Practice Areas: Tax; view more
Licensed in Maryland since: 2005
Education: Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2015 - 2020 Call today:
240-892-7197
Pontius Tax Law, PLLC
110 N Washington StSuite 201
Rockville, MD 20850 Visit website
Details
John Pontius is the founder of Pontius Tax Law, PLLC, with offices in Rockville and Bethesda, Maryland, Washington, DC as well as Fairfax and Alexandria, Virginia. Mr. Pontius represents individual and business clients with sensitive and serious tax matters before the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities. His client base is local, national, and international.
Mr. Pontius regularly represents businesses and individuals with complex tax issues in the following areas: FBAR examinations, offshore disclosures, FATCA, tax planning, unfiled tax returns, release of tax liens and levies, trust fund recovery penalty, IRS and state audit examinations as well as Appeals, and penalty abatement, US Tax Court litigation along with defense of tax fraud and evasion.
Mr. Pontius has been licensed to practice law since 2005. He is admitted to practice in Maryland the District of Columbia and Virginia as well as the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia and Maryland.
Mr. Pontius is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia State Bar. He also belongs to the tax sections of the American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association and the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Gettysburg College, Mr. Pontius obtained his law degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School. During law school, he was a member of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society. He also holds a Master of Laws degree in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Pontius previously interned for a U.S. Tax Court Judge and served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army. He also worked as an associate and senior associate at private Maryland and Virginia-based firms. Mr. Pontius grew up in Rockville and attended Christ Episcopal School from kindergarten through eighth grade. He received his high school diploma from Landon School in Bethesda.
Awards and Honors
Montgomery County Bar Foundation, Bar Leader, 2019
Super Lawyers, Maryland Rising Star List, Tax Law, 2015-2020
Super Lawyers, Washington, DC Rising Star List, Tax Law, 2018-2020
Super Lawyers, Maryland, Tax Law, 2023-2024
Super Lawyers, Washington, DC, Tax Law, 2023
Bethesda Magazine, Top Attorney List, Tax Law, 2019, 2021, 2023
Northern Virginia Magazine, Top Attorney List, Tax Law, 2022, 2023
Arlington Magazine, Top Attorney List, Tax Law, 2023
Washington, DC Office
1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 202-756-1125
Bethesda, MD Office
7960 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 2C Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 240-201-2495
Fairfax, Virginia Office
10505 Judicial Drive, Suite 201 Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: 703-903-1169
Alexandria, VA Office
211 N Union Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 571-462-2189
Practice areas
Tax: Business, Tax: ConsumerFocus areas
Tax Law
- 50% Tax: Business
- 50% Tax: Consumer
First Admitted: 2005, Maryland
Professional Webpage: https://www.pontiustaxlaw.com/attorney-john-pontius/
- Virginia, 2021
- Mr. Pontius is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association Tax Section Council.
- From 2019-2020, Mr. Pontius served as the Co-Chair for the monthly Tax Practice and Procedure Round Table for the Section on Taxation of the Federal Bar Association.
- In 2019 he was recognized as a Bar Leader by the Montgomery County Bar Foundation after serving as the Tax Section Co-Chair from 2012-2019.
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 2018
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 2014
- Maryland, 2005
- District of Columbia, 2006
- U.S. Tax Court, 2012
- I represent small business owners, typically single member LLCs. I also represent individuals. , 2022
- Mr. Pontius was listed as one of the Top Attorney in tax law for 2021 by Bethesda Magazine, https://moco360.media/top-attorneys/., Top Attorneys, Bethesda Magazine, 2023
- Mr. Pontius was listed as one of the Top Lawyers in tax law for 2023 by Northern Virginia Magazine, https://northernvirginiamag.com/best/lawyers/john-pontius/. , Top Lawyers, Northern Virginia Magazine, 2023
- Mr. Pontius was listed as one of the Top Lawyers in tax law for 2022 by Northern Virginia Magazine, https://northernvirginiamag.com/best/lawyers/john-pontius/. , Top Lawyers, Northern Virginia Magazine, 2022
- Mr. Pontius was listed as one of the Top Attorney in tax law for 2021 by Bethesda Magazine, https://bethesdamagazine.com/directories/top-attorneys/. , Top Attorneys, Bethesda Magazine, 2021
- Mr. Pontius was listed as one of the Top Attorney in tax law for 2019 by Bethesda Magazine, https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-magazine/top-attorneys-2019/., Top Attorneys, Bethesda Magazine, 2019
- Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M. in Taxation, 2010
- Widener University Commonwealth Law School, J.D., 2004
- Gettysburg College, B.A. in Economics, 2002
- Mr. Pontius will discuss IRS collections for taxpayers with large balances due and review collection alternatives for cases that are near the end of their collection statute expiration dates (CSEDs). If the taxpayer is unable to resolve the balance due with the Revenue Officer and the Revenue Officer has determined that the taxpayer has large collectible assets that the taxpayer will not liquidate to pay the IRS, then the IRS may refer that case to the Department of Justice to reduce that claim to judgement. Mr. Howlette will share his experience litigating these types of cases and how the Department of Justice handles a typical collection case., Speaker, IRS Collections, CSEDs, DOJ Reducing Assessments to Judgment and Enforcement Suits, Federal Bar Association: Section on Taxation, 2022
- This webinar will cover the fundamentals of tax controversy such as audits, appeals, and collection alternatives to liens and levies. Speakers from the IRS, District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue, Maryland Comptroller, and Virginia Department of Taxation will discuss jurisdictional differences in practice and procedure in these areas. Hot topics and legislative updates will be addressed., Moderator, Resolving Tax Controversies with the IRS, DC, MD and VA, 2023
- This session will cover the fundamentals of tax controversy such as audits, appeals, and collection alternatives to liens and levies. This panel will also discuss hot topics in enforcement such as cryptocurrency, conservation easements, and the Inflation Reduction Act. , Fundamentals and Hot Topics in State / Federal Tax Controversy, 2022
- Solar and battery storage provisions, and their tax credits, are key parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. Learn about them and expected IRS guidance, and how the increased IRS budget may affect the audit rate related to these provisions. Panel presentations followed by Q&A., Tax, Energy, and Audit Implications of the Inflation Reduction Act, 2022
- Tax attorneys John Pontius of Pontius Tax Law and Jim Liang of the Law Office of Jim Liang will discuss strategies to resolve tax issues faced by foreign nationals and their employers. Immigration attorney Patricia Minikon of Minikon Law will be the moderator. Topics include applying for an ITIN and the tax requirements to apply for a non-compliant Maryland driver’s licence. This panel will discuss proper tax and Social Security withholdings for domestic nanny/household workers and those on temporary employment-based visas, (F-1s, J-1s, H-2Bs, H-1Bs, etc.), and the tax implications of the various tax filing statuses (single, married, head of household). Panelists will address situations involving clients who need to file tax returns but have used different/incorrect social security numbers to work and file taxes. Attendees will gain important tax knowledge to represent their documented or undocumented clients and their employers., When Immigration Meets Tax. Maryland State Bar Association, Immigration Section Conference, 2021
- How to File Taxes in 2021: Uncover Tax Experts Insights, How to File Taxes in 2021: Uncover Tax Experts Insights, Pissed Consumer, February 18, 2021, 2021
- The Basics of FIRPTA Withholding for G-4 Visa Holders, PAHO/WHO Federal Credit Union, October 2018, September 2019, October 2020, April 2021
- Making the Most out of Life’s Opportunities, Making the Most out of Life’s Opportunities, Landon School, Alumni Spotlight, February 2021, 2021
- Collection Question Might Lead to Outdated Answers on Crypto, Tax Notes, March 16, 2020 https://pontiustaxlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Tax-Notes-Today_Nathan-Richman_Collection-Question-Might-Lead-to-Outdated-Answers-in-Crypto_3.12.2020.pdf, John Pontius was interviewed by Nathan Richman, Collection Question Might Lead to Outdated Answers on Crypto, Tax Notes, March 16, 2020, 2020
- Demystifying IRS Letters While Resolving IRS Liens and Levies, Annual Meeting of the Bar Association of Montgomery County, May 2019
- Updates on Denial or Revocation of US Passport for Seriously Delinquent Tax Debtors, DC Bar, March 2019
- The Impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) on the Taxation of Individuals, Annual Lax Law Conference of the Federal Bar Association, March 2019
- Liens, Levies, and Collection Alternatives with the IRS and Maryland, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, January 2019
- Techniques for Maximizing Charitable Giving, Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals, December 2018
- An Overview of Civil and Criminal Tax Litigation for Accountants, Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, November 2018
- Getting Tax Documents from Uncle Sam: Tips for the Tax Practitioner, Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals, November 2018
- International Tax
- Tax
- Tax Controversy
Office location for John S. Pontius
110 N Washington St
Suite 201
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 240-892-7197
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2025
- Rising Stars: 2015 - 2020
