If you owe the IRS money and are dealing with an IRS Revenue Officer, or even IRS Automated Collection Service, expect deadlines. Deadlines to provide financial information, deadlines to provide unfiled returns, and deadlines for a plan for account resolution. These deadlines are serious - failure to timely comply is usually reason enough for the IRS to send a levy to your employer, your bank, or your customers. But what if you run into trouble meeting an IRS collections deadline? Fear not - here are seven solutions to an impending deadline with IRS collections that you may not be ... Read More
What to expect when an IRS Revenue Officer comes calling to your home or business.
IRS Revenue Officers are the most experienced and sophisticated collection employees within the IRS. They work high dollar cases identified by the IRS to be of significance. Focus is often given to business cases, employment tax liabilities, repeat offenders and non-filers. The Revenue Officer function is localized, with their offices located near your home or business. Revenue Officers are "field agents," meaning they are expected to get out of the office and get into the "field." If you case has been assigned to an IRS Revenue Officer, expect an initial unannounced visit to your ... Read More
When is the IRS prohibited from taking collection action? Part III
Here are the final five situations to look for when the IRS cannot take collection action: When the value of the property is protected by exemptions provided by Section 6334 of the Internal Revenue Code. There is certain property that the IRS cannot take under any circumstance, including your furniture and household goods valued up to $7,900, necessary clothing, unemployment benefits and child support. More on that here at "Can the IRS take my stuff?" When the liability is $5,000 or under, the IRS cannot seize your personal residence. When business assets of an individual ... Read More
Can the IRS conduct a collection interview at your house or business?
IRS Revenue Officers continue to become more aggressive in the field. Here is a new approach to look for: I had a recent case in which a Revenue Officer sent my client a notice stating that that there would be an interview at my client's house. These meetings usually take place at an IRS office. It was a somewhat bold move to request access to a personal residence for an interview in a collection case, especially because my client lived with her mother. This made my client very uncomfortable, for good reason (then again, wasn't that the point of the IRS request?). Here is my ... Read More