5 Things You Should Know About the IRS

As a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, it was exciting to see my article about solutions to today’s IRS collection problems as the cover story in March’s monthly bar journal.   
Here is a brief overview of the article - 5 Things You Should Know About the IRS:
(1)     The offer in compromise program is not as advertised on television.
(2)     IRS seizures of houses, personal [...]

Knock, knock – the IRS is at my door – how should I handle it?

I received a call this week from a small businessman in Cincinnati who had an IRS Revenue Officer sitting in his living room.  Technically, he did not have to let the Revenue Officer in his house, but he did.  I am glad he called me. 
My client handled the situation correctly – professional, courteous and honest.  This [...]

IRS collection priorities and trends for 2010

What to expect from the IRS collection division in 2010:
1.     More aggressive IRS tax lien filing practices.
IRS Revenue Officers have been instructed to make decisions on the filing of Federal tax liens within 10 days of case assignment.   The IRS hit an all-time low for lien filings in 1999 of 167,000.  That has rebounded [...]

Face to face with IRS agents: Who’s who?

If you find yourself in an IRS pickle, there are three IRS employees you are most likely to come face to face with.  Those are Revenue Officers, Revenue Agents and Special Agents.  Here is what to expect from each:
An IRS Revenue Officer is in collection enforcement. Often, the first contact you will receive from a [...]

Get ready – 2,000 new IRS collection Revenue Officers are coming

In an unprecedented hiring move, the IRS is bringing on board almost 2.000 new Revenue Officers, starting this fall (2009).  This is a 35% increase in high level IRS collection enforcement staffing.
The ramp up will entail over 1,000 new Revenue Officers in the fall, with another 350 coming on board in 2010 and then 500 [...]

IRS is hiring auditors and collection agents – enforcement to increase

The IRS is hiring revenue agents (auditors), revenue officers (collectors), and special agents (criminal investigators).  This has been made public by the IRS, but I attended a joint conference with the IRS last week in which every IRS panelist – from IRS auditor managers to taxpayer advocates to senior IRS attorneys – confirmed the trend [...]

IRS to hire over 1,000 new collection personnel in 2009

After conducting an extensive review of their use of outside private debt collectors, the IRS has decided to eliminate the program in its entirety.  The program lasted for all of 30 months.  
But the IRS is not standing still.  This is not a downsizing mode. The IRS is beefing up collection efforts.
Significantly, the IRS will [...]

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 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 [...]

Can the IRS conduct a collection interview at your house or business?

IRS Revenue Officers continue to become more aggressive in the field. Here is a new approach to look for:
I had a recent case in which a Revenue Officer sent my client a notice stating that that there would be an interview at my client’s house.  These meetings usually take place at an IRS office.  It [...]

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