You may qualify for relief from penalties if you made an effort to comply with the requirements of the law, but were unable to meet your tax obligations, due to circumstances beyond your control. If you received a notice, be sure to check that the information in your notice is correct. If you can resolve […]

The IRS has loosened the rules for people who are struggling to pay their taxes. The goal is to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to pay back taxes and to avoid IRS tax liens. The IRS’ new rules are part of its “Fresh Start” program. If you qualify, the “Fresh Start” can […]

Imagine you want to sell a home but a federal tax lien for delinquent taxes has been filed against it.  You do not have the money to pay off the lien, and even selling the house will not generate enough money to pay it, or it will not generate any money at all to pay […]

Things are changing in IRS collections.  The IRS never cold called taxpayers.  But that may change.  And it opens the door for more scams. Federal law now allows the IRS to use private debt collectors to hunt down certain delinquent accounts, typically old debts from taxpayers who have been hard to locate. •If your account […]

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a revenue procedure permanently establishing its Small Business/Self Employed Fast Track Settlement program, after pilot-testing the program in recent years. The SB/SE FTS provides an expedited way to resolve tax disputes with taxpayers who work for themselves or at small companies. The program allows SB/SE taxpayers who currently have […]

Penalty Relief Due to First Time Penalty Abatement or Other Administrative Waiver The IRS may provide administrative relief from a penalty that would otherwise be applicable under its First Time Penalty Abatement policy. You may qualify for administrative relief from penalties for failing to file a tax return, pay on time, and/or to deposit taxes when […]

Tax Delinquencies Will Affect Your Passport. In late 2015, Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, a law that, among other things, helps the IRS collect larger tax debts. Included in the FAST Act is Section 7345 of the Internal Revenue Code, which requires the IRS to provide information to the U.S. State Department […]

The Internal Revenue Service, along with state tax authorities and the tax preparation industry, are cautioning businesses to beware of an email phishing scam using a corporate officer’s name asking for employee W-2 forms from payroll and human resources departments at companies. The IRS said Wednesday it has been hearing complaints this week the email […]

Discharging Income Taxes in Bankruptcy Income tax debts may be eligible for discharge under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 7 provides for full discharge of allowable debts, meaning that you never have to pay those debts. Chapter 13 provides a payment plan to repay some debts, with the remainder of […]

The IRS Fresh Start program makes it easier for taxpayers to pay back taxes and avoid tax liens. Even small business taxpayers may benefit from Fresh Start. Here are three important features of the Fresh Start program:   Tax Liens.The Fresh Start program increased the amount that taxpayers can owe before the IRS generally will […]