Overview
Jon is a seasoned specialist in the intricate landscape of federal, state, and local employment tax. He brings more than 35 years of experience in federal, state, and local employment tax compliance and advisory services to his role with Aprio.
For more than 20 years, Jon served as an Internal Revenue Agent at the IRS, including spending 18 years leading employment tax examinations for businesses of all sizes. He has also managed employment tax compliance functions for large companies, supporting the preparation and filing of employment tax returns covering over 300 legal entities across more than 100 taxing jurisdictions.
Experience
Over the course of his career, Jon has acquired a wide range of experience across several areas of the federal, state, and local tax spectrum, including:
- Fringe Benefit Compliance: Jon advises his clients on the taxability of “perks,” from company cars and relocation packages to tuition reimbursement and achievement awards.
- Penalty Abatement Requests: He crafts “reasonable cause” arguments to help his clients reduce or eliminate IRS and state penalties for late filings or underpayments.
- Multi-State Analysis: Jon helps companies determine where they are “doing business” and their subsequent withholding obligations for a remote or hybrid workforce.
- Accountable Plans: He reviews his clients’ accountable plans to help ensure business expense reimbursements remain non-taxable, reducing overall payroll tax liabilities.
- Worker Classification: Jon analyzes his clients’ relationships with workers to help ensure correct and accurate classification as employees or independent contractors.
- Voluntary Disclosure & Settlements: He helps clients proactively correct past errors via the IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP) or state-level equivalents to minimize penalties.
- Audit* Defense & Controversy: Jon provides clients with robust representation for federal (IRS), state, and local audits, with a specific focus on mitigating liability and resolving complex disputes.
- M&A and Restructuring: He steers companies through the tax implications of mergers, acquisitions, and internal reorganizations, specifically managing predecessor/successor reporting and maximizing wage base transfers.
- Tax Recovery & Credits: Jon analyzes his clients’ payroll tax refunds and Employee Retention Credits (ERC), in addition to providing full-cycle audit representation and issue resolution.
- Executive & Equity Compensation: He helps clients navigate withholding and compliance for stock-related pay and supplemental wages.
Education & Affiliations
Jon earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in International Trade & Finance from Louisiana State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and an Enrolled Agent (EA) with the IRS.
*Aprio assurance, attest, and audit services provided by Aprio, LLP.