Experienced Tax Attorneys


Call Us Confidentially Now: 617-692-2989


Call us confidentially now:
617-692-2989



CALL US CONFIDENTIALLY NOW: 617-692-2989
WE REPRESENT ATHLETES AND OTHER SPORTS-RELATED BUSINESSES Contact Us
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Arts Cannabis Entertainment Real Estate Sports

Sports Taxation and Contracts

Boston Sports Lawyers Representing Athletes, Other Professionals and Businesses in Contract and Taxation Matters

With Boston’s rich sports history, we are proud to offer our contract and tax services to athletes, other professionals and sports industry businesses in and around Beantown. With decades of combined experience in the areas of tax planning, tax compliance and the resolution of tax controversies, Attorney Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner at Thorn Law Group, and his team are well known for their ability to help clients avoid unnecessary liability, and we have been named among Boston’s best tax attorneys several years running in sports taxation matters and more.

Are you preparing to sign (or have you just signed) a major player contract or endorsement deal? Are you in the process of renegotiating? Do you need an agent? Are you starting a new business or looking for experienced tax counsel to help your existing business avoid paying unnecessary taxes? Have you been contacted by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding an audit or investigation? A Boston sports lawyer from our firm can provide representation for these types of sports taxation matters and many more, and we are available now to meet your needs.

Business Structuring and Tax Planning

Our Boston sports taxation lawyers provide assistance with structuring new businesses and subsidiaries in order to mitigate tax liability. We also represent numerous existing businesses with regard to tax planning and strategy on an ongoing basis. In addition to corporate matters, this includes providing guidance for contract negotiations with athletes, coaches, vendors and other third parties.

Local, State and Federal Income Tax

We provide advice and representation with regard to all local, state and federal income tax matters. At the local and state levels, our services are not limited to Massachusetts—our attorneys are licensed to practice in multiple jurisdictions, and we can provide counseling regarding income tax compliance on a national scale. At all levels, a Boston sports attorney at our firm can help our clients with professional sports exemptions and other sports-specific tax issues as well.

International Tax

For sports entities that do business overseas, we offer full-service representation for international tax compliance. From Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) reporting to cross-border tax controversies, our sports taxation lawyers can help your company avoid unnecessary liability and exposure.

Non-resident athletes who play on a Massachusetts sports team must comply with their tax obligations under the law:

The Massachusetts source income of a non-resident individual who is a member of a professional athletic team includes that portion of such individual's total compensation for services rendered as a member of a professional athletic team during the taxable year which, the number of duty days spent within Massachusetts rendering services for the team in any manner during the taxable year, bears to the total number of duty days spent both within and without Massachusetts during the taxable year.
At Thorn Law Group, we can help you negotiate contracts and ensure tax compliance, among other things.

Our Boston sports law firm offers comprehensive tax planning, strategy, compliance and defense representation for sports teams, leagues, agencies, media companies and other businesses in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Our tax services for sports entities in Massachusetts include:

Sales Tax

We also provide representation for sales tax compliance. We can help you determine in which states you need to collect sales tax (if any), and we can help your company timely meet it’s collection, reporting and remittance obligations.

Payroll Tax

Payroll tax compliance is a more complicated issue than many business owners and executives realize. Our Boston sports taxation lawyers can help your company establish and maintain payroll tax compliance.

Tax Audits And Investigations

In the U.S., we provide representation for local, state and federal tax audits, investigations and appeals. We deal with the authorities on our clients’ behalves in these matters, and we work diligently to achieve discrete and favorable resolutions.

How Our Boston Sports Lawyers Can Help Athletes and Other Sports Industry Professionals

In addition to representing companies in the sports industry, we represent athletes and other professionals as well. Our tax services for athletes and sports industry professionals in Massachusetts include:

Contract Negotiations with the Help of a Boston Sports Taxation Attorney

We represent athletes and other clients in contract negotiations, relying on our attorneys’ extensive tax law experience to negotiate terms that maximize our clients’ financial returns. Sports taxation can consume significant portions of athletes’ and other individuals’ income, but tax strategies can often be used to significantly reduce their overall tax liability. In many cases, these negotiated terms will benefit the team or other business involved in the negotiations as well, producing a win-win that helps the parties get closer to closing the deal. The types of matters we assist with in sports contract negotiations include:

  • Salaries
  • Signing bonuses
  • Performance bonuses
  • Endorsements
  • Royalties
  • Merchandising

Massachusetts Income Tax Compliance

Whether you are a long-time Boston resident or you are relocating to Massachusetts, if you will be playing in the Commonwealth, you will have to report your income (and most likely pay taxes) to the Massachusetts DOR. Our Boston tax lawyers are intimately familiar with Massachusetts’ tax laws, and we can use our experience to help you meet your obligations without paying any unnecessary taxes.

Multi-State Income Tax Compliance

Many athletes will have to pay income tax in multiple states. In fact, in many cases, athletes will have to deal with multiple local taxing authorities in multiple states. This can quickly become extremely complicated, and this means that it can also quickly create a high risk of non-compliance. At Thorn Law Group, Kevin E. Thorn and his team of Boston sports lawyers can make sure that you are reporting your income and paying taxes everywhere you are required to do so.

Federal (IRS) Income Tax Compliance

Even for athletes who have income tax obligations in multiple states, the majority of their tax liability will typically still be owed to the IRS. With decades of tax planning experience, our lawyers can make sure you are not paying the IRS any more than necessary.

International Tax and IRS Voluntary Disclosure Compliance

If you play overseas, if you moved to Massachusetts from another country, or if you live in Boston and have offshore accounts, then you have international tax obligations as well. Our attorneys can deal with these issues on your behalf, including handling FATCA and IRS voluntary disclosure compliance.

State and Federal Tax Audits and Investigations

If you have run into an issue with the Massachusetts DOR, the IRS or any other tax authority, our Boston sports attorneys can represent you in the audit or investigation. We handle civil and criminal matters ranging from inadvertent failure to report taxable income to intentional tax evasion.

Speak with Boston Sports Taxation Lawyer Kevin E. Thorn in Confidence

If you would like more information about our services for sports businesses, athletes and other sports industry professionals in Massachusetts, we encourage you to get in touch. To schedule an appointment with Boston sports taxation lawyer Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group, email us at ket@thornlawgroup, call 617-692-2989 or inquire online today. Visit our Boston office at 10 Post Office Square, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109.

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