The first step to ending IRS collection problems: Finding the money for estimated taxes
If you have had trouble paying taxes to the IRS in the past and would like to settle up, the first step is to ensure that you are paying your taxes now. The IRS will not negotiate unless it sees that you are current on your taxes. And any solution that is negotiated will quickly [...]
NAEA and the National Tax Practice Institute
I am fortunate that the National Association of Enrolled Agents has invited me to their annual Tax Institute on August 9 -11, 2009 in Baltimore, Md.
Here are the outlines for the topics I will be speaking on:
IRS collections
Tax bankruptcy
Trust fund recovery penalty
For more information on the NAEA and the National Tax Practice Institute, visit their [...]
How common are IRS mistakes in property seizures?
The IRS appears to be human, and it makes legal and administrative errors when seizing property, says the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
TIGTA just completed a review of 50 IRS property seizures to determine if they complied with the requirements of Internal Revenue Code sections 6330 to 6344 and Internal Revenue Manual guidelines.
Here [...]
All of it, or just 15% – IRS manual and automated levies on social security benefits
A reader asks the following regarding IRS levies on social security benefits:
What is the difference between an automated federal levy on social security and a manual tax levy, and why does the IRS choose one over the other?
Here is my response:
1. Automated Levy (15%). Pursuant to section 6331(h) of the Internal Revenue Code, [...]
Why a tax lawyer can make a difference
I am often asked by new clients how a tax lawyer can make a difference in an IRS dispute. Here is my answer:
Once you retain a tax lawyer, the IRS must stop calling you. The IRS is required to conduct all negotiations – telephone calls, meetings, etc. – through your attorney. This valuable “buffer” allows [...]
IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman on IRS collections during recession
Today IRS Commissoner Douglas Shulman gave an interview on National Public Radio (NPR) about how the IRS will be dealing with hardship cases during these difficult economic times.
Shulman did not addresss what is really holding up IRS collections – an offer in compromise system that accepts only 25% of the offers it receives. The IRS collection guidelines [...]
What to expect when an IRS Revenue Officer comes calling to your home or business.
IRS Revenue Officers are the most experienced and sophisticated collection employees within the IRS. They work high dollar cases identified by the IRS to be of significance. Focus is often given to business cases, employment tax liabilities, repeat offenders and non-filers.
The Revenue Officer function is localized, with their offices located near your home or business. Revenue Officers [...]
The advantage of the Automated Collection Service practitioner priority line
For taxpayers seeking to contact the IRS on their own, what follows is a reason not to go at it alone but through a tax professional.
Professionals can access the IRS Automated Collection Service by first dialing in through the IRS Practitioner Priority Line. This phone line is exclusively for the use of tax professionals. It offers [...]
The powers of an IRS Revenue Officer…
When negotiating with IRS Revenue Officers, it is important to remember the many enforcement tools they have at their disposal. These powers include:
1. Filing a Federal tax lien securing the IRS’s interest in a taxpayer’s property.
2. Issuing a levy to seize bank accounts, wages and subcontractor income.
3. Seizure of [...]
How do I know if my business is in tax trouble?
Entrepreneurs justifiably take great pride in their business. But this pride often gets in the way of a clear understanding of the risk of continuing to operate into a storm of IRS trouble. The IRS comes down hardest on businesses with tax troubles, and owners and management are usually implicated as well.
Here are a few [...]
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