{"id":1296,"date":"2024-02-14T07:13:07","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T12:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paladinilawstg.wpenginepowered.com\/?post_type=success-story&#038;p=1296"},"modified":"2024-02-14T07:13:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T12:13:07","slug":"saving-383982-06-through-an-nj-closing-agreement-a-unicorn-in-nj-tax-resolution","status":"publish","type":"success-story","link":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/success-story\/saving-383982-06-through-an-nj-closing-agreement-a-unicorn-in-nj-tax-resolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving $383,982.06 through an NJ Closing Agreement: A Unicorn in NJ Tax Resolution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>NJ tax audits can put businesses out of business. Fortunately, we were able to prevent that by saving our client $383,982.06 through an NJ closing agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unprecedented Tax Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our client was a successful contractor in the state. Unfortunately, he \u201cwon\u201d the tax audit lotto and was subject to a brutal audit. NJ has draconian authority when it comes to tax audits. They can make an arbitrary assessment if they deem your tax records insufficient. While seemingly unbelievable, the state can come up with almost any number they think you should owe in tax\u2014regardless of whether that number is practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s exactly what happened to our client, who did not keep proper books and records for the business. The result was two assessments\u2014one for additional sales tax due in the amount of $344,915.51:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"114\" src=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture1.png 624w, https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture1-600x110.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The second was for additional income taxes due for $189,065.55:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"59\" src=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture2.png 624w, https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture2-600x57.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strategic Tax Resolution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>NJ Closing Agreements are a unicorn in the tax world. They can settle tax liabilities for less than what\u2019s owed, but they are incredibly rare. In this case, we attempted to secure two separate closing agreements for the sales and income tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The result was a closing agreement that resolved the outstanding liabilities and did so with a remarkable reduction, saving the business $254,915.51 in taxes. The sales and use tax case was settled for $90,000:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"89\" src=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture3.png 624w, https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture3-600x86.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The personal liability was settled for $60,000:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"97\" src=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture4.png 624w, https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture4-600x93.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beyond the Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The implications of these savings extend beyond mere numbers. This agreement means the client can continue business operations rather than being forced to shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You Need to Learn from This<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t put yourself in a situation where you rely on a closing agreement to settle your state tax debt. Closing agreements are rarely granted, and the state often won&#8217;t settle for anything less than the full tax due plus some of the interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather, you should keep detailed books and records so that if you are ever audited, the state never has a chance to make an arbitrary determination. This means having a skilled bookkeeper update your accounting through software like QuickBooks. In addition, you want to make sure you are saving the source documentation, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>bank statements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>inventory records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>invoices for goods or services sold<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>receipts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>By preparing yourself ahead of time for an audit, you never need to rely on a closing agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover gb-block-cta\" style=\"padding-top:2%;min-height:13em;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-100 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#145593\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:32px;line-height:1\">Unlock Your Path to Financial Freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"line-height:1\">Schedule Your Free Consultation Today<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-font-size gb-block-button is-style-fill\" style=\"font-size:20px;line-height:1.2\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/contact-us\/\" style=\"border-radius:5px;color:#ffffff;background-color:#58a2e8;padding-top:10px;padding-right:1em;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:1em\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Start Your Success Story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NJ tax audits can put businesses out of business. Fortunately, we were able to prevent that by saving our client $383,982.06 through an NJ closing agreement. Unprecedented Tax Challenge Our client was a successful contractor in the state. Unfortunately, he &ldquo;won&rdquo; the tax audit lotto and was subject to a brutal audit. NJ has draconian [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","success-story-category":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1296","1":"success-story","2":"type-success-story","3":"status-publish","5":"entry","6":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/success-story\/1296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/success-story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/success-story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"success-story-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paladinilaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/success-story-category?post=1296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}