The IRS published its annual trove of tax statistics Internal Revenue Service Date book, 2018.  The book is a collection of statistics, and reveals declining enforcement and in-person taxpayer services resulting from a shrinking budget and staff. While the growing use of electronic filing and third-party data reporting can ease compliance, budget and staff cuts […]

There are typical actions that are taken when closing a business. You must file an annual return for the year you go out of business. If you have employees, you must file the final employment tax returns, in addition to making final federal tax deposits of these taxes. Also attach a statement to your return […]

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 has the power to garnish or legally seize any income you make to satisfy federal tax debt or taxes owed. Garnishments can apply to your hourly wages, salary, commissions, and bonuses. The IRS will contact your employer directly and require them to directly send the IRS a portion of your income. Your employer […]

Before the IRS can levy a taxpayer on an outstanding balance, it must issue a series of notices or letters regarding the outstanding balance due.  A taxpayer will receive their first notice regarding a balance due after the tax has been assessed, i.e, after the return is filed or an audit is concluded.  If the […]