Forensic Accounting

Forensic accounting is a unique combination of education and experience applied to accounting, auditing and investigative skills to uncover the truth. 

Forensic accountants are more than just number crunchers who work on criminal and civil cases.  Forensic accountants possess special skills in specific industries such as tax, insurance, banking, mortgage, employment and learn the business practices related to those fields.

Forensic accountants are actively looking for signs of fraud and must look beyond the numbers and anticipate criminal actions.  Forensic accountants conduct interviews to obtain individual stories.  Forensic accountants must possess observational skills to pick up hints or suspicious clues. 

After collecting evidence a forensic accountant begins the analysis.  Then the forensic accountant writes a report explaining his or her opinions and conclusions.

Forensic accountants provide litigation support.  Attorneys engage forensic accountants to review evidence and testimony and explain its significance.  A forensic accountant can tell the attorney what additional information is needed to prove the case and what questions to ask a witness.

Know everything you can about your offshore account transactions.  A forensic accountant can find and collect valuable documentation relating to IRS tax problems such as offshore accounts before you are faced with making decisions. 

A forensic accountant can help you understand your own case.

Read more: How Forensic Accounting Can Help You With Offshore Account Issues.

IRS forensic accounting and IRS fraud examination are different but related.  IRS forensic accounting work is done in anticipation of  civil and criminal tax litigation and includes fraud evaluation.  Some IRS forensic accountants are Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE).

IRS forensic accounting is a method of unraveling complex tax transactions by examining IRS forms, documents, computer codes, the IRS computer system, IRS master files (IMF), administrative files, examination files and performing analytical reviews and identifying evidence to assist the taxpayer and/or attorney in resolving complex tax issues.

Read more: What is IRS FORENSIC ACCOUNTING and do you need it?

Each IRS Forensic Investigation is unique to each case and depends on whether the case involves an IRS civil and/or criminal investation. 

A IRS Forensic Investigation is the processes used to assess and determine the scope of the case and determine the course of action.

Read more: What is a IRS FORENSIC INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS?

A IRS forensic audit is applying accounting skills to tracking and collecting IRS evidence during the investigation of IRS civil and/or criminal tax issues.

The benefits of a IRS forensic audit by tracking and collecting IRS evidence are similar for IRS civil and/or criminal tax issues.  This is because criminal tax allegations require willful intent and civil tax does not.

Read more: What is a IRS FORENSIC AUDIT and what are the benefits?