If you or your business owe money to the IRS, the specter of a tax lien might be keeping you up at night. Will the IRS file a tax lien? When will they do it? How will this affect me? These are all legitimate concerns. What is a Federal Tax Lien? Let me begin with …
Many businesses rely on the use of their accounts receivable or inventory as collateral for loans or for factoring. However, in my experience, few business owners fully grasp how devastating the consequences can be if they engage in this type of financing and fall behind with federal taxes. Unfortunately, fully grasping this concept often does …
Understanding the IRS 45 Day Rule for a Federal Tax Lien Read More »
Benjamin Franklin once said that nothing is certain in this life but death and taxes. I’ll agree that none of us will cheat death. But I may quibble with Mr. Franklin on the issue of whether or not you have to pay all of your taxes. Under the right set of circumstances, full payment of …
Can I Resolve Back Taxes By Qualifying For Currently Not Collectible Status? Read More »
Earlier this year, I received a voice message from a producer for a television show called Moving America Forward, hosted by William Shatner. The message stated that they were interested in speaking with me about possibly appearing on their nationally broadcasted television show. Moving America Forward Interviews Fortress Financial Services I was intrigued to say …
Fortress Financial Services Featured On Moving America Forward Hosted By William Shatner Read More »
You and/or your business have accrued a tax liability and are now receiving increasingly threatening letters from the IRS that indicate that they are going to seize your assets. Many questions arise. Can the IRS actually do this? Will they seize my corporate assets and shut my business down? Will they seize my residence? These …
Will The IRS Seize My Assets, Business Or My Residence? Read More »
When an IRS tax liability goes to collections, it will either be assigned to the IRS Automated Collection System (“ACS”) or to the Collection field function, where a Revenue Officer will be assigned and charged personally with attempting to collect the unpaid tax. Some delinquent accounts will initially be assigned to ACS only to be …
IRS Automated Collection System (“ACS”) vs. Revenue Officer: What’s the Difference? Read More »
As soon as the IRS files a Federal Tax Lien against a delinquent taxpayer, it becomes public record that the person or business has a balance due to the IRS. The lien is filed very soon after a liability is assessed. The fact that the lien is public record means that anybody who cares to …
I am Told I Qualify for an Offer in Compromise—Is it a Scam? Read More »
You invested your entire savings and better part of your working life into your business in an attempt to have it succeed and ultimately grow. During this time many unforeseen obstacles occurred that caused you to have to make difficult decisions, one of which was to forego making a tax deposit in order to remit …
Understanding IRS Successor, Alter Ego , Nominee, And Transferee Liability Read More »
The Internal Revenue Service is one of the largest government agencies in the world. With around 90,000 employees and a budget in the billions, it’s truly an empire within our government, and its rules and regulations are not wholly known by any one single human being. Therefore, as you can imagine, it’s possible that the …
On December 4th, 2015 President Barack Obama signed into law the “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act” to improve the Nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. Also referred to as the FAST Act, the legislation included a provision which requires the Internal Revenue Service to outsource certain tax debts to private debt collection agencies. The idea behind the …
Congress Instructs IRS To Outsource Collections To Private Companies Read More »
So you owe taxes to the state or federal government, then all of the sudden one day your phone rings. It’s a representative from a company stating he is aware you have a tax debt and he wants to sell you a service to resolve your tax liability. You hear him out, accept his offer …
I Am Being Bombarded With Phone Calls From Tax Resolution Companies Read More »
So, something in life or business didn’t go according to plan, and now you’re faced with an IRS tax liability. While few people relish being a collection target of America’s most formidable creditor, there may be a silver lining. You may have options which could significantly reduce the amount that you have to pay the …
One of the most frustrating situations my clients confront is the IRS’s addition of large amounts of tax or Civil Penalties to tax periods that ended a long time ago. There can be several reasons for additions to tax or Civil Penalties, but the most common ones I encounter are reporting and reconciliation deficiencies across …
How to Eliminate IRS Civil Penalties And State Withholding Tax Return Discrepancies Read More »
If you or your business have gotten behind with the IRS, a tax settlement, also known as an Offer in Compromise (OIC), might be the best way to get rid of your tax liability—if you qualify. There are three general categories of OICs: Doubt as to Liability (I don’t actually owe this tax), Effective Tax …
How to Get a Tax Pro to Settle Your Tax Liability (OIC) Offer in Compromise Read More »
If you owe taxes to the IRS, a tax lien automatically arises against you and attaches to just about everything you own. This is sometimes called a secret lien since the government’s claim does not initially appear in any public records. Rather, the lien automatically comes into existence when the tax liability is assessed. Eventually, …
How to Sell an Asset That is Subject to a Notice of Federal Tax Lien Read More »
Question: Will the IRS garnish my wages or Levy my wages? How can I avoid this? Answer: In order to answer this question effectively, some background and definitions with regards to IRS procedures are warranted. A levy on wages is where the IRS effectively takes a portion of ones wages and applies it to the …
Will the IRS take your assets or force you to liquidate assets in order to satisfy your IRS back tax liability? The IRS can, with a few limited exemptions, seize your assets to satisfy your IRS back taxes. However, if you have competent legal representation, this should not happen to you unless every other collection …
Will the IRS Seize Assets or Force the Sale of Them? Read More »
The answer to this question will depend on whether the liability is a joint liability or separate liability and whether you live in a community property state or not. If the IRS liability is a JOINT liability then YES, the IRS may levy both your and your spouse’s wages, assets, and/or accounts. When it comes …
