My grandmother used to have saying about people, always telling me "It's what inside that counts." It was her way of telling young Howie to not to judge a book by its cover, that looks can be deceiving. Little did I know that one day that advice would apply to IRS collection letters. Yes, on the surface, IRS collection letters look the same, and those looks can often be very misleading. One of the biggest offenders is the IRS Notice of Intent to Levy. As part of its collection process, the IRS sends two different letters, each called a Notice of Intent to Levy. On their ... Read More
Fear the IRS closing down your business? It’s not as likely as you think
You worked your whole life to get to this point, a business that belongs to you, making your own decisions, working your trade and sharing expertise. But then things suddenly got a little out of control, and you got behind paying the IRS. Maybe it started with one bad year, and you thought you could get a handle on it and get caught up soon. But tomorrow never came, and the damage continued to snowball year after year. Now the IRS is owed more than you can ever pay. And you fear losing your business and all that you worked for, and having nothing for retirement. Fear not, it ... Read More
What causes the IRS to sue you to collect unpaid taxes?
You may not realize it, but most every effort the IRS will make to collect a tax debt from you will be done without suing you. For example, no court filings or lawsuits are necessary for the IRS to levy your wages or bank account wages. And the IRS can place a lien on your house or business on their own, no judge, jury, lawsuit or outside court review necessary. How about the authority of high-level IRS collection agents, like Revenue Officers? Do they need to sue you to take your car, retirement account, or business equipment? IRS Revenue Officers have far-reaching powers of ... Read More
Tax debt during retirement: How the IRS responds
The plan was to retire, payoff your house, maybe travel, devote more time to hobbies, and spend time with the family. Then some mistakes were made in paying your taxes - maybe from a business you owned - and the IRS came calling. Tax liens were filed on your house, ruining your credit. To make matters worse, you are always looking over your shoulder, fearful that the IRS will levy your wages, social security or retirement. Some retirement, huh? Let's separate the myths from the facts so you can make it through the golden years intact and with some peace from the IRS. Here are ... Read More
Knowing when are you at risk for the IRS to seize your house
Owing the IRS is nerve-wracking enough without having to worry about losing your house to the tax man. But are your concerns about losing the roof over your head based on reality? Are you really at risk for the IRS to take your house away to pay your tax debt? The good news is that the IRS seizes and sells very few houses - in a given year, it is less than 500 over the entire country. That's out of millions of tax debts owed. In other words, the IRS does not make putting taxpayers out on the street a top priority. For starters, the risk is low. But it does, and can ... Read More