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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Irs Debt Help 5 Options To Getting Rid Of Tax Debt

IRS Debt Help: 5 Options To Getting Rid Of Tax Debt

IRS Debt Help:

Do you owe the IRS? Are you struggling with IRS debts and cannot figure out what to do? Don't despair, you are not alone. Many Americans owe back taxes, or cannot afford to pay their IRS debts. If you want to get IRS debt help, it's important to understand the different IRS tax debt strategies.

There are five strategies for getting out of IRS tax debt.

1. Offer in Compromise: a program where you can settle your tax debts for less than what you owe. Requires making a lump sum or short term payment plan to pay off the IRS at a reduced dollar amount.

2. Installment agreement: a monthly payment plan for paying off the IRS.

3. Partial payment installment agreement: a somewhat new debt management program where you have a long term payment plan to pay off the IRS at a reduced dollar amount.

4. Not currently collectible: a program where the IRS voluntarily agrees not to collect on the tax debt for a year or so.

5. Filing bankruptcy: discharge your tax debts under the strict rules of a Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy petition.

Offer in Compromise

Many people who find themselves in debt to the IRS might focus on the first option above â€" the Offer in Compromise ("OIC"). For those who qualify it can be the optimal solution, however, it is important to note that not everyone qualifies for the Offer in Compromise solution. Only about 15% of applicants succeed in reducing their debts through the OIC program. For this reason and because of the complexity of filing an Offer in Compromise many people enlist the services of a Tax Professional who has a track record of success negotiating with the IRS. This Tax Professional will not only be able to determine if you are eligible to reduce your IRS debts via an OIC but they will also assist you in navigating the complicated IRS bureaucracy to achieve the desired outcome.

An Offer in Compromise is a lengthy and time-consuming process. It takes most individuals anywhere from 12 months to 24 months to achieve a successful resolution on your offer application. Through an Offer in Compromise, taxpayers agree to pay the IRS only the reasonable collection potential instead of the full amount of taxes owed. For some people the "reasonable collection potential" will be less than the full amount of taxes owed â€" sometimes as little as 10%.

Installment Agreement

Many taxpayers cannot qualify for an Offer in Compromise, Statute of Limitations expiration, or bankruptcy relief but still seek resolution for their IRS liability. In these cases, it may be possible to negotiate long term IRS payment arrangements. The IRS allows "structuring" five primary types of payment plans, or Installment Agreements: Guaranteed Installment Agreements, Streamlined Installment Agreements, In-Business Trust Fund Agreements, Long-Term Installment Agreements, and Installment Agreements on Specified Balance Due Accounts.

Currently Not Collectible

If a taxpayer does not qualify for an offer in compromise and cannot afford to pay an Installment Agreement, Currently not Collectible (CNC) status may be an option. If a client is placed in CNC status, the statute of limitations continues to run and the IRS will not pursue collection actions. However, if a taxpayer's financial status improves, the IRS can remove the file from CNC status and return to active collection status.

Reasons for attempting CNC status:

1. Taxpayer has income below allowable expenses and there is no indication that the financial situation will improve in the future;

2. Due to high equity, the taxpayer does not qualify for an OIC and has more allowable expenses than income so an Installment Agreement is not an option; and,

3. Taxpayer has more allowable expenses than income and the statute of limitations is getting close to expiring.

Statute of Limitation for IRS Tax Debt

The IRS has 10 years to collect outstanding tax liabilities. This is measured from the day a tax liability has been finalized. A tax liability can be finalized in a number of ways. It could be a balance due on a tax return, an assessment from an audit, or a proposed assessment that has become final. From that day, the IRS has ten years to collect the full amount, plus any penalties and interest. If the IRS doesn't collect the full amount in the 10-year period, then the remaining balance on the account disappears forever. The statute of limitations on collecting the tax has expired.

Selecting a Tax Professional to handle your IRS Tax Debts

Because of the complexity of the Offer in Compromise and other IRS tax debt processes, many taxpayers hire a tax professional to prepare their IRS documentation and to negotiate directly with the IRS. Tax professionals charge anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000 or more for accurate and thorough IRS representation. Because most of the IRS tax debt solutions involve negotiating with the IRS, your tax professional should be admitted to practice before the IRS. You should be looking for a Tax Attorney, an Enrolled Agent (EA), or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to handle your Offer in Compromise. The tax professional must know about the laws governing IRS collection of tax debts, how the IRS evaluates offers, and what all the options are for resolving tax debt problems. "Taxpayers should be looking for a tax professional with years of experience in IRS collection matters, especially experience in dealing with revenue officers, the Automated Collection Systems division, and the complex IRS process" according to Jim Brown, the managing tax attorney with Freedom Tax Relief.

Please be aware that even the most successful tax professionals have lost Offer in Compromise cases, so not every consumer looking for IRS debt help is guaranteed the most savings. It is important to know that your Offer in Compromise will be decided based on your unique financial situation. If you do need IRS debt help, having a tax professional represent you before the IRS will help ensure that all letters and phone calls from the IRS are handled quickly and professionally. But in the end, it is up to the IRS to make a decision about your case.

It is important to know that like death and taxes, your IRS tax debt issue will not simply vanish, so you should seek help before the IRS escalates collection efforts and/or you accrue additional penalties and interest.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

How Some Loans Can Damage Your Credit Rating

There are many good reasons to get a loan. Unexpected expenses come up. People might find they have to plan and fund a wedding, refurbish their home or send a child to university. They might have to buy a new car or second home or they might want to start a small business. These events take money and not everyone has it at their fingertips. That's why a loan can be a good idea.

The type of loan you get will depend on your circumstances. People who want less than £25,000 and who have a good credit rating can consider an unsecured loan. They can get one from banks and other lenders by filling in a form and waiting for their credit history to be assessed.

Payday Loans For Short-Term Borrowing

Payday or cash advance loans will suit people who have a poor credit rating and who want small amounts for a short time. They are a cash advance against earnings, and must be paid back (with a fee) when the next paycheque comes in. Payday loans can be obtained quickly and without a credit check as long as the borrower is a UK resident, over 18 and can show proof of earnings going into a bank account for about three months. This is a useful option for a short-term emergency but is not a good option for the longer term. Defaulting on a payday loan will lead to the lender calling a collections agency and this will damage the borrower's credit rating.

Secured Loans For The Longer Term

Another option available to people with a poor credit rating is a secured loan. This is a loan available to people who own a home. It is also known as a homeowner loan. It works like this. Lenders will lend against the equity in a home which is either mortgaged or owned outright. Because the house is used as security, interest rates tend to be low and repayment periods are long. In fact, loans may be repaid over periods of up to 30 years.

Lenders will often assess the value of a house before deciding how much they are willing to lend. Typically, this is about 85% of the equity in the house, once any existing debt has been taken into account. However, some lenders will lend as much as 125% of the value of the house. This may seem a good idea when looking for a loan, but it is worth being careful about terms and conditions.

The Negative Equity Trap

The trouble is that both property values and interest rates can rise and fall. If property values fall and interest rates rise, homeowners could find themselves with negative equity and larger repayments than they had planned. That means that they would owe more than the value of the equity in their home. And if the repayments are too high, they might struggle to meet them. That could damage their credit rating and lead to the loss of their home.

Borrowers need to look carefully at the terms and conditions before taking out a loan. If they are unable to meet repayments, the loan could turn toxic and could seriously damage their credit rating.