Audits & DOR Representation

Audits and Department of Revenue representation requires far more than routine compliance support. When your business is facing a state audit, guidance alone is not enough — experienced, strategic protection is essential. With over 20 years of representing Washington businesses in DOR audits, Pivotal steps in immediately, takes control of the process, manages all communications, and defends your position with precision, professionalism, and authority.

Department of Revenue Audit Representation – Never Represent Yourself. Ever.

When you receive a letter from the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), it is not a casual request for information. It is a legal inquiry. It is an examination of your books, your reporting, and your compliance history.

And it is never something you should face alone.

Why You Should Never Represent Yourself

You may believe you have “nothing to hide,” but that is not the point. State audits are rarely about fraud — they are about interpretation. They involve complex determinations such as nexus, marketplace facilitation, sales tax classification, B&O categorization, deduction eligibility, and the sufficiency of your records. These issues are highly technical, and even small wording differences or reporting inconsistencies can lead to significant financial consequences. What may appear minor in your bookkeeping can translate into thousands — and sometimes tens of thousands — of dollars in assessments during an audit.

What We Do During Representation

When you retain Pivotal Forensic Accounting & Audits, we immediately become your primary point of contact with the Department of Revenue, managing all communications on your behalf. We oversee and control document production, carefully analyze potential exposure before anything is submitted, and reconstruct records when necessary to ensure accuracy and defensibility. Our team identifies and develops defensible positions, negotiates findings, reviews preliminary assessments in detail, and, when needed, handles the appeals process strategically and professionally. While we manage the audit from start to resolution, you can return your focus to running your business with confidence.

20+ Years of Audit Experience

“Audits” is in our name for a reason. Washington State Department of Revenue audits are highly technical, highly procedural, and often financially significant, requiring experienced representation and strategic oversight. For more than two decades, Pivotal Forensic Accounting & Audits has represented small retail businesses, construction contractors, service providers, multi-location operators, e-commerce sellers, and professional firms throughout Washington. We have reduced assessments, challenged flawed methodologies, corrected misapplied classifications, and protected businesses from unnecessary expansion of audit scope. Audit representation is not an add-on service for our firm — it is foundational to who we are and what we do.

The Cost of Self-Representation

Business owners who choose to self-represent during a Department of Revenue audit often expose themselves to unnecessary risk, including larger assessments, missed deduction defenses, inadequate framing of documentation, and weakened positioning if an appeal becomes necessary. Without experienced representation, audits can take longer, expand in scope, and create significant stress and distraction from daily operations. The professional fee you may think you are saving by going it alone is often insignificant compared to the financial exposure and long-term consequences you risk creating.

Our Process

Initial Consultation

We review the audit notice and scope with you.

Controlled Communication

All communication goes through us–we work as your representative.

Engagement

We formally notify the DOR that we have been retained by you.

Negotiation & Resolution

We address findings strategically, and negotiate the final resolution.

Risk Assessment

We internally assess exposure before anything is submitted.

Post-Audit Compliance

Ultimately, we strengthen processes to reduce future audit risk for you.

Audit Representation Disclaimer

Audit representation, negotiation efforts to reduce proposed assessments, compliance reviews, risk assessments, and post-audit risk mitigation strategies are professional services provided based on the specific facts and circumstances of each engagement. Outcomes are not guaranteed. The degree of success in reducing assessments, limiting scope, negotiating findings, or minimizing future audit risk depends heavily on the quality of your recordkeeping, the condition and completeness of your books and records, the audit methodology applied, and the findings determined by the taxing authority.

Professional fees are based on the scope, complexity, condition of records, level of exposure, and time required to provide proper representation. Each audit is unique, and results will vary accordingly.

Did you receive a letter?

Audits are on the rise. Representation is not optional — it is strategic protection.

Pivotal safeguards your business with experienced representation, strategic oversight, and the confidence that comes from having seasoned audit professionals on your side.