How a Tax Resolution Practice Saves Time and Increases Revenue with IRS Solutions^® and IAN^™

The Challenge

Despite having tax preparation and office management platforms in place, VanCamp and her colleagues at Carmona Financial Consultants lacked a way to quickly and easily get the IRS information they needed to serve their clients.

Carmona says, “Getting transcripts from the IRS took so long. Even when we’d fax over form 2848 or form 8821, there were so many issues.” He continues, “There were times when we were actually in the middle of working with somebody, and they would say, ‘Ok, fax me the POA,’ and then their fax machine didn’t work.”

Covid was the tipping point for Carmona and his team. He says, “The IRS didn’t even answer their phones for three months, and then the wait times were just ridiculous. We wasted a lot of time trying to get an IRS transcript or find out what was going on with our clients’ accounts.”

VanCamp recalls one time that she dialed the IRS on her way into the office and worked all day with her phone on speaker. She says, “I was on hold until I clocked out 9 hours later, but no one ever answered.”

“It took forever,” Carmona adds. “I couldn’t solve the problem because I didn’t even know what the problem was.”

Together, they began the search for a digital partner.

The Solution

The first thing Carmona and VanCamp did was investigate options and schedule demos. “We saw so many,” says Carmona. “Some were very expensive, and others were way beyond what we needed. IRS Solutions was a great fit because they had an IRS transcript monitoring and delivery system built right into their membership package.”

“It was a good price point,” he says, “but the most important thing was that we were able to get somebody on the phone to talk to. I don’t want to text, and I don’t want to be outsourced.”

He continues, “When I need help, I might have a client sitting across my desk. I want to talk to someone who speaks my professional language, understands my question and can answer my question now – without reading from a script.” He concludes, “When Emily told me that she’d called IRS Solutions and spoken directly to Suzanne, I was impressed.”

After a few conversations, Carmona Financial Services became the newest IRS Solutions member, beginning their relationship with three seats. Emily VanCamp says, “Suzanne was so supportive. Every time we spoke, I felt like I was the only person in the world she had to deal with. That’s the personalized attention they give you.” She says that onboarding was quick and mastering the system was easy. “They explained everything and had videos that we could watch and learn how to use the software.”

“We went from seven or eight hours on hold to getting transcripts instantly and receiving emails that alert us to changes. It’s been life-changing.” – Emily VanCamp, Tax Resolution Specialist, Carmona Financial Consultants

The Results

In three years, Carmona Financial Consultants has expanded their IRS Solutions membership from three seats to six. Gilbert Carmona, Emily VanCamp, and other team members use the software every day.

The morning begins with a cup of coffee and a quick email scan. VanCamp says, “I don’t even have to be logged in. The IRS Advance Notice (IAN) feature sends me daily emails to remind me to check my alerts. It’s really simplified the whole process.”

Gilbert Carmona is able to redirect the time and effort his employees save into growing his company. His team now offers year-round monitoring with IAN to every client, promoting the service with marketing materials including brochures in English and Spanish, desk plaques, and membership certificates. Individual tax prep clients get a recommendation to sign up. “Some people have a real fear of the IRS,” says Carmona, “and we help them.”

VanCamp says, “When we get an alert and let a client know that something is coming, it sometimes sparks a little panic. I can reassure them. I tell them, ‘Just send me a picture of it when you get it. It’ll be fine.’”

The service is added to business tax return invoices by default, with a sign-on incentive of three free hours of resolution service valued at $200 per hour if needed. Clients who opt out are encouraged to reconsider with a printed document that details the potential costs of an unpleasant IRS surprise and required to sign an acknowledgement of the risk. 90% of business clients enroll in their IRS Advance Notice Plan.

Carmona Financial Consultants has created multiple promotional assets to spread the word about IAN and their annual monitoring program, including a bilingual brochure, a Certificate of Membership provided to clients upon enrollment, and desk plaques featuring the IAN Certified badge for all staff. Carmona shares, “I’ve had people ask me, ‘What is that?’ I actually just had someone sign up.”

This creates a mutual expectation of ongoing engagement and reinforces long-term relationships. Not only does it increase income, it smooths year-round revenue. That dependable flow is particularly critical for accountants, many of whom earn up to 75% of their annual income in the busy months from January to April. “With IRS Solutions, our business has grown every year,” says Carmona.

When asked about a time that IRS Solutions and IAN made a real difference, VanCamp has an answer at the ready. “We have a client who had 10-plus years of tax debt,” she says. “We were working on a giant Offer in Compromise for her. She got so many letters! IAN helped us pin all of the IRS paperwork to the right year, and the platform’s OIC calculator helped us make the right offer. We were able to achieve a fast, successful resolution to a complex issue. It was much more efficient because we had monitoring and real-time IRS transcript access in place.”

VanCamp, who particularly enjoys attending monthly CE classes and learning about new IRS Solutions features and updates, reports seeing her employer’s membership investment paying off. “Knowing that we’re paying attention to what’s going on really sets a lot of people at ease. Our clients tell me that they can sleep better knowing we’re taking care of them.”