Tax Debt Negotiations
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Filed under: Tax Debt
The IRS; a daunting creditor. If you owe money to the IRS you are in both a stressful and unique position for debt negotiation. While the IRS is notorious for implanting quick and steep consequences for unpaid taxes, you do have some control in the matter.
Best Foot Forward
Negotiating with the IRS over your back taxes takes two things: effort and honesty. Your tax debts are your responsibility to repay, but the IRS does understand that financial hardships happen. Here is what you need to know:
- Contact the IRS at the first sign of financial trouble.
- Discuss your financial hardship with a supervisor in the IRS debt collection division.
- Offer to provide proof of your financial hardship and request help with your debt payments.
- Know how much you can afford to pay and whether spreading out your payments over a period of time could help.
- Offer to set up an automatic draft of your payments once negotiated to prevent being late or missing a payment.