Blog - Page 2 of 48 - Howard Levy is a Cincinnati tax attorney with the experience to find solutions to your IRS problems.

Need a fresh point of view from IRS collections? A Settlement Officer may be the right change

By Howard S. Levy, Esq., Appeals - collection actions, Automated Collection Service, IRS Appeals, IRS levies and property seizures, Offer in compromise, Revenue Officers

Sometimes, when negotiating with the IRS collection division, results can be based not only on the strength of your case, but also on who you talk to. Are you dealing with an IRS Revenue Officer? They're the highest-level enforcement agent, with the most power to levy your wages or accounts. Or are you on hold with the IRS Automated Collection System (ACS), anxiously waiting to talk to an IRS collection agent halfway across the country? The better approach to dealing with a Revenue Officer or ACS representative is taking negotiations straight to an IRS Settlement Officer. Here's ... Read More

Received IRS Notice LT16? How to respond and prevent an IRS levy.

By Howard S. Levy, Esq., Automated Collection Service, IRS collection notices, IRS levies and property seizures

You just received IRS Notice LT16, warning that your unpaid taxes have been assigned for immediate enforcement action. The letter gives you three options: (1) within 10 days, send a check to the IRS to pay your taxes, (2) call the IRS to make payment arrangements, or (3) face the prospect of an IRS levy on your wages and property. Everything has been quiet on the IRS front for a while, but suddenly, now, it appears the IRS is getting ready to rear its ugly head. Let's get to the realities of the LT 16 letter, and your best responses to protect your property from an IRS levy. First, ... Read More

Become fluent in the language of IRS collection agents

By Howard S. Levy, Esq., Automated Collection Service, Collection Financial Standards, Currently Not Collectible, Form 433A, Form 433B, IRS Financial Statements, Offer in compromise, Revenue Officers, Statute of limitations on collections

An IRS collection agent throws a word or phrase your way, and you have no idea what he is talking about. As they say, it is all Greek to you. And too much is at stake to bluff your way through it. A wrong move or misunderstanding could result in a levy on your bank account, wages, or seizure of assets. How can you negotiate yourself out of trouble with the IRS if you don't understand the language of IRS collection agents? To even the playing field, here are the 10 of the most important terms you should know when you owe back taxes to the IRS: 1. IRS Revenue Officer. This ... Read More

IRS audit reconsideration: How to set the record straight

By Howard S. Levy, Esq., IRS Audits, Substitute returns, Unfiled returns

The IRS audited your tax return, got it wrong, and now they are sending you bills to collect a tax that you do not owe. Maybe the IRS didn't have your correct address, and you never received their notice of the audit, and as a result were not able to participate. Or maybe you had poor communications with an IRS auditor, who rejected your records and your truth, and made changes to your tax return that you know are wrong. And to make matters worse, the IRS is now sending notices of intent to levy your property and is trying to force you to pay these taxes. If the IRS would just hear ... Read More

How to make an IRS Revenue Officer’s day

By Howard S. Levy, Esq., Revenue Officers

You have come to know your IRS Revenue Officer as difficult, unyielding, and, of course, aggressive. You believe that the Revenue Officer has one job, and that is to make your life difficult. The truth is probably very different. The reality is the unfair treatment you feel you are getting is likely the result of difficulties the Revenue Officer believes she has had in working with you. You may disagree with this, and you could be right. But the power is with the Revenue Officer, and as a starting point it is her perception that matters. Think of it this way: When your head is ... Read More