Tax Debt

Is There Anything I Can Do to Stop an IRS Wage Garnishment?

December 7, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

It’s best to try to stop a wage garnishment before it happens. If you owe the IRS back taxes and do not have any arguments for why the tax assessment is improper or incorrect, you should consider entering into an installment agreement or negotiating an Offer in Compromise. This will prevent any collection actions—such as a wage garnishment or bank account levy—as long as you fulfill your end of the agreement.

However, you may reach the point where a wage levy is imminent and you don’t have much time to stop it from happening. Fortunately, the IRS is required to give you a Collection Due Process (CDP) notice before initiating a wage garnishment against you.

Stop Wage Garnishment at a Collection Due Process Hearing

When is Tax Debt Dischargeable in Bankruptcy?

November 30, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Some types of tax debt can be discharged in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and a debtor may pay less than the full amount owed for some taxes in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The amount of tax relief that is available will depend on several factors including:

The type of bankruptcy you are filing
If your tax debt is old enough to be discharged (explained in detail below)

What is IRS Tax Lien Subordination?

October 30, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Once the IRS files a federal tax lien, all other creditors or potential buyers have notice of the lien. If someone buys your home, they will be buying the home subject to the lien unless you are able to negotiate a lien discharge. If you attempt to refinance your home, you will run into difficulties because the lender will not want their lien to be in a junior position to the IRS tax lien.

The general rule for lien priority is “first in time, first in right”, so if your first mortgage was recorded prior to the recording of the IRS tax lien, the first mortgage lender retains their priority. However, if the loan were refinanced, the lender would lose priority and fall behind the IRS if the home was foreclosed upon and the funds were disbursed to lienholders.

The IRS could give up its priority—which is known as tax lien subordination—which would allow the new lender to take a senior position to the IRS lien. Unfortunately, the IRS is not going to make such a gesture out of goodwill alone. They are only going to subordinate their lien interest if you have something to offer them, which usually takes one of two forms.

Can I Sell My Home Subject to a Federal Tax Lien?

October 26, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Shortly after you fail to comply with an official demand for payment of your tax debt from the IRS, a secret lien attaches to all of your real property and personal property. However, the IRS can also file an official notice of federal tax lien on your home, and other property at the county recorder’s office, which puts the public on notice of the tax lien. This can seriously interfere with your ability to sell your home because any buyer would have to take the home subject to the lien.

However, the IRS will remove the lien—known as a lien discharge—in certain situations. By removing the lien, the IRS is giving up its right to this specific piece of property, which can be assigned a specific monetary value. The IRS will generally only give up this right if it receives something of equal value, or if there is sufficient equity in your other assets to convince the IRS that it will be able to get the money from your other assets.

For example, if you want to sell your home for $400,000, and you owe $300,000 on the first mortgage, the IRS has a lien interest of $100,000 on your home. If you want the IRS to give up this interest, you will have to either give $100,000 in value or show that you have other assets satisfactory to the IRS that will satisfy their claim.

What Happens After I Receive an IRS Notice?

October 24, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

The IRS sends taxpayers millions of notices per year. Whenever you receive correspondence from the IRS you should read it carefully and attempt to understand what the IRS is trying to tell you. This can be difficult because some notices are unclear to those who do are not familiar with tax laws or IRS procedures.

IRS notices can be informational, such as when you are notified that your tax return is going to be adjusted. However, you may still disagree with this notice, and you can attempt to take action to dispute the mistake by the IRS.

Other notices will warn you that the IRS is about to take a specific action. This could a Notice of Intent to Levy, which means that the IRS is about to seize some of your assets, including the funds in your bank account or a state tax refund. Another common notice is the Notice of Deficiency, which states that the IRS is planning to assess a tax liability against you, and gives you one last chance to dispute the amount in Tax Court before the IRS begins to collect it.

Which Option Should You Use to Settle Your Tax Debt?

September 8, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Choosing the wrong option to settle your tax debt can be a very costly error. If you apply for an installment agreement, when you could have eliminated some of your debt with an Offer in Compromise, it could end up costing you thousands, and you can’t expect the IRS to notify you of your alternative settlement options. They will simply accept your payments, while you are forced to take on debt or deal with other financial difficulties in order to pay off your tax debt.

There are several options available to settle your tax debt. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, many taxpayers will be able to use one or more of these methods to reach a tax debt settlement.

Installment Agreements

Actions to Take Before You Can Pursue an IRS Tax Settlement

September 5, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Before attempting to settle your IRS tax debt, there are a few things that every taxpayer should do. While some tax settlement cases can be fairly straightforward, there may be more advanced settlement options available for certain taxpayers, and missing out on these opportunities may prevent you from eliminating significant back taxes, penalties, or interest.

Follow these steps before attempting to settle you tax debt:

File Back Tax Returns

What to Do When You Can’t Pay Your Taxes

August 29, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

If you have an upcoming tax payment that you can’t pay, or have delinquent tax debt that is continuing to accrue, you may be tempted to delay filing your taxes. You may also want to avoid responding to any IRS notices you receive because you can’t pay off the tax debt listed on the notice. The desire to hide from your tax problems is understandable, but it is actually the worst thing you can do when you are unable to pay your tax liability.

Instead, you should file your taxes on time, respond to all IRS communications, and consider talking to a tax attorney about your options. Taking this proactive approach has several benefits, including the possibility of substantially reducing the amount of penalties and interest you owe and preventing any IRS collection actions.

Do Not Put Off Filing Your Taxes

Can the IRS Take My House or Car?

July 24, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

The IRS may seize your real estate, car, or other property to satisfy delinquent tax debt. The IRS will sell your interest in the property and apply the proceeds, after the costs of the sale, to your tax debt.

Before selling your property, the IRS will calculate a minimum bid price. You will be given the chance to challenge the fair market value determination of your property.

Then, the IRS will notify you and the public of the pending sale, and wait at least 10 days before proceeding with the sale of your house or other property. If there is money left over after the costs of the seizure and sale and your tax debt has been satisfied, you should receive a refund.

What To Do When You Receive an IRS Notice

June 27, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Receiving a notice from the IRS is not something most people look forward to. You may be confused as to what the notice is saying, and afraid of the possible consequences, such as owing substantial back taxes, interest, and penalties.

However, there are two important things to know about most IRS notices:

You may have the right to challenge or appeal the action the IRS is taking, and