How to deal with the IRS

In my time working for a tax resolution firm, I have found out many things regarding the IRS and taxpayers. Many people believe that the IRS is out to get them and will make it difficult for the them to resolve their situation. The IRS will do little to go over all your options for a resolution. The IRS is the biggest creditor and has ways of collecting money other creditors do not have.

The IRS is the only creditor who has the ability to take money directly out of your bank account and directly out of your pay check. They can even collect from pensions and social security. The IRS can even collect from accounts receivable for businesses who owe a liability. They do this through levies.

Iif you don’t know what you are doing when dealing with the IRS, you will not get the best result possible for yourself. Self representation is no representation. You need people representing you who now how to deal with the IRS and do it hundreds of times per day. They will help you get the best possible outcome that you qualify for.

You don’t go to court without a lawyer, why would you face the IRS without professional representation

That's not your money!

The IRS takes the civil trust fund very seriously. If you own a business, you know exactly what the civil trust fund is. When you pay employees, the IRS "trusts" you to collect their withholding and FICA taxes. At that point, you have to give that money to the IRS and file a form 941 to reconcile what you have paid the IRS.

What happens a lot of times is a business will get into a cash crunch and not pay their civil trust fund deposits to pay other bills instead. They think they can catch up with it the next month and when that doesn't happen, the next. Slowly they realize that they are now behind 3 months and have not filed their form 941. The IRS sees this as stealing. This is not unpaid taxes of the business; instead, it is other people's money that was intended to pay their own taxes, medicare and social security retirement. It must be paid back and in full. The IRS does not negotiate on this type of liability.

This potentially places a business in great jeopardy. By not paying and/or filing for 3 months, they have earned themselves a Revenue Officer, the highest level of collections enforcement the IRS has. It is the Revenue Officer's job to collect the civil trust fund money. They will levy a business to collect the money. They can levy bank accounts and accounts receivables. They can even shut down a business to collect the civil trust fund.

It does not have to be the end of the road for your business. There are ways of handling this situation with the IRS. You need professional representation to help you navigate through these kinds of rough waters. There is help if you want it!

Levy Notice from the IRS

Like so many tax payers, this could happen to you. You get a certified letter form the IRS. When you pick it up from the post office and open it, you read that the IRS intends on levying certain assets.Don't panic!This means that you have not responded to the IRS's other letters they have been sending you. The IRS can not levy you until you have been through the collection due process. Simply put, they have to notify you of a balance due and give you time to respond.If you get a CP 504, intent to levy, there is still time to handle your problem.You do need to get moving right away, because doing nothing will only result in the IRS taking your assets away.If you are unsure of what steps to take next, it might be time to hire a reputable tax resolution firm. A tax resolution firm can help you out tremendously; they know how to deal with the IRS and can get you back onto the road to recovery and peace of mind.

The Collections Process and the IRS

The IRS is required by law to follow specific steps when notifying a tax payer of a tax liability. This is the Collections Due Process. The IRS has to follow these rules step for step. They only need to send notices to the last know address of the tax payer.The process starts with a balance due notice, form CP14 or CP11. The balance due notice states how much is due and from which tax year.After 10 days of sending the Balance Due Notice the IRS will send a second notice of demand for payment with form CP 501.10 days after the CP501, a CP503 is sent with the same demand for payment.When all the above notices are ignored, the IRS will send a CP504, Notice of Intent to Levy. This is always sent via certified mail.In most cases a final notice of intent to levy is sent. This is letter L 1058. This step may be skipped by the IRS.If the taxpayer ignores or fails to respond to all the notices, a Levy is placed against the taxpayer and a notice is then sent to the taxpayer informing them of the levy. The Levy Notice is form 668.If you are in IRS collections, you may need help to handle the IRS. You want to act quickly when you start receiving these notices and not wait until you are levied which can leave you with no money that may be used to get help. It is always best to be proactive with the IRS. You want to deal with the IRS on your terms not theirs.