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 »
California’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB) publishes a Most Wanted List of delinquent California taxpayers on its website, for both individuals and corporations. The FTB’s Most Wanted List includes the taxpayer’s name, address and amount owed. In order to qualify for placement, a taxpayer must owe the FTB at least $100,000. 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 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>>
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>>
The IRS’s enforcement priorities often appear – well – insane. Consider the cases of two current clients: one client owes the IRS $900,000, and the IRS thinks the other client owes $6,000 from a IRA distribution he took the year of the Woolsey Fire. We’re disputing the $6,000: Congress relaxed the rules for people in the disaster zone. Who’s the IRS going after? My client who had to evacuate from his house with the $9,000 tax bill. Huh? Seriously? Read more>>
For anyone who owes back taxes to the IRS, obtaining Uncollectible Status is like reaching a Promised Land for Tax Debtors. It means the IRS has decided to temporarily halt any collection actions against the “uncollectible” tax payer because it’s just not worth it. Read more>>
A newly divorced woman comes to me in shock: in the divorce settlement, her husband accepted all responsibility for the $400,000 in taxes they owed, but the IRS is now threatening to levy on her meager bank accounts. What’s up? Read more>>
Readers of my blog know I frequently berate Congress for having cut the IRS’ budget while dramatically increasing its workload in the past decade. But here’s the politically conservative Wall Street Journal, letting us know how the IRS’s woes are encouraging tax evasion. Read more »
The IRS’s 2021 responsiveness has been rightfully panned. Due to budget constraints, Covid work restrictions for IRS employees, and a huge work increase from administering much of the Economic Recovery Read more »
