Karen Lapekas | My Tax Iris

IRS Notices Are Stressful—But You Can’t Afford To Miss Or Ignore Them

Here’s How We’ve Solved The Problem!

We’ll Monitor Your IRS Mail, Interpret It For You, And Let You Know What To Do Next

You can’t afford to ignore mail from the IRS. But for some people - especially if you’re living abroad - keeping up with the mail is challenging.

And even if you do receive the letter on time, making sense of your IRS notice and figuring out the next steps can be difficult.

My Tax IRIS will take care of it for you - so you don’t have to worry about IRS correspondence.

Stop Stressing About Your IRS Mail

Here’s How We Take The Worry Away!

A Reliable Solution to Ensure You Receive And Understand IRS Communications

IRS problems generally start at the mailbox. Sometimes, you may miss an IRS letter. Or, you may not understand what it means, so you end up missing key deadlines and the situation starts to spiral out of control…That’s why My Tax IRIS exists.

Here’s how we’ll serve you:

We’ll receive a copy of your IRS correspondence. (We do this by filing Form 8821, which authorizes us to receive your notifications.)
We’ll interpret - in plain English - what the IRS is telling you and whether you need to do anything about it.
We’ll forward the document - and our interpretation - to you electronically.
And we’ll archive all your documents for six years.

In short, you’ll never miss an IRS correspondence - no matter how busy you are, no matter how much you travel, and no matter where you live.

Even better, we’ll tell you what actions you need to take - and why.

Let us worry about your IRS correspondence - so you don’t have to!

More Than Just a Business - My Tax IRIS is a Personal Mission

“I don’t want the IRS to ruin another life…”

Does My Tax IRIS Make Sense For You?

Are you an American living abroad?

International mail can be very slow. Notices mailed from the IRS may not reach you in time for you to prevent adverse action before the applicable deadline. My Tax IRIS will send your IRS notices and correspondence electronically, in plain English, so you don’t lose the time it takes for them to arrive via international mail.

Are you too busy to keep up with IRS mail?

My Tax IRIS serves business owners, professionals, and individuals who have too much going on in their life to worry about IRS mailings. It’s very important that you don’t miss an IRS correspondence, but you also shouldn’t have to spend your time thinking about it. We’ll take care of it - because you have better things to do with your time!

Do you have unreliable or slow mail service from U.S. government agencies?

If your mail delivery is slow or unreliable, whether inside or outside the United States, you are at risk of missing important notices from the IRS and losing your right to contest any adverse actions. My Tax IRIS will send you an electronic copy of all correspondence from the IRS, quickly and with an interpretation explaining your rights and obligations.

Do you travel frequently?

If you are often away from home, you may miss important notices from the IRS that require immediate response. With My Tax IRIS, you can receive those communications electronically wherever in the world you may be, as long as you have internet access.

Do you need plain-language explanation of IRS documents without the cost of a lawyer consultation?

My Tax IRIS will provide you with an interpretation of each notice or piece of correspondence the IRS sends you, explaining the import of each notice in plain English. The service will inform you if a response is required and notify you of any deadlines for response, as well as the consequences of failing to respond. The cost of hiring a lawyer to explain the same documents would be many times higher than the cost of a My Tax IRIS subscription.

Do you have trouble distinguishing between authentic IRS communications and advertisements, solicitations, or fraudulent correspondence?

If the IRS has filed a lien against you, your address is publicly recorded. Companies and individuals may contact you in an attempt to defraud you or profit from your fear of IRS action. With My Tax IRIS, you can identify which letters are sent by the IRS and feel confident in the information My Tax IRIS provides about your rights and responsibilities.

We Built My Tax IRIS to Meet Your Needs

My Tax IRIS is short for “My Tax Interpretation, Relay, and Information Service” and that’s exactly what we deliver. It’s a reliable service to make sure that you receive your IRS communications on a timely basis - and to ensure that you understand them.

Fast.

Especially important for those living abroad, the My Tax IRIS service will apprise you of your IRS communications promptly, often long before you receive them through the mail.

Easy to understand.

My Tax IRIS will provide plain-language explanations of the documents the IRS sends, letting you know if and when a response or payment is required.

Verified.

My Tax IRIS only receives official IRS correspondence, so it will help you distinguish true IRS communications from advertisements, solicitations, and communications fraudulently claiming to be sent by the IRS.

Secure.

Messages are sent securely and archived, so they are not easily intercepted or lost.

Cost-effective.

My Tax IRIS will interpret and communicate to you all documents from the IRS at a fraction of the cost of a lawyer’s advice. However, please understand that your My Tax IRIS membership does not create an attorney-client relationship. We will receive and interpret your IRS notifications, and we will help you determine whether or not you need to hire an attorney to address any potential issues.

Life is Better With My Tax IRIS

Without My Tax IRIS - Andrew receives a notice from the IRS that seems to inform him of an adverse decision. Not understanding his rights, Andrew calls the IRS for guidance. An IRS representative assures Andrew that he need not do anything at this time. Andrew does not respond to the notice. Meanwhile, the deadline to file an appeal of the decision passes, and Andrew loses his statutory right to challenge the adverse decision.

With My Tax IRIS - Andrew receives a notice from the IRS, along with an interpretation from My Tax IRIS informing him of the significance of the adverse decision, his statutory right to appeal, and the deadline by which an appeal must be filed. Andrew engages an attorney to represent him in challenging the decision and gets his appeal filed on time.

Without My Tax IRIS - Beatriz is a U.S. citizen living in a small town in Brazil, where mail service is slow and unreliable. The IRS sends her a notice of intent to levy her bank account, but by the time she receives it, her bank account has already been levied.

With My Tax IRIS - Beatriz receives a notice through My Tax IRIS, which explains that her bank account is about to be levied. Beatriz has time to make arrangements for funding or to contact an attorney to prevent this action from taking place.

Without My Tax IRIS - Carl is an American who often travels to Europe for business. His delinquent tax debt causes his passport to be certified to the State Department, restricting his travel. He does not understand the implication of the notice he receives from the IRS. Carl goes to the airport to leave for a business trip, only to be told his passport was flagged and he may not travel internationally.

With My Tax IRIS - Carl receives a notice from My Tax IRIS explaining that his delinquent tax debt may cause him to lose his ability to travel. Carl works with the IRS and a tax attorney to take care of his delinquent debt, averting an interruption in his business travel.

Without My Tax IRIS - Daisy received correspondence that appeared to be from the IRS, informing her she had delinquent tax obligations, and warning of imminent liens on her property. She promptly paid the amount listed on the correspondence as outstanding in the envelope provided. She later learned that the correspondence was not from the IRS, and she had been defrauded.

With My Tax IRIS - Daisy received correspondence in the mail that appeared to be from the IRS, but had not received notification of that correspondence through My Tax IRIS. She became suspicious, and upon verification with My Tax IRIS and the IRS, she discovered that the correspondence was not from the IRS and was a fraudulent attempt to extract payment, even though no debt was owed to the IRS. She kept her money.

A Former IRS Attorney on a Personal Mission

Karen Lapekas is on a personal mission to keep taxpayers out of harm's way.

Karen, the principal and founder of My Tax IRIS, is a former IRS Attorney who spent the last 7 years representing individuals and businesses before the IRS in audits, collections defense, and litigation.

She is board-certified in tax law by the Florida Bar, In addition to her law degree (JD), she holds a master’s in tax law (LLM) from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. Outside of the office, she enjoys teaching Federal Tax Procedure at the University of Miami School of Law as an Adjunct Professor, spending time with her “little Sister” through Big Brothers Big Sisters, serving as Chair of the South Florida Tax Litigation Association, and directing the Miami Tax Court Pro Bono Calendar Call Program on behalf of the Tax Section of the Florida Bar.

As a Senior Attorney with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, she was the lead attorney for the IRS in more than 170 cases before the United States Tax Court. Her intense study of the Internal Revenue Code and years of working as an attorney for the IRS have given her insight into the internal workings of the agency as well as the way it communicates with taxpayers.

She puts her experience to work for My Tax IRIS members, ensuring that missed - or misunderstood - IRS communications don’t spiral out of control.

Let Us Worry About Your IRS Correspondence

Special Introductory Pricing

My Tax IRIS is priced affordably for individuals and business owners.

And right now, we’re offering special introductory pricing for new members to make it even easier to get started!

Pricing

Individual: $159/year
Business: $259/year

To get started, simply fill out the form on this page. To complete your subscription, we will contact you to schedule a live video-conference in order to verify your identity, and then transmit the IRS Form 8821 that authorizes My Tax IRIS to receive copies of your IRS correspondence and notices.

Once Form 8821 is filed with the IRS, My Tax IRIS will begin to receive all mailings sent to you by the IRS. Each piece of mail will be interpreted and transmitted to you electronically through a secure portal. My Tax IRIS will provide you with a plain-language explanation of each document, including informing you of any responsibilities for payment or response to the IRS. We will inform you of any deadlines for response or action, and the consequences should you fail to respond.

Please note that your My Tax IRIS membership does not create an attorney-client relationship. However, we will receive and interpret your IRS notifications, and will help you determine whether or not you need to hire an attorney to address any potential issues.

Let's Get Started!