Common questions
Frequently asked tax questions
Straight answers to what people ask before they call. General information, not legal advice about your particular account — the answer that matters depends on your notice and your transcripts.
What should I do first when an IRS notice arrives?
Read the notice number in the top right corner and the date, because both control what you can still do. Most notices carry a deadline measured from the date printed on them, not from the day you opened the envelope. Nothing needs to be decided that day, but the deadline should be written down before the letter is put aside.
See how IRS collections work →
Can the IRS take money from my bank account?
Yes. After a final notice of intent to levy and the lapse of the appeal period, the IRS can reach a bank account, and the bank holds the funds for 21 days before sending them. That 21-day hold is the window in which a levy can often still be released.
Liens, levies and garnishment →
How do I stop a wage garnishment?
A continuous wage levy usually ends when the underlying liability is resolved or an alternative is put in place: an installment agreement, currently not collectible status, or a successful appeal. Which one is available depends on the account and on the stage the case has reached.
Collection options in detail →
What happens if I have not filed returns for several years?
The IRS may prepare a substitute for return on your behalf, using reported income and no deductions, which usually produces a larger balance than a filed return would. Filing the real returns can reduce that assessment, and doing so is normally the first step toward any resolution.
Getting unfiled years current →
Will I go to jail for unfiled tax returns?
Criminal prosecution for failing to file is uncommon and is generally reserved for cases involving concealment, false statements or substantial deliberate evasion. Most unfiled-return cases are handled civilly. Where there is genuine criminal exposure, it is better identified early than discovered during an examination.
Civil fraud and criminal exposure →
What is an offer in compromise, and do I qualify?
An offer in compromise settles a tax debt for less than the full amount when the IRS concludes it cannot collect more. Eligibility turns on reasonable collection potential, which is calculated from assets, income and allowable expenses. Many people who are told they qualify do not, and the calculation is worth running before any fee is paid.
Can IRS penalties be removed?
Often, yes. First-time abatement is available on a clean compliance history, and reasonable cause relief applies where circumstances outside your control prevented compliance. The IRS does not raise either one on your behalf; both have to be requested and supported.
What is the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty?
When a business does not remit withheld payroll taxes, the IRS can assess the trust fund portion personally against people it considers responsible and willful. Both terms are defined more broadly than most owners expect, and the assessment survives the business closing.
Trust fund liability explained →
How long does the IRS have to collect a tax debt?
Generally ten years from the date the tax was assessed. Certain events suspend that clock, including a pending offer in compromise, a bankruptcy, a Collection Due Process request or time spent outside the country. Knowing the actual expiration date changes which strategies make sense.
Collection statute and strategy →
What does representation actually change?
Once a power of attorney is filed, the IRS deals with the representative. Letters and phone calls go to this office instead of to your home, deadlines are tracked, and the account transcripts that show what the IRS believes about your case become available.
How much does this cost?
Most matters are handled on a flat fee that is quoted before any work begins, so the total is known in advance rather than accumulating by the hour. The initial case review is free and carries no obligation.
Do you handle California state tax as well as the IRS?
Yes. Franchise Tax Board, CDTFA and EDD matters are handled alongside the federal case rather than separately, because a state collection action taken in isolation can undo a federal resolution.
Next step
A notice from the IRS is not something you should answer alone.
Send a short summary of the problem, or call and describe it. Either way you will know the total cost and the payment terms before any work begins.
Confidential. No obligation. Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship.