tax consultation | preparation | representation

Founded and led by a veteran IRS Agent, our extensive experience makes us uniquely qualified to help individuals and closely-held business entities navigate the complex and ever-changing tax code.

700

Over 700 Audits and Examinations

9

Over 9 Years of Experience

Our Purpose

HARARAH & Associates was started to deliver exceptional tax consultation, preparation, and representation for individuals and closely-held business entities. We recognize that today most taxpayers are caught up in a deficient tax preparation landscape, inundated by ineffective representation. We are passionate about guiding our clients through a full range of tax planning and preparation decisions. And we are courageous in representing our clients in dealings with all state and federal tax authorities.

We don’t just take numbers from our clients and input them in software. We commit ourselves to technical rigor, unassailable ethics, and personalized engagement for all of our clients. We do this today to minimize your tax liabilities tomorrow.

We are proud of who we are, where we come from, what we do, and how we do it. We are experienced. And that matters.

Our Values

Our values – Integrity, Courage, and Passion – are core to how we behave as an organization.

Integrity

We are consistently open, honest, ethical, and genuine.

Courage

We are entrepreneurial, and thus, go above and beyond for the benefit of our clients.

Passion

We use our expertise, drive, and commitment for an individualized understanding of our clients’ needs.

These values define fundamental qualities for guiding decisions and actions, leading to increased benefit to all of our clients.

Our Leadership

Imad A. Hararah, EA
President & Founder

Imad is a federally licensed Enrolled Agent (EA) and veteran of the Internal Revenue Service. Imad served over nine years as a Field Revenue Agent at the IRS, where he engaged with taxpayers of varying demographics, employment status, business ownership, and net worth ranging from $50,000 to over $1 billion. Imad’s expertise includes analyzing taxpayers’ financial statements, interpreting the IRS code, regulations, court rulings, and everything else in between.

After conducting over 700 audits and examinations during his tenure with the IRS, Imad founded HARARAH & Associates to use his expertise in tax and accounting to help individuals and closely-held business entities make informed decisions about their finances and help avoid audit. For too long, he saw taxpayers get taken advantage of by their inexperienced and flawed tax representatives, who prepared returns erroneously, made reckless decisions, and lacked professionalism in their interactions with the IRS. Under Imad’s helm, HARARAH & Associates strives to ensure all appropriate deductions are employed, using smart strategies that minimize tax liabilities and maximize returns for our clients.

Imad earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from San Francisco State University. He is a six-time IRS-NTEU National Performance Award Winner, and is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the California Society of Enrolled Agents. Imad was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is dedicated to giving back to his community. He volunteers with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide free tax help to people who do not have access to professional tax assistance for preparing their tax returns.

Our Services

Rigorous and objective tax planning, preparation, and audit representation are the heart of what we do at HARARAH & Associates. Our strategies are focused on personalized tax and financial guidance as an investment to you. Not only do we remedy any issues with the IRS, but our consulting services help you make the most informed and beneficial financial decisions for you, your family, and your business.

Dealing with your taxes has never been more complicated. Unlike accountants and investment advisors, we realize that tax liability is the core of your finances. Our Enrolled Agents are able to provide personalized guidance, research, and analysis of tax issues related to individuals and closely-held business entities, including but not limited to the following:
Business Formation Guidance: As you start a new business, we help you identify the most appropriate business entity classification that minimizes your tax liabilities.
Tax Credits: We maximize all appropriate tax credits to reduce your tax liability.
Passive or Non-Passive Activity: We identify the correct reporting structure in adherence to the corresponding tax laws.
Employment Classification: We clarify and establish the oftentimes ambiguous issue of Independent Contractor versus Employee for your business.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance: We help you adhere to all foreign bank account reporting and minimize your risk of noncompliance.
Tax Law: We employ the interpretation of the tax law to its fullest extent to benefit you and your financial assets. We not only understand the complexity of today’s tax code, but we also keep up with the political and legislative climate, such as changes to healthcare and payroll tax laws, and make sure you are aware of the implications on your tax obligations.

In preparing tax returns, we do not just plug your numbers in software, but we offer objective analysis of your taxes and finances to critically determine what the numbers mean. We are experienced in preparing the following:
Individual and Business Tax Returns
Payroll Returns
Sales Tax Returns
Unfiled Tax Returns
Full Cycle Accounting, including compilation of financial statements

We have seen firsthand taxpayers or their inexperienced representatives let things slip during audits, which would lead the IRS to expand the audit scope. Having been a Field Revenue Agent at the IRS for over nine years, we are deeply trained in the tactical specifics of audit representation, and know how to keep the dialogue with the IRS focused. You can trust HARARAH & Associates to represent you in front of the IRS and state boards for resolution to your tax controversies, issues, and disputes, including but not limited to the following:
Examination and Collection Controversy, such as unreported income, unpaid tax bills, expense issues, etc.
Penalty Abatement
Civil Fraud Cases
For these reasons, HARARAH & Associates is better positioned than a CPA to analyze and interpret the field of taxation for our clients. We make sure you are treated properly by the state and federal tax authorities, negotiate payment plans on the best possible terms, and ensure the tax authorities respect the laws that protect you – the taxpayer.
Our Enrolled Agents undergo extensive annual training, and are authorized by the United States Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the IRS for audits, collections, and appeals across all 50 states. No matter where you live, own property, or do business, we are here and ready to represent you.

We work with you to make our services work for you.

Contact

Call Us
1 (650) 389-7256
Address
1710 South Amphlett Blvd
Suite 217
San Mateo, CA 94402
Email
taxes@hararahassociates.com