Howard Levy is a Cincinnati tax attorney with the experience to find solutions to your IRS problems.

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Considering an offer in compromise? What to expect after you file

By , Offer in compromise

You are tired of owing money to the IRS.  That is understandable.  Now, you find yourself considering filing an offer in compromise to settle and get a fresh start. Before you jump in, it is important to know what happens inside the IRS to your offer after you send it in.  After all, the IRS is a big, often impersonal bureaucracy, and you are asking them to cut you a much needed break. First, let's take a look at the IRS offer in compromise process - what happens after you file, when you will hear back, how long it takes the IRS to work your file, and role of the IRS Offer Examiner.  ... Read More

How your living expenses can doom an IRS offer in compromise

By , Offer in compromise

You want to the get the IRS off your back, and are considering an offer in compromise. After all, at the end of each month, after you pay your bills, you have little money left to pay the IRS back. Settlement seems logical, right? Hold on, not so fast. The IRS may not give you full credit for all of your living expenses, and calculate that you can pay them more than you actually can.  This is because the IRS limits living expenses as part of their offer in compromise analysis. In other words, the IRS will put you on their budget, and disregard yours. If your living expense ... Read More

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

By , 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

Become fluent in the language of IRS collection agents

By , 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

Is an offer in compromise necessary?

By , Currently Not Collectible, Installment agreements, Offer in compromise, Statute of limitations on collections, Uncollectible

I always try to teach my kids the difference between needs and wants. You need to eat dinner; you want to eat at Chipotle. The same applies to an IRS offer in compromise. You need to keep the IRS out of your affairs, and live free from levies and seizures of your property.  You need peace from the IRS. But you have seen TV and radio advertisements for the IRS offer in compromise program, and may want to settle and no longer have a tax debt.  You want what you've been sold and told - that an offer in compromise is simple, easy, and everyone qualifies. The hard truth is that an ... Read More

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