21 Ways to Get Help for Your IRS Tax Problem and Get Your IRS Debt Resolved, Reduced, or Forgiven

Are you behind on filing your federal income tax return or paying your federal IRS taxes in the last year or more? If so, you’re not alone. More than 22 million taxpayers in the U.S. have either failed to file a tax return or are behind in paying their IRS taxes due, and that was before the pandemic hit.  

If things have been tight financially, it can be easy to ignore the task of filing and paying your federal taxes to the IRS. You might think that you can get caught up “next year” when things get better.  Only, unfortunately, they don’t get better. You skip tax filing again. And maybe again. 

Initially, you might think you’ve gotten away with not paying the IRS. But in a year or two, they will catch up with you. While you procrastinate, the penalties and interest will build up to a dollar amount that is way more than what you would have owed if you had filed and paid on time.  

Letters from the IRS will come eventually. If you let it go too long, they can take away your assets.  By then, the penalties and interest will be so high that it will feel like an impossible situation to get out of.  

Here are just a few of the powers that the IRS has to collect your debt:

  • The IRS can freeze your bank account and clean out your cash.
  • They can garnish your wages, meaning they can take away your paycheck, plus they notify your boss of your IRS debt which can be very embarrassing.
  • IRS officers can take away your car, house, boat, and other big assets.
  • They can take your retirement fund and garnish part of your social security payment.
  • The IRS can restrict your travel by seizing your passport.  
  • They can take away your jewelry, including family heirlooms.
  • The IRS can take away things like furs, art, and gun collections.
  • If you’re self-employed, the IRS can notify your business’s vendors of your debt which can be professionally embarrassing.

Worse, if you’re driven to bankruptcy, there’s a chance it might not end there.  The rules are complicated, but some of your IRS debt may not be forgiven if you declare bankruptcy. 

Just the anxiety alone is not worth getting this far behind on your taxes.  You may even be losing sleep over all of these IRS debt problems.  Especially now, everyone needs to keep their stress level low and their immune system in tip-top shape to fight the virus. For some people in high risk health categories, this added stress could cause a more severe illness.  And that’s the last thing you need because in a worst-case scenario, that can lead to lost wages and hospital bills on top of your IRS debt.  

Owing the IRS debt can cause serious problems in your marriage too. There have been plenty of divorces when the two partners disagree on money issues. When IRS debt and your bad credit are added to the conflict, your marriage can be in real jeopardy.   

Taking the First Steps

You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to begin the journey of coming clean with the IRS. A huge burden will be lifted from your shoulders and you will feel enormous relief when you take the first step toward getting your IRS issues resolved.

So, let’s see if we can begin to relieve some of that anxiety and help you solve your IRS problems. Let’s take a look at all of the steps and options that you have when you get behind in filing or paying your federal income taxes to the IRS.

Learning the Facts about IRS Debt Resolution

Here are some facts about resolving your debt with the IRS.

The IRS wants to work with taxpayers.

The IRS is actually on your side, in a way. The agency is typically eager and happy to collect old debts. It truly wants to work with taxpayers, but there are many, many rules you need to know about and a process to follow if you want a positive result.

Only 3 types of professionals can represent you in front of the IRS.

While you can represent yourself in front of the IRS. It might not be the best idea, especially if your debt is very high or you’ve ignored the situation for a long time.

Getting into Compliance with the IRS

You can’t ask to have any debt forgiven until you get into “compliance” with the IRS. So, the next step is to get into compliance. Here is what you need to do to get that done.

You should almost always file your past due tax returns, but there are some exceptions and filing needs to be done carefully so additional debt is not triggered.

Paying Off Your IRS Debt: Options

Here are the options you have for paying off your IRS debt. This is where it gets extremely complicated. Selecting the correct IRS tax resolution option from the ones listed below can be the difference between many thousands of dollars, not to mention success and failure.

If you still haven’t hired a tax resolution professional, we recommend you do so at this time. You’ll save hours and hours of time spent trying to learn about all of the rules and forms and processes involved. Plus, you’ll feel the relief knowing your issue is in good hands with a professional.

Tackling Your IRS Problem and Working with a Tax Representation Professional

It can be very exciting and a huge relief to take action on an IRS problem that has plagued you for years. We are here for you when you are ready to get caught up, and the sooner, the better. We can help you relieve that huge psychological burden so you feel lighter and free from all that stress.

It’s serious business to owe the IRS money. They do not fool around. It’s a great idea to get a tax professional like us working for you.

Our trained and certified tax professionals work diligently to find the best outcome we can on your tax issues. Your situation is handled with the utmost confidentiality and privacy. Please feel free to call or email us at no obligation to confidentially discuss your tax problem and how we can help.

If you or someone you know has an issue with paying their federal taxes and needs help to end their IRS nightmare, please feel free to pass our information on to them.