An Offer-in-Compromise is a contract between the IRS and a taxpayer to settle a tax debt for less than what is owed. I get lots of calls from folks excited at the prospect of being able to negotiate down what they owe IRS. And then I burst their bubble with the bad news: it is very hard to get an Offer in Compromise (OIC) from the IRS. Read more »
Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards including for Best Picture. The movie begins with the havoc unleashed by IRS Agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress), when she audits the laundromat of Evelyn & Waymond Wang (Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress and Ke Huy Kwan won Best Supporting Actor. But are the audit scenes realistic? Short answer: yes, but mostly no. Here’s how the movie differs from a real-life IRS audit. Read more »
You received an audit notice from the IRS. Or maybe you’ve already been audited and hate the result. Or you ignored audit notices, and now the IRS has put a lien on your house and levied your accounts. Here’s the top five reasons to hire a tax attorney, rather than handle a tax problem on your own. Read more>>
You owe taxes. But you can’t pay. You’re barely making ends meet with basic living expenses. Especially in high cost-of-living places like Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Ventura. You don’t want to file for bankruptcy, or you don’t qualify (some taxes can be discharged in bankruptcy). If you have few assets and modest income, then ask the IRS for Uncollectible Status. Read more>>
As I sit in my Westlake Village tax law office , I’m contemplating the remarkable story that broke this week about the IRS failing to audit former President Trump during the first two years of his Presidency, despite Read more »
Did former President Trump unleash the IRS on political foes Jim Comey and Andrew McCabe? The question is back in the news. Trump’s former Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, says Trump demanded the FBI Commissioners be punished with audits. Read more>>
Most people don’t know that the IRS is broken into two, almost separate halves: the Assessment Division and the Collections Division. So what? Who cares about the IRS’s Org Chart? You should care. Because that division has a lot of implications for taxpayers. Read more>>
You just received a notice from the IRS that you’re being audited. I’m sorry: it’s a stressful experience. But, now that you’re in it, here are the most important things to keep in mind. Read more>>
There’s no shortage of bureaucratic bungling and ineptitude by the IRS. My problem isn’t coming up with stupidities from the IRS, it’s choosing which one to feature because the Tax Trolls are so busy coming up with hijinks and shenanigans. Read more>>
California increased the home equity people going through bankruptcy could keep in 2020: from $175,000 to $600,000, specifically so debtors wouldn’t lose their house in bankruptcy. It mostly works. Except with houses that have IRS tax liens on them.Read more>>
