Whiteford's Richmond tax attorneys serve the city, the counties around it and the Tri-Cities. Many of the federal offices and courts that may handle your case are here too. The IRS and the Taxpayer Advocate Service have offices on North Eighth Street. The Tax Court holds trial sessions in the city, and the federal district court and the Fourth Circuit sit downtown. See how a tax case moves through Richmond's courts.
We represent individuals and businesses in disputes with the IRS and the Virginia Department of Taxation. We can step in at any stage: a new audit letter, a levy already in place, an appeal deadline coming up, or a call from an IRS special agent.
Being chosen for an audit does not by itself mean something is wrong. You also do not need a notice in hand, or the money to pay, before you call. Timing still matters, though. Interest and some penalties keep growing until you pay in full, and an unpaid balance can lead to a federal tax lien or a levy.
Get directions Two James Center, 1021 E. Cary Street, Suite 2001 By appointment only. to the Richmond office (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Common matters we see here
- IRS audits and examinations
- Liens, levies, and wage garnishment
- Petitions for court approval to levy a home, and suits to foreclose federal tax liens
- Unfiled returns and back taxes
- Offers in compromise and installment agreements
- Currently not collectible status
- Penalty abatement and interest abatement requests
- Payroll and employment tax disputes
- Criminal tax investigations
Services from this office
Business Tax
We represent Richmond restaurants, contractors and employers in IRS audits and payroll tax disputes, and help owners plan 1031 exchanges.
Learn more →IRS Installment Agreement
When you cannot pay the IRS in full, a payment plan lets you pay monthly, and where you live around Richmond can change the amount.
Learn more →IRS Appeals
Richmond businesses and families can contest an IRS audit, penalty or lien before Appeals, and in the Tax Court when it sits in Richmond.
Learn more →IRS Audits
We defend Richmond taxpayers in IRS audits, including audits of easements on local land and historic rowhouses.
Learn more →Offer in Compromise
Richmond taxpayers who owe the IRS more than they can pay may settle for less with an offer in compromise, mailed to the IRS in Memphis.
Learn more →Offshore Accounts
Richmond families with accounts, inheritances or trusts abroad: we correct missed FBAR and FATCA filings and contest FBAR penalties.
Learn more →Tax Litigation
Richmond tax disputes can be tried in the city by the Tax Court or the federal district court, and appealed to the Fourth Circuit here.
Learn more →Unfiled Tax Returns
We file missing tax returns for Richmond-area taxpayers and handle what comes next, up to a Tax Court case heard in Richmond.
Learn more →White Collar Tax Defense
We defend Richmond taxpayers facing IRS special agents, grand jury subpoenas, search warrants, or federal tax charges.
Learn more →Local regulators & venues
Internal Revenue Service, Richmond offices
The IRS's Richmond Taxpayer Assistance Center is at 400 North Eighth Street. The Taxpayer Advocate Service has its Virginia office in the same building.
U.S. Tax Court, Richmond place of trial
Richmond is a designated place of trial for regular and small tax cases, as is Roanoke. The court keeps no permanent courtroom here, so the trial address arrives with the notice of trial.
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond Division)
The court hears criminal tax cases and refund suits at the Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Federal Courthouse on East Broad Street. A refund suit generally requires full payment of the tax first. For a divisible tax, such as the trust fund recovery penalty, paying the portion owed for one employee and one quarter may be enough to sue.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Appeals in Richmond-area tax cases generally come here, whether the district court or the Tax Court decided them. The court sits at the Lewis F. Powell Jr. Courthouse on East Main Street.
Virginia Department of Taxation
The agency is headquartered on Westmoreland Street.
Communities served from the Richmond office
We serve Central Virginia, including:
- the City of Richmond
- Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, and New Kent counties
- the Tri-Cities of Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights
We also take matters from Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, and other parts of the Commonwealth. If your tax issues reach into more than one state, we work with Whiteford's other offices.
Experience in Virginia matters
Michael March has defended individuals in federal criminal tax cases in Virginia's federal courts, including tax evasion prosecutions. Michael has also resolved civil disputes through the IRS's administrative stages and in the Tax Court. Some of those civil matters ran at the same time as IRS, Homeland Security, and FBI investigations.
IRS deadlines, liens and levies
Two federal deadlines can decide a case. A notice of deficiency starts a 90-day clock for filing a Tax Court petition. A final notice of intent to levy starts a 30-day clock for requesting a collection due process hearing. Do not count on getting more time. But if a deadline has passed, call us anyway, because a missed deadline does not always mean the matter is lost.
A federal tax lien is the government's legal claim against your property when a tax debt goes unpaid. A levy goes further and takes the property itself, and a wage levy takes part of every paycheck. The IRS can levy wages and bank accounts without going to court, but your main home needs a federal judge's approval. Our Richmond IRS appeals page explains where a lien notice is filed around Richmond and how to challenge it.
What we handle
IRS Audits
What an IRS audit involves, why the IRS opens one, and how an attorney protects your position from the first letter.
Learn more →IRS Collections
What the IRS can do to collect a tax debt, the rights that apply at each step, and the ways to stop enforcement.
Learn more →Tax Debt Relief
Offers in compromise, installment agreements, injured spouse relief, and other options for how to settle IRS debt and stop enforcement: what each one does, who qualifies, and what to expect.
Learn more →White Collar Tax Defense
When the IRS treats a tax problem as a crime, what conduct is charged, and how a defense attorney answers it.
Learn more →A note on admissions Federal tax matters are handled nationwide, including IRS examinations, appeals, collection, and Tax Court litigation. Virginia state and local tax matters are handled together with Whiteford attorneys admitted in Virginia, or with co-counsel where a matter requires it.
Why taxpayers choose Whiteford
- Government-side background: attorneys who have handled tax matters for the government and know firsthand how the IRS and the Justice Department build and weigh a case.
- Direct line to the attorney handling your matter, not an intake department.
- Flat fees for work with a defined scope, wherever the matter allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could the IRS take our house in Chesterfield over an unpaid tax bill?
If the government asks a court to approve a levy on our Chesterfield home, can we object?
Can the IRS take the interest off my balance?
The IRS refused to remove interest caused by its own delay. Can the Tax Court review that in Richmond?
Should I use a tax attorney or my CPA for an IRS audit?
Can I meet with a tax attorney in person?
What does an initial consultation cost?
Do you take matters outside the Richmond area?
Meet Michael
