Tax Attorney in Lafayette, LA

No. Federal IRS practice is governed by 31 CFR Part 10 (Treasury Circular 230). Any attorney admitted to practice in any U.S. jurisdiction may represent any taxpayer before the IRS in any state, including Louisiana, through a Form 2848 Power of Attorney. The U.S. Tax Court admits attorneys on a national basis and holds Louisiana trial sessions in New Orleans, the primary Louisiana trial city. Louisiana-bar admission is required for Louisiana state-court litigation and Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals proceedings — those pieces are referred to local LA counsel. The federal piece, which is the majority of tax-controversy work, does not require Louisiana admission.

Yes. Louisiana imposes a personal income tax under La. R.S. 47:32. The 2025 tax year transitioned from graduated brackets of 1.85%, 3.5%, and 4.25% to a flat 3% under HB 1 of the 2024 Third Extraordinary Session. Louisiana corporate income tax is a flat 3.5% under La. R.S. 47:287.12. Louisiana sales tax is 4.45% at the state level; Lafayette Parish adds 5% local, for a 9.45% combined rate inside city limits. Louisiana repealed its state inheritance tax effective July 1, 2008, so only federal estate tax applies at death — though Louisiana civil-law forced heirship and usufruct rules still affect how that federal estate tax is calculated.

The U.S. Tax Court does not hold permanent trial sessions in Lafayette. The closest sessions are in New Orleans at the Lemann Federal Building, 600 Camp Street, roughly 130 miles east on I-10. A Lafayette petitioner designates New Orleans as the preferred place of trial on the petition under Tax Court Rule 140. Pre-trial conferences and case-management work happen by phone or video; the only in-person appearance is calendar call and trial itself. Many Tax Court cases settle before reaching trial.

Gulf of Mexico offshore platforms in U.S. waters remain U.S. tax jurisdictions, so wages earned on a U.S.-flagged drilling rig or fixed platform on the outer continental shelf are U.S.-source income subject to federal income tax and FICA. The foreign earned income exclusion under IRC §911 generally does not apply to Gulf of Mexico work. Per-diem allowances paid under accountable-plan rules are excludable from W-2 wages if substantiation requirements are met; otherwise the per-diem is taxable. For Lafayette engineers cycling between the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea projects, the analysis splits between U.S. wages for Gulf rotations and treaty-based exclusions or credits for UK/Norway rotations under the US/UK and US/Norway tax treaties. We pull the rotation calendar and the rig location data before drafting the return.

Louisiana is the only U.S. state operating under a civil-law system rooted in the Napoleonic Code rather than English common law. State substantive law determines property rights, which then plug into the federal tax framework. Three concepts come up repeatedly in tax cases: community property under La. R.S. 9:2334 means most income earned during marriage is jointly owned, which interacts with Innocent Spouse Relief under IRC §6015 and joint-and-several liability under IRC §6013(d)(3); usufruct and naked ownership split ownership in a way that affects who reports income from inherited property and how IRC §1014 step-up applies; and forced heirship under Civil Code article 1493 constrains testamentary planning and changes how the marital deduction under IRC §2056 is structured. Federal tax law applies the same in Louisiana as elsewhere, but the underlying property rights it attaches to are different.

Probably yes, for the federal trust-fund portion. IRC §6672 assesses a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty against any "responsible person" who "willfully" failed to pay over withheld taxes — the FICA and federal income-tax withholding portion of Form 941, not the employer's matching share. The IRS conducts a Form 4180 interview to identify responsible persons. Anyone with check-signing authority, payroll-decision authority, or knowledge of the unpaid taxes can be assessed personally. On the state side, Louisiana sales-tax responsible-person liability operates under similar principles for entities that collected state sales tax in trust and failed to remit. Lafayette wireline, well-servicing, and fracking-equipment-maintenance LLCs often have this fact pattern after a deferred-drilling cycle ends with unpaid wages.

Yes. IRC §7345 authorizes the IRS to certify "seriously delinquent" tax debt — currently $62,000 for 2026, indexed for inflation — to the U.S. State Department, which may then deny passport renewal or revoke an active passport. The certification reverses when the debt is paid, an Installment Agreement is in place, an accepted Offer in Compromise is in force, an active CDP hearing is pending, or Innocent Spouse Relief is in process. For Lafayette oil-and-gas engineers cycling to West Africa, the North Sea, and the Persian Gulf, ULL faculty with international research obligations, and Hilcorp Latin America rotational managers, decertification is often the most urgent step in the engagement.

Louisiana is a community-property state under La. R.S. 9:2334 and Civil Code articles 2334 and following. Property acquired during marriage is presumed community unless one spouse can prove separate-property characterization (inheritance, donation, pre-marital acquisition). For Innocent Spouse Relief under IRC §6015, this matters two ways: first, the IRS evaluates whether the requesting spouse had "reason to know" of the understatement using state-property-law context; second, equitable-relief factors under IRC §6015(f) consider whether the requesting spouse benefited from the community income. A separation of property regime under La. C.C. art. 2370 can be filed to opt out of the community regime going forward, though it does not undo retroactive community characterization. We pull the relevant succession or matrimonial regime documents before drafting the Form 8857 narrative.

For a University of Louisiana at Lafayette adjunct, College of Engineering 1099 research contractor, or Our Lady of Lourdes / Lafayette General attending working under a 1099-NEC contract, the tax stack is: federal income tax at progressive rates topping out at 37% (plus the 0.9% additional Medicare tax on wages and SE income above $200,000 single / $250,000 joint), plus 15.3% self-employment tax under IRC §1401 on the first $168,600 of net SE earnings (2024 figure; indexed), plus the 2.9% Medicare portion above that, plus Louisiana state income tax (transitioning to flat 3% under HB 1). Net effective rate frequently exceeds 43% before deductions. Quarterly estimates under IRC §6654 are mandatory; missing them triggers underpayment penalties. We routinely set up retirement-plan strategies (solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, defined-benefit plans where compensation supports it) and qualified-business-income deductions under IRC §199A where the specified-service-trade-or-business limits permit.

Yes. Personal-use casualty losses are deductible under IRC §165(h) only when attributable to a federally declared disaster. Hurricane Laura (FEMA-4559-DR-LA, 2020), Hurricane Delta (2020), Hurricane Ida (FEMA-4611-DR-LA, 2021), and Hurricane Francine (2024) all qualify. The deduction is the lesser of basis or fair-market-value decline, reduced by insurance and other recoveries, then by the $100 per casualty floor and the 10% of AGI floor. Some Lafayette filers can amend prior-year returns under IRC §165(i) to claim the loss in the disaster year. Involuntary-conversion gain deferral under IRC §1033 is available where insurance proceeds exceed basis on damaged real property. The choice between disaster-year and following-year reporting changes the tax outcome materially.

Yes, in most cases. U.S. persons with foreign financial accounts whose aggregate value exceeds $10,000 at any time during the year must file FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) by April 15 of the following year (automatic extension to October 15). The FBAR threshold is aggregate, so a $5,000 account in France plus a $6,000 account in Canada triggers the filing. Separately, Form 8938 attaches to Form 1040 at higher thresholds (generally $50,000 end-of-year or $75,000 highest balance for single filers in the U.S., higher for joint and overseas filers). Inherited accounts count from the date the U.S. heir takes legal ownership, not the decedent's death. Lafayette Cajun-French heirs with accounts in France, Acadia-Canadian-heritage families with RRSP and TFSA holdings, and Hispanic-American heirs with Mexican or Central American accounts all face this. The Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures provide a path for non-willful late filers; willful failures face penalties up to 50% of the account balance per year.

Federal tax-resolution fees vary by matter complexity. A straightforward Installment Agreement typically falls between $1,500 and $3,500. A full Offer in Compromise with Form 433 financial analysis runs $4,000 to $7,500. Audit defense depends on the audit type and number of issues. A U.S. Tax Court petition with case workup and trial preparation generally starts at $6,000 and rises with complexity. Oil-and-gas IDC and depletion audits frequently sit at the higher end because of working-paper review across multiple Schedule K-1s and partnership returns. We provide a written fee quote after the free consultation. Cal Bar Rule 7.1 prohibits price comparisons unless backed by verifiable substantiation, so we do not market on price — we market on the work product and the case files behind it.

Yes. Communications between you and a licensed attorney for the purpose of seeking legal advice are protected by federal common-law attorney-client privilege, subject to the usual exceptions (crime-fraud, waiver, etc.). The narrower federally-authorized tax practitioner privilege under IRC §7525 applies to non-attorney CPAs and EAs but does not extend to criminal-tax matters. An attorney handling your Lafayette tax case retains the broader privilege that survives criminal investigation — a meaningful difference if the audit develops fraud indicators or if a referral to the IRS Criminal Investigation division becomes possible.

Yes, generally. IRC §6331(k)(1) suspends levy action while a processable Offer is pending and for 30 days after a rejection, and during any timely-filed Appeals review of a rejection. The IRS will not levy your Lafayette bank account or wages while the Offer is being evaluated. However, the IRS may still file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien during the OIC pendency to protect its position in your Lafayette Parish real estate, mineral working interests, or other assets. The CSED is also tolled during the pendency. A poorly-prepared OIC that gets returned (not rejected) does not provide the same protection — processability is the key threshold.

Commercial crawfish harvesters in the Atchafalaya Basin and the rice-field crawfish operations across Vermilion, Acadia, and Jeff Davis Parishes typically report as sole proprietors on Schedule C, or as farmers on Schedule F where the operation also produces rice or other crops on the same flooded acreage. Self-employment tax under IRC §1401 hits at 15.3% on the first $168,600 of net SE earnings (2024; indexed annually) and 2.9% above. Quarterly estimates are mandatory under IRC §6654 — missing them triggers underpayment penalties. Schedule F filers can use income averaging under IRC §1301 to smooth volatile harvest years. Soil-and-water conservation expenses are deductible under IRC §175 with limits. Misclassified labor (treating helpers as 1099 contractors when they meet common-law-employee tests) is a recurring audit issue. Cash sales at the dock require careful recordkeeping — the IRS often probes unreported cash on Schedule C exams of cash-intensive food operations.

Yes, for Board litigation. The Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals operates under R.S. 47:1401 and following as an independent state-tax tribunal with statewide jurisdiction, sitting in Baton Rouge. Petitions to challenge a Louisiana Department of Revenue assessment must be filed within 30 days of the formal assessment under R.S. 47:1431. Representation before the Board generally requires Louisiana-licensed counsel or, for limited matters, an authorized representative under Board rules. Judicial review proceeds in the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish and requires Louisiana admission. VTL handles the federal side of overlapping Lafayette matters and coordinates with Louisiana counsel for the Board piece. Many LDR disputes resolve at the protest stage with LDR's Litigation Division before any Board petition is filed.