Installment Agreements Archives

Do You Owe Back Taxes? Why You Should Stop Panicking & Start Planning

May 19, 2022

If you owe back taxes to the IRS, some amount of panic is understandable. After all, the Internal Revenue Service has the power of the federal government in its corner, something no other debt collector can claim. They are considered the most brutal collection agency on the planet.

It is easy to freeze up and just do nothing when you owe back taxes to the IRS, but hiding from, or doing nothing about your tax debt will not make it go away. In fact, ignoring the taxes you owe will only make the situation worse, since interest and penalties can really add up. You also risk having your paycheck garnished (the IRS does not need a court order to do this) or your bank account levied. The IRS can also file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien making it all but impossible to obtain financing for a car or home.

So instead of panicking about your tax debt and hoping the problem will go away, you need to take some proactive steps. Now is not the time to panic and hide – now is the time to start taking action.

Some of these steps you can do on your own if you’d like, while others will likely require the intervention of an experienced tax resolution expert. Here are some proactive steps you can take to get a handle on your tax debt. If you need help resolving your IRS tax problem, contact us here Get help from Ron Friedman, CPA. We help people with IRS problems every day.

Confirm the Amount Owed

When you owe back taxes, one of the first things you should do is make sure you really owe the money. The IRS has been known to make mistakes, a lot of mistakes, and the agency is far from foolproof. Contact the IRS or have us do an IRS transcript analysis to determine the amount the IRS claims you owe.

Seek Out Deductions You May Have Missed

At the very least, you may not owe as much as you think you do, and every dollar you can remove from the bill is one more dollar in your favor. Now is the time to scour your past and current tax returns, looking for deductions and tax credits you might have missed.

Unless you are a seasoned tax expert, you will probably need some professional assistance to make this happen. If you are already working with a CPA or tax expert, you can ask them to look at your past tax returns but only a tax resolution expert, who helps people like you for a living, can protect your income and assets as you go through the process.

If you missed a few deductions and tax credits along the way, your tax professional can file amended returns on your behalf, lowering the amount of tax debt you owe – and possibly eliminating it altogether. However, you usually can’t go back more than 3 years to amend returns.

Look for Special Programs You May Qualify For

The bad news is the IRS wants its money and has the power to collect it.

The good news is the tax agency also offers several programs tax filers can use to make the repayment process easier. In some cases, the IRS may even be willing to settle for less, possibly much less, than the total amount of back taxes you owe.

These programs are not available to everyone, and if you have the resources needed to pay your back taxes, the IRS is unlikely to give you much of a break. But if your resources are limited, the tax agency may decide that a small amount of tax repayment is better than none at all.

The first step in the process is finding the programs for which you might qualify, and that will probably require the help of an experienced tax resolution expert. Most CPAs do not have this experience. Negotiating with the IRS is not an easy thing to do, and you may need help to drive the best bargain and reduce your back taxes. In the end, it may be well worth paying a tax relief expert to negotiate on your behalf, especially if you end up with a much lower tax bill.

It is easy to panic when you owe back taxes, but you should not let fear get in your way. The longer you ignore the problem, the worse it is likely to get, and the sooner you act, the better off you, and your finances, will be. There is a solution to every IRS problem. Let us see what IRS tax debt settlement programs you qualify for today. Get help from Ron Friedman, CPA.

Tax Relief Options for Small Business Owners

February 14, 2022

If you are running a small business, you have an unwanted partner who will dig into your pocket every year, it’s the IRS. The IRS wants to know what you are doing, how much you are earning and most importantly how much you are paying in taxes. The tax agency is becoming increasingly aggressive in this regard. While the audit rate for individual returns has been hovering at far less than 1%, the audit rate for small businesses can be as much as 10 times higher.

It does not matter if you operate as a sole proprietor and use Schedule C to claim your income or if you are set up as a corporation (C or S), partnership or LLC/LLP – the IRS is watching what you do, and if they think you are not paying your fair share they will certainly come calling. When that demand letter from the IRS arrives, knowing what to do next can make all the difference, and the more you educate yourself the easier it will be to deal with, and eliminate, the tax debt.

Note: As a tax resolution firm, we always recommend that you reach out to a professional who knows how to aggressively negotiate and defend you against the IRS on your behalf. If you owe back taxes or are under audit, our firm can help negotiate with the IRS and potentially settle your tax debt. Call us today. Our tax resolution specialists can navigate the IRS maze so that you have nothing to worry about. Get help from Ron Friedman, CPA.

Small business owners are increasingly the target of enforcement efforts by the IRS, but the IRS does have some programs in place to make paying what those business owners owe easier. In some cases, those small business tax relief and tax resolution programs let you settle for less than what you owe but qualifying is not as straightforward as you might think.

For businesses that may be eligible, the assistance of a tax resolution specialist is absolutely critical. These experts can help guide you through the process and make sure you qualify, so you can rest a little easier and get back to building your business.

Payment Plans/Installment Agreements

If the amount your small business owes to the IRS is relatively small and you do not want to deal with additional hassles, it may make sense to pay the entire bill in full. If paying in full would be a hardship, the IRS does offer payment plans, and setting one up can make paying back what you owe easier and more financially palatable.

Keep in mind that interest will continue to accrue while the debt remains outstanding, and that is something to think about.

Offer In Compromise

If you’re under a lot of financial hardship, it may make more sense to try for

an offer in compromise (OIC), a special IRS program that could allow you to pay back less than you owe.

The offer in compromise program is a popular one with individual taxpayers and small business owners. If paying the entire amount would create a financial hardship for you, your family or your business, a tax resolution specialist can help you make the case to the IRS that you deserve a break.

What’s the best option?

Each of these options has its pros and cons, and it is important to understand how these programs work and who qualifies to use them. If your small business is in trouble with the IRS, taking the right action right away could reduce the amount you owe, give you some breathing room and allow you to focus on your clients – not on your taxes.

Running a small business has its challenges, but those difficulties are nothing compared to the stress and anxiety small business owners feel when dealing with the IRS. With so many small business owners now in IRS crosshairs, it has never been more important for freelancers, gig workers and the self-employed to have an advocate in their corner.

If you find yourself on the wrong end of an audit, a tax bill or an enforcement action from the IRS, the steps you take next are absolutely critical. Trying to take on the IRS on your own is a dangerous, and potentially expensive, thing to do, and you should always contact a tax resolution firm.

By working with an expert, you can gain access to vital information about small business settlement programs the IRS offers. You can gain access to the expertise you will need to settle your tax bill for less than you owe and get back in the good graces of the IRS. Time is of the essence when the IRS comes calling, and with the interest and penalty clock ticking you do not have one second to waste. So call us, your tax resolution expert, for a case evaluation. Get help from Ron Friedman, CPA

Common Tax Relief Programs the IRS Offers

January 11, 2022

The old saying that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes has never been truer, or more frightening. In the current environment, fear of the IRS is creeping in, and nothing will get your heart racing quite as fast as opening the mailbox and finding a letter from the tax agency.

When the IRS comes calling, you might think that there is nothing you can do. You may worry that you will have to liquidate your assets, sell your car or even put your home on the market to afford what the IRS says you owe.

The good news is that you may not have to pay that total amount, and before you write that big check you should check out the alternatives first.

The IRS actually understands taxpayers fall behind on their taxes, and they have programs in place that can reduce the amount you owe or at least make paying the tab a little easier.

Note: As a tax resolution firm, we always recommend that you reach out to a professional who knows how to aggressively negotiate with the IRS on your behalf. If you owe back taxes, our firm can help negotiate with the IRS and potentially settle your tax debt. Call us today. Our tax resolution specialists can navigate the IRS maze so that you have nothing to worry about. Get help from Ron Friedman, CPA.

With that said, here are some of the most common tax relief programs the IRS has to offer – and how you can access them.

Payment Plans

Otherwise known as installment agreements, one of the most common ways taxpayers approach the repayment of their back taxes is by setting up a payment plan. This type of program is a popular one, and for good reason – it can greatly reduce the stress you feel as you deal with an unexpected tax bill.

There are pros and cons to this approach, and it is important to explore your other options very carefully. With a payment plan you will need to pay the entire amount you owe, but you can stretch the repayment out over months or even years. Keep in mind, however, that the IRS will continue to charge interest on the remaining balance, so this option will require you to pay more than the amount you owe.

Offer in Compromise

Another program the IRS offers is known as the offer in compromise, or OIC. This option allows eligible taxpayers to settle their tax debts for less than the IRS says they owe, and that means you could save money if you qualify for this program.

The offer in compromise is not right for everyone, and it is important to work with a tax relief expert or tax resolution specialist if you are exploring this kind of compromise. If you have significant assets, the IRS may not be willing to settle, but if you are strapped for cash the offer in compromise arrangement could be the way out of the trouble you find yourself in.

IRS Hardship Program – Currently Non-Collectable

The IRS hardship program is another option for taxpayers who are financially unable to pay what they owe to the tax agency. If you are truly strapped for cash and worrying about your tax debt, you should definitely check out the hardship program, but you should not try to work with the IRS on your own.

The hardship program has some very specific requirements, and if you make a mistake when applying you could find yourself locked out of the process. By working with a tax resolution specialist, you can increase your odds of success and possibly save yourself a lot of money in the process.

What is the best option?

As you can see, the IRS does offer a number of programs that can reduce the amount you owe – or even forgive your tax debt altogether. If you are eligible for one of these tax relief programs, you could find yourself breathing a lot easier, but the IRS is not likely to give you the information if they do not have to.

As a taxing authority and agency, the IRS has an interest in keeping these relief and resolution programs under wrap. Their goal, after all, is to collect as much money as possible and telling taxpayers that they can pay less is simply not in their interest.

For all of those reasons and more, it is important to work with a tax resolution professional whenever you are dealing with an IRS problem. Whether the debt is the result of years of unfiled taxes, a discrepancy in the amount reported and what the IRS says you owe or anything else, specific expertise can make a huge difference – and save you a lot of money in the process.

Knowing about the tax relief and favorable resolution options the IRS offers is the first start, and that education can be a huge point in your favor. Now that you know what types of programs are available, it is time to take the next step, so pick up the phone and call us, your tax resolution specialist, today. Get help from Ron Friedman, CPA.