The IRS treats taxpayers who owe more than $100,000 very differently than it does those who owe less than $100,000. If you owe more, the IRS expects immediate payment. It Read more »
Tax Collection Issues
Beware of Slick Promises to Get IRS Penalties Waived
A client ran a landscape maintenance company in LA for 30 years. His crew showed up at clients’ houses to mow, blow, and go. My client called his crew “contractors,” Read more »
The Idiocy of Privatizing IRS Tax Debt Collection
The private collectors are not as well trained as IRS employees, and generally violate taxpayer rights much more often than the federal employees.
Could I Go to Jail For Lying On My Taxes?
My client’s shaking, horrified. She lied on her tax return and worries the IRS will find out when they open the audit. She thinks she’ll end up in handcuffs if she Read more »
IRS Tax Debt Ten-Year Clock
Most people don’t know that the IRS stops trying to collect on tax debt after 10 years. This 10-year statute of limitations can be valuable to people who owe back Read more »
Ministers, “Love Gifts” & Income Taxation
Churches and ministers receive many tax breaks: churches do not need to withhold social security taxes from their ministers’ pay; churches receive income tax-free; and ministers do not pay tax Read more »
Americans with Foreign Bank Accounts and the IRS
If you own a foreign bank account, you need to report it to the IRS, or else, as the case of poor Mr. Gubser below illustrates. Failure to do so Read more »
The IRS Appeals Officer & Process
When a taxpayer disagrees with the IRS auditor’s determination, the IRS assigns the matter to an appeals officer. This is a second, new IRS employee that the taxpayer can negotiate Read more »
The IRS *Never* Calls First
One of my clients has several years of unfiled tax returns. Like many people with several years of unfiled tax returns, he’s been putting off working with me. So I Read more »
Tales From the Tax Troll Trenches: Tax Refund Majorly “Stuck”
When the IRS and the California state tax agencies do particularly bone-headed things, it’s time for another tale from the tax troll trenches. Here’s one that reminded me of why the Read more »