OAR 150-305-0170: Representation of Taxpayers before the Department of Revenue

(1) Application of ORS 305.230. The provisions of ORS 305.230 apply to all administrative proceedings before the Department of Revenue. Only those individuals who qualify under ORS 305.230 and this rule may represent the taxpayer. (2) Individuals Authorized to Represent by Department Rule. The following individuals may represent the taxpayer before the department unless the individual is prohibited from representing the taxpayer by other Oregon law: (a) An adult immediate family member of the taxpayer may represent the taxpayer. (b) The taxpayer's registered domestic partner may represent the taxpayer. (c) A regular full-time employee of an individual employer may represent the employer. (d) A general partner or a regular full-time employee of a partnership may represent the partnership. For general representation rules for partnerships see OAR 150-305-0180 and 150-305-0182. (e) An officer or a regular full-time employee of a corporation (including a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliated corporation), association, or organized group may represent the corporation, association, or organized group. (f) Any shareholder in an S corporation may be designated to represent that S corporation as the tax matters shareholder. (g) Any tax matters shareholder or any shareholder of an S corporation may represent another shareholder or group of shareholders of that S corporation in matters related to adjustments of items that flow through from the S corporation to the shareholder’s return. (h) Limited Liability Company (LLC) classified as a corporation. A member-manager, a non-member manager, or a regular full-time employee of the LLC may represent the LLC. (i) Limited Liability Company classified as a partnership. Any member with management authority may represent the LLC (including a member in a member-managed LLC). Any regular, full-time employee of the LLC may represent the LLC. If the LLC has no members with management authority, then any member may represent the LLC (see ORS 63.130 and Treas. Reg. § 301.6231(a)(7)-2). (j) A regular full-time employee of a trust, receivership, guardianship, or estate may represent the trust, receivership, guardianship, or estate. (k) An officer or a regular employee of a governmental unit, agency, or authority may represent the governmental unit, agency, or authority in the course of his or her official duties. (l) An individual may represent any individual or entity that is outside the United States before department personnel when such representation takes place outside the United States. (m) An individual who prepares and signs a taxpayer's tax return as the preparer, or who prepares a tax return but is not required (by the instructions to the tax return or by rule) to sign the tax return, may represent the taxpayer during an examination of the tax year or period covered by that tax return. This provision does not permit such individuals to represent taxpayers, regardless of the circumstances, before conference officers, revenue agents, legal counsel or similar department employees. (n) A taxpayer's authorized agent may represent the taxpayer in proceedings relating to the property tax assessment of designated utilities and companies by the Oregon Department of Revenue under ORS 308.505 through 308.665 and 308.805 through 308.820. For purposes of this rule, an "authorized agent" means a person who is authorized by a company assessed under ORS 308.505 to 308.665 and 308.805 to 308.820 to transact all business related to the filing or processing of an annual statement filed as required by ORS 308.525 or all business related to the filing of a request for a director's conference under ORS 308.595. (o) Persons authorized to represent in an ad valorem property tax conference or proceeding under ORS 305.230(1)(d), any person licensed by the Oregon State Board of Tax Practitioners, and consulting foresters may represent a taxpayer in any proceeding with respect to taxes imposed under ORS Chapter 321. For purposes of this rule, "consulting forester" means a person who is engaged by the taxpayer to render expert or professional advice in forest management related matters. (p) The director may, subject to restrictions imposed under other Oregon law, authorize an individual who is not otherwise eligible under this rule to represent a taxpayer before the department. The sole fact that an individual does not qualify under another section of this rule is not an adequate reason to request special permission to represent a taxpayer. (3) Revocation of Authorization. The department, in its discretion, may revoke the authority to represent a taxpayer granted under section (2) of this rule. (4) Representation by a Tax Matters Shareholder. (a) A tax matters shareholder may be designated to represent an S corporation before the Department of Revenue in any conference or proceeding with respect to the administration of any tax on or measured by net income. (b) An S corporation that elects to designate a tax matters shareholder as its authorized representative in proceedings before the department for issues relating to the S corporation adjustments on a Notice of Deficiency must make the designation as provided in this rule. (c) The tax matters shareholder designated for Oregon purposes may be the federal tax matters shareholder or may be another shareholder, and must be a shareholder who is: (A) A shareholder in the S corporation at some time during the taxable year to which the Notice of Deficiency pertains; or (B) A shareholder in the S corporation at the time the designation is made. (d) In order to designate a tax matters shareholder, an S corporation must file a signed statement with the department. The statement must: (A) Identify the shareholders making the designation by name, address, and social security number; (B) Identify the S corporation and the designated shareholder by name, address, and taxpayer identification number; (C) Declare that the statement is a designation of a tax matters shareholder for the taxable year to which the Notice of Deficiency relates; and (D) Authorize the tax matters shareholder as a qualified representative under ORS 305.230 and identify the taxable year(s) of authorization. (e) Only one tax matters shareholder may be designated and authorized to represent the corporation for each examination at the S corporation level which results in a Notice of Deficiency to the corporation. (f) If a notice explaining the S corporation adjustments is mailed by the department to the tax matters shareholder with respect to any S corporation taxable year, the tax matters shareholder must supply the department with the name, address, ownership percentage and taxpayer identification number of each person who was a shareholder in the S corporation at any time during the taxable year, unless that information was provided in the S corporation return for that year. (g) The tax matters shareholder for Oregon will bind the S corporation with respect to the proceedings between the department and the S corporation whose tax liability is in dispute. When appealing on behalf of the S corporation, the tax matters shareholder may exercise any administrative remedy before the department allowed by Oregon law. (h) Other actions of the tax matters shareholder that are binding on the S corporation include, but are not limited to: (A) Consent to the extension of the statute of limitations regarding an S corporation return. (B) Making a settlement offer to the department. (C) Acceptance of a closing agreement with the department. (D) Consent to time and place of any appeals proceedings. (5) S corporation Shareholder Representation. (a) When the treatment of S corporation items on a shareholder's return is consistent with the treatment of that item on the S corporation return and results in a deficiency, a tax matters shareholder or any shareholder of that S corporation may be designated to represent a shareholder or group of shareholders of that S corporation before the Department of Revenue in any conference or proceeding with respect to the administration of any tax on or measured by net income. All shareholders or groups of shareholders are not required to designate the same representative. (b) A shareholder or group of shareholders that elect to designate an authorized representative in proceedings before the department for issues relating to the S corporation adjustments on a Notice of Deficiency must make the designation as provided in this rule. (c) If the representative designated for Oregon purposes is a shareholder, the representative may be the tax matters shareholder or another shareholder, and must be a shareholder who is: (A) A shareholder in the S corporation at some time during the taxable year to which the Notice of Deficiency pertains; or (B) A shareholder in the S corporation at the time the designation is made. (d) In order to designate a representative, a shareholder or group of shareholders of an S corporation must file a signed statement with the department. The statement must be signed by each shareholder electing that representative and: (A) Identify the name, address, and social security number of each shareholder electing the representative; (B) Identify the S corporation and the representative by name, address, and taxpayer identification number; (C) Declare that the statement is a designation for the taxable year to which the Notice of Deficiency relates; and (D) Authorize the representative as a qualified representative under ORS 305.230 and identify the taxable year(s) of authorization. The shareholder or group of shareholders may authorize the representative to represent the shareholders for issues other than S corporation issues that are heard during the same appeal with any S corporation adjustments. (e) A shareholder or group of shareholders may not designate more than one representative for an appeal. While different shareholders can designate different representatives, each cannot not have more than one representative. (f) If a group of shareholders has the same representative and has filed an appeal requesting a conference for the same S corporation adjustment the appeal will be resolved in a single conference. (g) Shareholders who do not designate a representative as provided in this rule may appeal their Notice of Deficiency by following the administrative remedies under ORS 305.265 and the related rules. (h) The representative will bind all shareholders who have made the designation under this section to all actions with respect to the proceedings between the department and the shareholder whose tax liability is in dispute. Any shareholder who has designated a representative may participate in any level of the administrative proceedings. Example: Assume an S corporation with 10 shareholders has been examined and each shareholder receives a Notice of Deficiency. If 8 shareholders designate the same representative, their appeal will be heard collectively. If the representative requests a conference, the conference decision will apply to all 8 shareholders (all 8 shareholders may participate). The other 2 shareholders may appeal their cases individually because they did not make the election to be represented by the same representative. (i) Other actions of the representative that are binding on the shareholders who have made the designation include, but are not limited to: (A) Consent to the extension of the statute of limitations regarding S corporation items with respect to all electing shareholders. (B) Making a settlement offer to the department. (C) Acceptance of a closing agreement with the department. (D) Consent to time and place of any appeals proceedings. (6) Limited Liability Companies. When a limited liability company (LLC) has elected to be classified as a corporation and has made an S corporation election, section (4) applies to the LLC. When applying section (4) to an LLC, LLC members are treated as shareholders.