About Horizon
Service. Precision.
Federally credentialed.
A veteran-owned, tax-only firm in Woodinville, Washington, led by an Enrolled Agent admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Know the work deeply, communicate it clearly, take full ownership of the outcome.
Business
Enrolled Agent & Founder, Horizon Tax Group
Melissa Sanders, EA
Horizon Tax Group was founded by Melissa Sanders, a U.S. military veteran whose career demanded precision, accountability, and clear thinking under pressure. Those same qualities define how the firm approaches every client engagement: methodical, thorough, and focused on outcome.
Melissa is an Enrolled Agent, admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service under enrollment number 00172517-EA. That is the federal tax practitioner credential granted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and it carries unlimited rights of representation: she can represent a taxpayer before the IRS on any matter, at any level, in any state.
The firm specializes exclusively in tax. Resolution, preparation, and strategic planning, for individuals, self-employed professionals, and business owners who need expert-level depth rather than a seasonal preparer. Melissa is a member of the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers, an organisation devoted entirely to IRS representation, which is a narrower and more relevant signal than a general accounting membership would be.
Credentials & Qualifications
- Enrolled Agent — Enrollment Number 00172517-EAAdmitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Federal credential granted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, valid in all fifty states.
- Member, American Society of Tax Problem SolversA professional body focused exclusively on IRS representation and tax resolution practice
- United States Military VeteranVeteran-owned and operated business
- Continuing Education — 72 hours per three-year enrollment cycleIRS-mandated for Enrolled Agents, including ethics, across individual and business taxation, IRS practice and procedure
- Serving Clients in All Fifty StatesBased in Woodinville, Washington. Working by phone and secure video across the country
- Intuit Tax CertificationsProfessional-grade tax software proficiency
Enrolled Agent status is a federal credential granted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It does not imply employment by, or endorsement from, the Internal Revenue Service.
"Military service teaches you that preparation isn't optional — it's the difference between the outcome you want and the one you didn't plan for. That applies to taxes the same way it applies to everything else."
— Melissa Sanders, EA, Founder
Local Firm, Federal Credential
Woodinville office. Fifty-state practice.
Firms usually treat "local" and "national" as a tension to be apologised for. For an Enrolled Agent it is neither. Enrolled Agent licensure is federal, not state-issued. It comes from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, it is governed by Treasury Department Circular 230, and it confers the same unlimited right of representation before the IRS in Washington State as it does in Florida, Texas, or Maine.
That matters most in exactly the area Horizon specialises in. The IRS is a federal agency. A CP504 notice reads the same in Redmond as it does in Raleigh, the Collection Financial Standards apply nationally, and a Form 2848 Power of Attorney is filed with the same federal service centre wherever the taxpayer lives. Representation before the IRS is not a service that stops at a state line, and a practitioner whose licence is federal is not constrained by one.
So the answer is simply both. Horizon is based in Woodinville and works with neighbours in Woodinville, Bothell, Kirkland and Redmond, in person or otherwise. It also takes cases anywhere in the country, by phone and secure video, without the credential being any thinner for the distance.
What Sets Us Apart
Not a tax factory. A tax specialist.
The difference between a generalist preparer and a specialist is focus, depth, credential, and what happens when your situation becomes complicated.
Tax Only
Pure Specialization
Tax is not a portion of our work — it is the entirety of it. No bookkeeping arm, no payroll division, no part-time CFO service. We live in the tax code and IRS procedure because that's all we do.
Federally Credentialed
Unlimited Right of Representation
An Enrolled Agent may represent any taxpayer, on any matter, before any IRS office. Not every preparer can say that; most cannot represent you at all beyond the return they signed.
Veteran Discipline
Mission to Completion
Military service demands seeing things through. We bring that accountability to every engagement — no abandoned cases, no vague timelines.
Specialist vs. generalist — why it matters for complex situations
General tax preparers handle volume. Accountants balance tax work alongside bookkeeping, payroll and financial reporting. At Horizon Tax Group, tax resolution, preparation, and planning are the whole job, not a line item on a broader service menu. For straightforward returns, that distinction may not matter. For complex income structures, IRS matters, or multi-year planning, the depth of a specialist is precisely what changes the outcome.
When a situation gets complicated — and with the IRS, they often do — you want someone who has seen that situation before, knows the procedural landscape, and can navigate it without having to pause and figure it out. The full case for a tax-only firm is set out here.
Our Standards
How we operate.
Honesty Before Comfort
We tell you what your situation actually looks like, not what you want to hear. If your position is difficult, you'll know that on the first call. No false optimism, no prolonged engagement with an unwinnable case.
Clear Communication
We explain what's happening in plain language. No jargon designed to obscure, no vague timelines. You'll always know where your matter stands and what the next step is.
Precision Over Volume
We are not a high-volume tax factory. We take on clients we can serve well, and we give each situation the attention it requires. Quality is non-negotiable.
Confidentiality as Standard
Your financial situation, your IRS matters, and your personal information are handled with the same discretion that careers built on classified work demand. Strict confidentiality is not a feature, it's a baseline.
Strategy Over Reactivity
The best outcomes in tax, whether resolution or planning, come from thinking three steps ahead. We don't respond to your tax situation; we navigate it with a plan in hand before the IRS can dictate the terms.
Mission to Completion
We see every engagement through to a clear resolution. We don't abandon complex matters mid-stream. You started something; we finish it, on your behalf, with your interests as the priority.
Work With Us
Ready to work with someone
who can actually represent you?
Schedule a confidential consultation. You'll get a direct, honest assessment of your situation and what we'd recommend — from a practitioner federally admitted to argue it before the IRS.