IRS Has Problems With Tax Liens

When the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) files a tax lien it is required by Internal Revenue Code § 6320 to notify taxpayers within 5 business days of the filing of the tax lien. In addition, under Internal Revenue Code § 6320(b) it must provide for a hearing before the Internal Revenue Service’s Appeals Division. According to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the IRS may not have complied with Internal Revenue Code § 6320in all cases. For example, the IRS is required to send the tax lien notice to the last known address of the taxpayer; yet in some cases it failed to do so. The TIGTA report noted that the failure to do so was a legal violation by the IRS.

The TIGTA report also noted that the IRS failed to follow its own internal guidelines for sending copies of the tax lien notices to the taxpayer’s representatives in 40% per cent of the cases it sampled. Tax attorneys must be alert to the possiblity, that the IRS is not sending copies of all tax lien notices and other required documents to them. Taxpayers need to send copies of all important notices to their tax lawyers even if they think the IRS should be sending the notices directly to their representatives.

If the IRS has filed a tax lien against you contact Los Angeles, California tax attorney Dennis Brager.