A tax audit notice. What needs explaining? Let’s organise the evidence.
Money leaving a parent’s account. Transfers within the family. We compare tax filings with the flow of funds, then prepare the facts and records needed for the audit.
Audit preparation · Explanations and evidence · Participation and submissions · Results review
WHERE YOU ARE
What document have you received?
Explore the records to prepare and the help relevant to your stage.
Before the audit begins
Start with the audit scope and schedule.
We check the taxes and periods under review and the records requested. We compare existing returns with the available evidence and organise the preparation.
Records to prepare first
Audit notice · Existing tax returns · List of requested records
A request for an explanation is not necessarily a formal tax audit. If you are unsure, tell us which documents you have received.
HOW WE HELP
Trace the funds. Connect the explanation to the evidence.
We distinguish inheritance-tax and gift-tax issues and agree on the scope of the engagement.
01 / INHERITANCE TAX
Inheritance tax audits
“I have been asked to explain money my parent transferred or withdrew.”
We compare the return with lifetime transactions, assets, liabilities and deduction records. If an inheritance dispute is ongoing, we also examine the documents used in division negotiations or litigation.
Explanations of lifetime gifts and the use of withdrawn funds
Evidence of estate liabilities and deductions
Property and share valuation issues
Audit representation, submissions and review of findings
“I need to explain family transfers and the funds used to buy property.”
We check whether accounts of loans, repayments and settlements match the transaction records. We connect the source and final use of the money with the history of the property acquisition.
Family transfers and sources of acquisition funds
Loan, repayment, payment-on-behalf and settlement records
Legal title and actual ownership
Written explanations, issue submissions and audit response
We review the existing filings and work in progress, then agree on any additional audit work and coordination needed.
THE PROCESS
What will you receive, and in what order?
We explain the scope and fees in consultation, then work within the agreed engagement.
01
Review the notice and records
Confirm the audit scope, requests, receipt dates and submission schedule.
02
Organise issues and evidence
Compare returns with transaction records, distinguishing supported explanations from missing evidence.
03
Participate and explain
Prepare explanations and supporting records, participate in the audit and submit views within the engagement.
04
Review results and next steps
Identify what was accepted, what tax issues remain and any appropriate next procedure.
Audit representation, pre-assessment response, tribunal appeals and litigation have separate scopes. We explain the application of initial and success fees, expenses and included work before engagement.
Commentary on published Tax Tribunal decisions. These are separate from cases handled by Kim & Hyun.
Gift tax · Partial adjustment
The valuation stood. The penalty was considered separately.
The assessment using an appraisal of comparable property was upheld. The Tribunal separately considered whether the taxpayer could have accessed that information and directed that the late-payment penalty be excluded.
Records to examineAppraisal · Access to information at the relevant time · Assessment notice
Different registered addresses. Evidence of actual living arrangements.
The Tribunal considered why the addresses temporarily differed and the actual living arrangements, recognising co-residence in that case. Caregiving alone does not establish entitlement to the deduction; other requirements also matter.
Records to examineAddress history · Reasons for registration changes · Evidence of residence
Sale proceeds and inheritance registration required separate attention.
The exclusion of a deduction was upheld for property transferred directly to the buyer without inheritance registration in the spouse’s name. Settlement of proceeds and the procedural requirements for a deduction must be considered together.
Records to examineSale agreement · Registration · Division agreement · Tax filings
Each summary reflects the facts and law applied in that decision. It does not guarantee the same outcome in another matter.
VALUATION, FILING & ESTATE DIVISION
Tax records also matter before the dispute.
How assets are divided and how they are valued and reported are connected questions. Organise assets, debts, lifetime transfers, valuations and earlier returns before agreeing on a division. We distinguish what is known from what still needs checking.
Former member, Seoul Administrative Appeals Commission
Drawing on court and administrative-appeal experience, we compare the reasons for the assessment with the evidence and examine the issues needed to support and answer the arguments.
These checkmarks are only used on this screen and are not stored or sent. Share sensitive originals through the channel agreed with the office after consultation.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Before contacting us: common questions
Can I consult you if a tax accountant already filed my return?
Yes. We review the filing and current progress to identify any additional audit work needed. If information must be shared with an existing adviser, we first confirm your consent and the scope of the work.
Can I contact you with just the notice?
Yes. We first check the document type and receipt date, then explain what else to prepare. We do not predict cancellation or a reduction before examining the records.
Is every request for documents a tax audit?
We distinguish requests for explanations from formal tax audits. We check the precise document, what it requests and the submission schedule before advising on the response.
Does a consultation mean going straight to court?
We review your current stage and records first. We explain the relevant audit, pre-assessment, appeal or litigation work and its cost before agreeing on how to proceed.
How are audit-response fees determined?
Fees depend on the audit scope, records, issues and work already done. Before engagement, we distinguish additional issues, appeal or litigation work, initial and success fees, and expenses.
LET’S REVIEW YOUR NEXT STEP
The document you received. The events that led here.
We explain the records needed, scope and consultation fees, then arrange an appointment.
