An IRS Revenue Officer came knocking on your door, leaving a card, and a request that you call. Or maybe the Revenue Officer sent you an introductory letter threatening your wages and bank accounts if you did not respond. Either way, it is clear the Revenue Officer means business. They are the highest powered IRS collection agents, and are assigned cases the IRS has determined are worthy of attention. You do the right thing, and call the Revenue Officer back. But you have not received a return call. Or maybe the Revenue Officer demands a meeting, and you go, and answer all of their ... Read More
Warning signs: Is an IRS Revenue Officer about to contact you?
Surprises can be fun - birthdays, anniversaries, maybe even one in a scary movie. But one surprise that you don't want is an unannounced visit from an IRS Revenue Officer. That can make you feel like a scary movie is coming to life. A Revenue Officer can take your house, levy your wages, clean out your bank account, and even take your business equipment. You may feel like confronting Freddy Krueger is a better option. If you owe money to the IRS, Revenue Officers have more power than any other IRS employee. An IRS decision to send a Revenue Officer to you is not random, but ... Read More
How to avoid IRS Form 433A financial disclosures
A local IRS collection agent, known as a Revenue Officer, has contacted you, possibly with a surprise visit to your home or work. The Revenue Officer has been assigned your IRS debt for collection, and is about to launch a full investigation into your finances. Or, maybe you are getting up the nerve to give the IRS Automated Collection Service a call, prepared to discuss your debt and make payment arrangements. Either way, at the core, the IRS wants to know how they can get paid. They will want the following information: Where you bank, and how much is in the account. Name of ... Read More
Your IRS agent: Not always the “Bad Guy”
IRS agents - are they as bad as you think they are? Receiving a demand letter from the an IRS Revenue Officer on a Friday can ruin your weekend. Preparing to call and speak with an agent of the IRS Automated Collection System can splinter your nerves. Responding to an IRS auditor's investigation of your tax return can make your pulse run and mind wander with anxiety. An IRS Revenue Officer once told me "I am not a bad guy, but just the face of the bad guy." They have families, children, hobbies, friends outside of work, and take vacations. They are just like you. And, like you, ... Read More
IRS allowable living expenses: Collection guidelines you need to know
You want to repay the IRS, and have a number in mind of what you can afford monthly, but will the IRS accept it? Well, maybe. It all depends on how your monthly living expenses match up to IRS budgeting guidelines. The IRS calls these budgeting guidelines "allowable living expenses" (also referred to as "collection financial standards"). Allowable living expenses can be rigid, as the IRS has their own standards for your living expenses - they will need you to budget in an effort to increase the amount you can repay them. That's right: the IRS will not necessarily accept your ... Read More