You just received a batch of IRS collection letters stating that your tax problem is "Urgent," that the IRS might levy your wages, and, finally, that you should call the IRS immediately. You consider doing what the IRS asked - picking up the phone and calling the IRS Automated Collection System (commonly known as "ACS"). The day of reckoning cannot be put off any longer. But the call to the IRS is not always that simple. First, know that when you call, the IRS ACS agent on the other end is trained to immediately ask you a script of questions. Here are the first questions you ... Read More
Five truths about how long the IRS has to collect taxes
Will my IRS debt ever just go away? Will there ever be a time that the IRS will just leave me alone? Yes, and yes. The collection of most every IRS debt eventually ends, and that would include yours. This is called the statute of limitations on IRS collections. The Internal Revenue Code gives the IRS a window of time to collect from you; after that window closes, you are free from your tax debt and the IRS. Here are five truths about how many years the IRS to collect back taxes from you: 1. There is an IRS statute of limitations on collecting taxes. The IRS is limited to 10 ... Read More
Negotiating with the IRS: Tips to remember
Negotiating with the IRS can be frustrating for the uninitiated. Intimidating. Overwhelming. Stressful. Not the best way to feel when entering into a negotiation, much less when the party on the other side has the power of the IRS. When I was an IRS trial attorney, I negotiated on behalf of the IRS. Since moving into private practice over 20 years ago, I have spent most waking moments of my professional career negotiating with them, rather than for them. And one thing is very clear: Negotiating with the IRS has its own unique, unstated rules of engagement. Here are a few tips I ... Read More
IRS installment agreements: Future compliance and steps to prevent default
You've made it - reached account resolution with the IRS by entering into an installment agreement to repay your taxes. You may have had to negotiate with a local IRS Revenue Officer, or over the phone with the IRS automated collection service. Maybe, you had minimal negotiations, made possible by qualifying for a streamlined installment agreement, which the IRS will automatically grant if you owe under $50,000 and can repay it in 72 months. Make your payment every month, and the IRS will leave you alone. But there are conditions to the installment agreement - it is not enough just to ... Read More
Dealing with the IRS Automated Collection Service? Know what to expect.
The IRS has two main sources of carrying out its work in collecting taxes: local Revenue Officers and its Automated Collection Service. When you get that call or letter from IRS collections, it's important to know who you are dealing with - and what to expect. The IRS Automated Collection Service - commonly known as "ACS" - is a series of IRS call centers staffed by IRS collection employees. You will never see or meet an ACS employee face-to-face; all of their work is conducted by telephone. And the vast majority of telephone work conducted by ACS is responding to inbound calls, not ... Read More