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Do You Need a Local Tax Pro? How Remote Tax Help Works
Updated: Oct 5
Short answer: For IRS matters, you usually do not need a tax professional who lives in your state. All State Tax Resolution, led by Enrolled Agent Sabih Shafi, is based in Los Angeles and works with clients in every state, and abroad, by phone and video, because the right to represent you before the IRS is federal. State tax agencies set their own rules, so we check yours first.
Key takeaways
For the IRS, an enrolled agent can represent any taxpayer on any tax matter, wherever you live.
Each state tax agency has its own power of attorney form and rules, so ask how a professional will handle yours.
Check anyone you hire, including us, with IRS tools.
Remote work runs on a signed power of attorney, IRS transcripts, secure upload and e-signatures. Keep your Social Security number out of plain email.
Choose local if you want face-to-face meetings, or need a lawyer for a court or criminal matter.
Living abroad? The IRS no longer offers taxpayer service at foreign posts, so remote is already the norm.
Do you need a tax professional in your state?
People ask us, "You are not in my state. Does that matter?"
We are based in Los Angeles and work with clients in every state, and abroad, by phone and video.
For federal tax, that usually does not matter. The IRS says taxpayers have "the right to retain an authorized representative of their choice." State tax is different. Each state sets its own forms and rules, so we confirm yours first.
Can an enrolled agent represent you in any state?
Before the IRS, yes. Before a state agency, the state decides. The IRS says: "Enrolled agents, like attorneys and certified public accountants (CPAs), have unlimited practice rights. This means they are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what types of tax matters they can handle, and which IRS offices they can represent clients before." Another IRS page says they may represent clients on "any matters including audits, payment/collection issues, and appeals."
Where the license comes from matters. The IRS lists enrolled agents as "Licensed by the IRS," CPAs as "Licensed by state boards of accountancy," and attorneys as "Licensed by state courts." Circular 230, section 10.3(c), says an individual enrolled as an agent, not under suspension or disbarment, "may practice before the Internal Revenue Service." Enrolled agents complete 72 hours of continuing education every three years. See enrolled agent vs CPA vs tax attorney.
How to verify an enrolled agent or any tax preparer
Do not take anyone's word for it, ours included.
PTIN. Anyone paid to prepare federal returns must have a preparer tax identification number and put it on the return. The IRS calls a refusal to sign the return or give a PTIN "a major red flag."
IRS preparer directory. The Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications searches by last name or ZIP code and filters by credential, such as Enrolled Agent. Results show name, city, state, ZIP code and credential. Not every preparer is listed. Our owner is listed there as SHAFI, SABIH, Enrolled Agent.
IRS Office of Enrollment. You can ask it to confirm an enrolled agent through its contact form.
IRS discipline record. The IRS publishes a searchable record of practitioners censured, suspended or disbarred for Circular 230 violations in the last 25 years.
How remote tax resolution works with the IRS
Remote work rests on Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative. The IRS says to "use Form 2848 to authorize an individual to represent you before the IRS." Your representative can then negotiate for you, receive your IRS information and, if you choose, get copies of your notices. The authorization does not relieve you of your tax obligations, and you can revoke it.
You can sign without paper. The IRS accepts electronic signatures on forms submitted through its secure online upload, and on your e-file authorization, Form 8879. With a U.S. address, a tax professional can instead use the IRS Tax Pro Account to send the request to your IRS online account for you to approve. That route requires an address in a U.S. state or the District of Columbia, so from abroad we use Form 2848. If you sign remotely and the professional does not know you, the IRS requires an identity check, such as comparing your photo ID to you on video.
With the authorization on file, a professional can request your IRS transcripts, which show what the IRS has on record, such as W-2 and 1099 data and changes made after you filed.
Most of this is not in person. The IRS says you can "get help with most tax issues online or by phone," audits start by mail, and IRS Appeals holds its conferences by correspondence, telephone, video conference or in person. Most of our cases never need an office visit.
Abroad, the IRS says taxpayer service formerly offered at foreign posts of duty "is no longer available." See our guide for Americans living abroad.
State tax agencies set their own rules
Each state has its own power of attorney form and rules on who can be named and how it is signed. Two examples from the agencies' own websites:
North Carolina: Form GEN-58 appoints an individual to represent you before the Department of Revenue. It has a box for an enrolled agent, enrolled under Circular 230, and asks for the enrollment card number. You and your representative can sign electronically. A paid preparer's signature on a return does not cover audits or reviews of proposed assessments, which need a GEN-58.
California: The Franchise Tax Board accepts only its own form, FTB 3520-PIT for individuals. It has a field for an enrolled agent number, but the Board does not accept electronic signatures, so you sign by hand.
For any other state, we confirm its form and rules first. See our 50-state guide to state tax debt.
Is it safe to use an out-of-state tax preparer?
Distance is not the risk. These IRS warning signs apply everywhere:
Fees based on a percentage of your refund, or cash only with no receipt.
An offer to deposit your refund into the preparer's own account.
A preparer who will not sign your return, or has you sign a blank form.
A claim to be an enrolled agent without a valid credential.
Send anything with your Social Security number through a secure upload link, not plain email. IRS guidance for tax professionals says to use secure file transfer instead of email, or at least send only encrypted, password-protected documents. The IRS says you are "ultimately accountable for the accuracy of every item" on your return, so read it before you e-sign. Get the fee in writing first. A representative cannot cash your federal refund check or have it paid into their own account.
When a local professional may be the better fit
Pick someone local if you want to sit across a desk from your professional, or want a representative in the room for an in-person IRS or state meeting. A lawyer licensed in your state is the better choice for a court case, since courts set their own rules on who may appear, or for a criminal tax matter. The IRS notes that confidentiality protection for communications with federally authorized practitioners covers noncriminal tax matters.
How our remote process runs, step by step
Free 20-minute review by phone. Tell us what you have and which letters came.
Flat fee in writing, quoted before work starts.
Power of attorney, signed electronically where the agency allows it, plus your state's form where needed.
Transcripts pulled, so we see what the IRS has on file.
Documents through a secure link. No plain email.
Returns signed electronically after you review them.
Updates by phone, text or email, in English or Spanish.
No one can promise what the IRS or a state will do, and we do not.
How we help
I am Sabih Shafi, an IRS Enrolled Agent, federally licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS in all 50 states. I work with clients everywhere by phone and video, in English or Spanish.
Tax returns, including several unfiled years.
IRS and state balances: payment plans, offers in compromise, penalty relief, levies and garnishments.
Audits and notices from the IRS or your state.
Bookkeeping cleanup, LLC and S corporation planning.
U.S. expat returns for Americans abroad.
A flat fee quoted in writing before work starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a local tax preparer?
For federal tax, usually no, because the IRS lets you choose your own representative. For state tax, rules vary, so confirm your state's form and who may sign. Choose local if you want in-person meetings.
Can a tax professional in another state do my taxes?
For your federal return, yes. The IRS says anyone with a PTIN can be a paid preparer, though skills differ, so check credentials. State returns follow your state's rules.
Can an enrolled agent represent me in any state?
Before the IRS, yes. The IRS says enrolled agents are unrestricted as to which IRS offices they represent clients before. State agencies set their own rules, so we confirm yours first.
How does remote tax resolution work?
Online tax resolution help runs on a few steps. You e-sign a power of attorney, your representative pulls your IRS transcripts, and you upload documents through a secure link. Then we deal with the IRS or your state by phone, mail and online. Which relief fits depends on your facts.
Is it safe to use an out-of-state tax preparer?
Yes, if you check the credential, get the fee in writing, use a secure upload and read the return before you sign. Never sign a blank form.
How do I verify an enrolled agent?
Search the IRS preparer directory for the Enrolled Agent credential, or ask the IRS Office of Enrollment through its contact form. You can also check the IRS record of disciplined practitioners.
I live abroad. Can you still help with my U.S. taxes?
Yes. We work with Americans abroad by phone and video. The IRS says the filing rules for U.S. citizens are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad.
General information, not tax advice for your situation.
Related Reading
Talk to an Enrolled Agent
This article is general information, not individual tax advice. If you want to talk through your own IRS or state balance, book a free 20-minute review or call or text us directly.
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