IRS Law Blog

When you make a payment to the IRS, it will be automatically applied to your account in a manner that is in the IRS’s best interest. But what is best for the IRS in handling...

My clients with IRS collection problem come to me with different ideas about what will happen to them because they did not pay their taxes.  Is the IRS going to show up one day and...

The best way to get relief from an IRS collection problem is to consider the complete picture before jumping in.  A quick way out may be desired, but it is important to look carefully before...

If you owe the IRS back taxes, the IRS is required to give you a 30 day notice before they can start to levy and seize your property.  This warning of levy action is required...

I was recently interviewed by a journalist for a story about the hardships of having the IRS levy a retiree’s social security benefits. The reporter, who is courteous and professional, would like to speak to anyone who has...

If you owe the IRS back taxes, it is not always enough to just be “right” when negotiating with the government. You need to be right, but you also need to be in the right place...

You promised the IRS a monthly payment that your budget could no longer bear.  Or you tried so hard to repay your back taxes that you fall behind on this year’s return.  Your intentions are good, but this has caused...

ACS can be intimidating – big, impersonal and far away on a 1-800 number. Most IRS collection letters are sent from an Automated Collection Service Center (ACS).  ACS handles the incoming calls from the collection notices....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

1.     Be courteous and respectful.  You will get nowhere with an angry or condescending attitude, and will just give the IRS reason to come down harder on you.  When your head is in the mouth...

I often have new clients come in who owe the IRS under $25,000 and have the ability to repay the debt with monthly installment agreements.  If we determine they can repay the debt within 60 months,...

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has outlined the costs to the IRS collection function in implementing President Bush’s Economic Stimulus Refunds. Of the roughly 2,000 employees in the IRS Automated Collection Service, the GAO report stated that approximately...