Monday, January 11, 2016

What are Your Options when You can’t Pay Your Taxes?

There are times when you may be unable to pay your taxes to the IRS, which could be due to several reasons. For the most part, it isn’t a good thing to be on the wrong side of IRS, but tax attorneys say that there is always a solution if you are genuinely unable to pay your taxes on time. Here are a few pointers:

File on Time

If you don’t have enough money to pay, you must still file your tax return or else you will have to pay the penalty for not filing. If you fail to file your tax return, the IRS personnel will do it for you, but that will not include the deductions and exemptions you may be entitled to. In addition, they are sure to send you a huge bill including the tax due, interest, and sundry penalties and this is certainly when you need a tax lawyer.


This type of legal help will be able to negotiate better terms for you. This does not mean you should be on a boat website looking for a new boat since you are going to have to pay something for sure just perhaps not as much as you thought. You are in debt and you are not the White House or Congress, you will have to pay back this money. You cannot just print out money like The Fed does since that is fairy tale land which is the world they live in.  

Evidently, it saves you money to pay taxes in full and on time. If you fail to file or are late in filing, interest and penalties (sort of like The Sopranos and the mafia, you have to pay the principle but probably not as bad as owing organized crime any money – there is no legal help there) can add up and your tax bill can be 25% or even much more. So if you can’t pay the entire bill, pay the maximum amount that you can spare in order to reduce the interest and penalties as much as possible. Here are some options open to you, if you are unable to pay your tax bill right away:

                    Request more time to pay
                    Agree to pay in installments
                    Loans or savings
                    Offer for compromise

When you ignore your tax bill, the IRS will simply file a “Notice of Federal Tax Lien,” which will in effect ruin your credit rating. They will dip into your wages and bank accounts or even take away your assets in order to compensate for your tax debt. A tax attorney can assist you if you have any questions. Some of the best in the business can be right here on this digital tool: http://tax-lawyers.usattorneys.com/. If you need a legal representative for this horrendous tax situation you are in, use that site to help get you on the right track.

Extension of Time

You can apply for an extension to pay your tax debt and the IRS may grant an extension of anywhere from 30 - 120 days, depending on your situation. The interest and penalties incurred by means of an extension is usually less than if you choose the installment plan.

The Installment Plan

You can request the IRS to offer an installment plan and let you to remit your taxes in the form of monthly payments. If your tax is $25,000 or less, you need to fill the OPA or Online Payment Agreement from the IRS Web site. If you owe more than $25,000, you need to complete a CIS or Collection Information Statement for the IRS to determine the sum you should pay, depending on your expenses per month.

Savings/Loans

Another option is to borrow cash or use your savings if you have any, to pay off your debt. Some tax lawyers recommend that it is wiser to get a home equity or bank loan, or a credit card bearing low-interest, than to ask the IRS for a payment agreement.

Offer in Compromise

An “Offer in Compromise” is essentially an agreement with the IRS to pay your tax debt for an amount that is less than what you owe. This is dependent on…

                    Paying the tax owed within the period the IRS must collect your tax debt
                    A legitimate doubt about the tax assessed being correct
                    When the collection of your tax debt will bring about severe economic hardship for you

If you don’t know what to do under these circumstances, contact a tax lawyer who is experienced in dealing effectively with the IRS.

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