Back taxes
Help with back taxes you can't pay
Owing the IRS more than you can pay at once is common, and the law gives you several ways through it. We find out what you owe for each year, what the IRS can collect, and which option fits the money you actually have.
This page is for you if
You owe a balance you can't pay in full
A levy took money, or a final notice says one is coming
You haven't filed for a year or more
You're billed for a tax a spouse or former spouse caused
The ways through it the law gives you
These are the options we look at for every client. Which ones you qualify for depends on your income, your assets and what you've filed.
Paying over time
Monthly payments over time. Many plans can be set up online; we handle the ones that need a financial statement.
Collection put on hold
If paying would leave you unable to cover basic living costs, the IRS can mark the account not collectible for now.
Penalties taken off
A first-time penalty waiver, or relief for a serious illness, a disaster or another reasonable cause.
Settling for less
Paying less than the full balance, when your finances show the full amount can't be collected.
Relief from a spouse's tax
For tax on a joint return that a spouse or former spouse caused, when you didn't know and couldn't have known.
Releasing a levy or lien
Getting money released from a levy, or a lien taken off property so it can be sold or refinanced.
How a back-tax case goes
Each case is different, but most follow this order.
- 01
Step 1: We pull your IRS records
With a power of attorney we see every year's balance, notice and deadline.
- 02
Step 2: We file what's missing
The IRS won't agree to a plan until every return is filed. We help get them in.
- 03
Step 3: We choose the option
We compare what each would cost you over time and say which one we'd pick.
- 04
Step 4: We ask for it and keep it in place
We make the request, answer the IRS's questions, and tell you what keeps the agreement open.
Questions about back taxes
Can you settle my debt for less than I owe?
Sometimes, through an offer in compromise, but only when the numbers show you can't pay the full amount. We'll tell you on the call whether yours might, and we won't charge to file one that would be turned down.
Will the IRS take my house?
It's rare for a home to be seized, and it takes steps you'd see coming. A lien on your property is more common; we can talk through what it means for you.
Can you stop a levy?
Often, by setting up a plan or showing the levy causes hardship. The sooner you call after a final notice, the more options there are.
Behind on what you owe?
Tell us roughly what you owe and for which years. We'll come to the free call with your options.