If you don’t file a tax return, the IRS may file for you with something called a Substitute for Return to determine the amount you owe them. A substitute for return is the IRS’ estimation of what you owe for that year.  They use past returns, as well as income reported by your employer(s) to approximate […]

The IRS won’t call you out of the blue. Maybe the letters “IRS” turn up on your caller ID, or you might pick up the phone blindly and the voice on the other end of the line says it’s Joe Smith calling from the Internal Revenue Service. Hard as it might be to prevent it, […]

Doubt As To Collectability The Offer in Compromise (OIC) for doubt as to collectability is a settlement initiated by a taxpayer based on a snapshot of the taxpayer’s financial situation.  In many cases, taxpayers can settle large tax debts for significantly less than they owe. The IRS will consider a client’s Reasonable Collection Potential (RCP), […]

1. The Right to Be Informed  Taxpayers have the right to know what they need to do to comply with the tax laws. They are entitled to clear explanations of the laws and IRS procedures in all tax forms, instructions, publications, notices, and correspondence. They have the right to be informed of IRS decisions about […]

It is sometimes possible to wipe your tax slate clean at an enormous discount. If you qualify for something known as the offer in compromise, referred to as an “offer” or “OIC,” the IRS will accept less than the amount a taxpayer owes on a tax bill and call it even. There is no legal […]

Taxes must be paid as you earn or receive income during the year, either through withholding or estimated tax payments. If the amount of income tax withheld from your salary or pension is not enough, or if you receive income such as interest, dividends, alimony, self-employment income, capital gains, prizes and awards, you may have […]

The IRS officially launched the Fresh Start initiative (FSI) in 2011 in order to help taxpayers get a “fresh start” with their tax debt.  The goal of the program was to help taxpayers and small businesses with paying back taxes and avoiding tax liens. It was expanded in 2012, with new changes to existing resolutions […]

Cuts in the IRS budget from $14 billion in 2010 to approximately $12 billion in 2017 have resulted in staff reductions by about one-third during that time frame.  IRS staffing dropped to less than 10,000 agents for the first time since 1953. As a result of the cuts, audit rates have dropped for all income […]

Tax Fraud Blotter Fair Oaks, Calif.: Tax lawyer Hiram M. Martin, 71, who represented retired professional football player Antrel Rolle, has been sentenced to three years in prison today for fraudulently obtaining refunds for Rolle, stealing the refunds and then covering up his scheme by filing false documents with the Internal Revenue Service. Martin, who […]