you.

The audit can expand

What starts as one line item or one year can widen to other issues and other years if the examiner sees an opening. Keeping the scope contained is much of the work.

Accuracy and fraud penalties

An assessment can carry a 20% accuracy penalty — or far more if the examiner asserts fraud. How the case is presented affects whether those penalties attach.

An audit can become collection

An unfavorable result becomes a balance due, with liens and levies close behind. Getting the exam right is what prevents a collection problem later.

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Meet Your Attorney

Adam Brewer, Tax Attorney

Founder of AB Tax Law APC, representing California taxpayers before the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board. His practice focuses on non-filers, back-tax resolution, audit defense, and collections — the situations most general practitioners avoid.

  • LLM in International Tax — Texas A&M
  • Licensed attorney — State Bar of California
  • Licensed attorney — State Bar of Hawaii
  • Direct representation before the IRS & state tax agencies
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Questions

Common questions about tax audits

Should I just handle the audit myself?+
For a simple one-document correspondence audit, sometimes. But once real money, multiple years, or unreported income is involved, representation usually pays for itself — both in the outcome and in what you avoid saying.
What usually triggers an audit?+
Common triggers include mismatches between your return and third-party reports (W-2s, 1099s), unusually large deductions relative to income, cash-heavy businesses, and random selection. The trigger matters less than how the exam is handled.
Can you attend so I don't have to?+
Yes. With a signed authorization we represent you directly, and in most exams you never have to speak with the examiner yourself.
I already responded to the auditor. Is it too late?+
No. We can step in at any stage — mid-exam, at the proposed-assessment stage, or on appeal — and often reframe issues that were headed the wrong way.
How far back can they audit?+
The IRS generally has three years, extended to six for substantial understatements, and no limit where fraud or an unfiled return is involved. California's FTB reaches back at least four years, and longer in some cases.
Do you handle both IRS and California audits?+
Yes — federal and state exams are defended together, since a change on one return frequently prompts a matching adjustment on the other.

One confidential call is enough to know where you stand

No obligation, and the conversation is protected from the moment it begins.