When the financial burden to pay taxes that are owed to the IRS is truly greater than a person’s ability to pay, then that person may be a candidate for some tax relief. That person should seek any relief for which they may be entitled to seek under the IRS regulations. They should also seek the help of a professional who is experienced in dealing with the IRS.
There are multiple types of tax relief that someone can get from the IRS when they can’t pay the debt that they owe to the IRS. Some of these options are things that people may have heard about before but didn’t know how to get them. Some of the options that people might be entitled to get are things like an offer in compromise, a partial payment installment arrangement, an abatement of the penalties, a payment plan or getting classified as someone who is currently not able to pay the IRS.
One public misconception that people have about tax relief is that someone can just get out of paying their federal obligations simply because they don’t want to pay the IRS. Most people don’t understand the details about the options available, because not wanting to pay the IRS is not a valid reason for eliminating or reducing an IRS debt.
If someone can pay their IRS debt then the IRS expects that they will pay the debt. The IRS does pursue people who owe them money, regardless of the reason why it hasn’t been paid. The IRS will most likely try and seize assets from someone who hasn’t paid them. The most common asset seizure method that the IRS uses generally comes in the form of levies and garnishments. The IRS routinely levies money from people’s bank accounts and they garnish money from people’s paychecks. However; if someone needs some tax relief in paying the IRS then the help that they can get is based on that person’s ability to pay the IRS.
Because help is based on someone’s ability to pay the IRS, then they should really seek the assistance of a professional to better determine their true ability to pay the IRS. There are so many factors to consider when determining a person’s ability to pay, so it is very important to hire a professional who knows and understands those factors. If the decision about someone’s ability to pay the IRS is left solely up to the IRS, without seeking the assistance of a professional, then the IRS will make a decision about a person’s ability to pay based on factors that benefit the IRS and not the person. A simple concept to understand about getting some tax relief and why it’s important to hire a professional who is skilled in dealing with the IRS is easily identified in this example: Would someone really want a police officer who just gave them a traffic ticket to be the person who also determines how much of a fine they can pay? Of course not, so the same holds true about the IRS.