IRS Collections Is Starting Back Up. What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes
2020 threw a huge wrench into everything and the IRS collections proceedings are no exception. With the tax deadline pushed until July 15th and a lot of the IRS closed under shelter at home orders due to COVID-19, to the IRS being tasked with sending millions of Americans their stimulus checks, the IRS collections proceedings took a backseat.
If you owe back taxes you might just assume you got some breathing room. However, things are starting to pick back up.
According to the Taxpayer Advocate, as of late June 2020, the IRS generated more than 20 million notices, yet these notices were not mailed to anyone. It seems now that the IRS is once again starting to send threatening notices to taxpayers who owe back taxes.
In this article, we share a few things you must do in order to get out of tax trouble and settle your back tax balances.
IMPORTANT: We highly recommend readers to reach out to our firm first. Our clients never have to talk to the IRS, and tax resolution through our firm can save you money and time in the long run. You might also be eligible for other relief programs or get your penalties and interest forgiven. Reach out to our firm today for a consultation.
FILE BEFORE JULY 15th
Before we talk about any tax relief options, you must first get into compliance. That means being current on all your tax return filings, including your 2019 tax return.
If you missed the deadline, you must still file as soon as possible before you begin exploring tax relief options. If you have multiple years of unfiled tax returns, reach out to our firm for help today.
PENALTIES AND INTEREST
Any time you don’t pay your taxes, the IRS first hits you with a club called penalties and interest. Under normal circumstances, these penalties start accruing from day 1 after the tax deadline. Because of COVID-19, the IRS is providing additional time to respond before interest or penalties apply.
If your tax bill already has penalties, our firm might be able to help remove some of the penalties by negotiating with the IRS on your behalf.
OFFER IN COMPROMISE
You might have heard advertisements about settling with the IRS, or the IRS Fresh Start program. Not everyone qualifies for it, but if your income or business was drastically affected by COVID-19, there’s a good chance you can qualify now. This means the IRS will reduce your tax balance to a fraction of what you owe.
It’s important to hire a tax relief firm like ours to walk you through this process and properly represent you before the IRS. Talking to the IRS before talking to us would be like going to court without a lawyer.
DON’T TALK TO THE IRS IF YOU OWE $10k OR MORE.
Even though things are tough right now, the IRS’s main job is still to collect the taxes it thinks you owe them. That by nature pits them against you. Often talking to the IRS can be a treacherous path and you risk the chance of saying something self-incriminating. Save yourself the headache, time, and money by reaching out to our tax relief firm today. You wouldn’t go to court without a lawyer and you definitely don’t want to approach the IRS without expert representation.
