Sunnyvale is a Silicon Valley city with major employers including LinkedIn and Yahoo. The tax issues that come out of Sunnyvale reflect that mix: small-business sales tax audits, payroll tax classification disputes, IRS income tax audits, residency cases for clients moving between California and other states, and ERC audits for businesses that claimed the credit during the pandemic. We handle all of these.

Tax Services for Sunnyvale Clients

The practice areas we cover for Sunnyvale businesses and individuals:

  • IRS audit defense. Correspondence audits, office audits, and field audits. See our IRS audit practice.
  • IRS tax debt resolution. Installment agreements, Offers in Compromise, Currently Non-Collectible status, penalty abatement. See tax debt resolution.
  • California FTB defense. Income tax audits and collections from the Franchise Tax Board. FTB defense.
  • EDD payroll tax defense. Worker classification audits (AB5), payroll tax assessments, personal liability under CUIC §1735. EDD defense.
  • CDTFA sales tax defense. Sales and use tax audits, exemption certificate disputes, successor liability. CDTFA defense.
  • Criminal tax defense. IRS Criminal Investigation matters, federal tax fraud charges, voluntary disclosures. Criminal tax defense.
  • ERC audit defense and litigation. Employee Retention Credit audits, appeals, refund suits. ERC practice.
  • Tax strategy and planning. Entity structuring, exit planning, real estate tax, high-net-worth planning. Tax strategy.

Sunnyvale Santa Clara County Tax Considerations

For Sunnyvale clients specifically, a few things tend to come up more than they would in other parts of California:

  • Silicon Valley business taxation. The Silicon Valley economy generates a particular set of tax issues, and the local tax base affects how the FTB and CDTFA approach audits in the area.
  • Multi-state issues. California’s aggressive residency rules and sourcing rules apply to Sunnyvale residents who work or earn income in other states. See our multi-state practice.
  • EDD aggression on worker classification. The EDD audits businesses across Santa Clara County on AB5 compliance. Sunnyvale businesses using independent contractors should plan for this.

How We Work With Sunnyvale Clients

Brotman Law is based in San Diego, and the vast majority of our representation work happens by phone, email, and video conference — the IRS, FTB, EDD, and CDTFA conduct most of their work remotely now, so our clients are nationwide. For Sunnyvale clients, we handle the full matter without you driving anywhere. When in-person meetings are needed (rare for most tax matters), we coordinate at a location convenient for you.

Engagement starts with a free 15-minute call. We review the notice or the issue, identify what you are facing, and quote the work either as a flat fee or with a written budget for hourly engagements. You see the fee structure before you sign.