What is reasonable cause? The IRS imposes penalties for various infractions, including late filing, late payment, and accuracy-related penalties. Generally, taxpayers must demonstrate that their error or omission was due to reasonable cause for the IRS to grant a penalty abatement. Part 20 of the Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) provides a definition ...
Overview of the Voluntary Disclosure Program The IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program (“VDP”) provides taxpayers who have willfully failed to report income, assets, or other tax-related information an avenue to resolve their noncompliance with the IRS. In order to be eligible, taxpayers must have willfully violated the tax law and must make a disclosur...
How Unpaid Taxes Could Lead to Passport Revocation and Travel Restrictions The Woodlands, Texas - Last month, a few tax-related measures were slipped into H.R. 22, known as the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act." These provisions could add some significant teeth to the IRS' ability to collect past-due tax debts at a time when budget shor...
How Unpaid Taxes Could Impact Your Passport and Travel Plans Last month, a few tax-related measures were slipped into H.R. 22, known as the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act." These provisions could add some significant teeth to the IRS' ability to collect past-due tax debts at a time when budget shortfalls have limited the agency's abil...
Understanding IRS Debt and Community Property Laws in Texas Are you engaged to someone with significant IRS debt? Learn how community property laws in Texas might affect your earnings and property, and explore options to protect your financial interests. When Your Fiancé/Fiancée Owes Money to the IRS. Assume that A is engaged to marry B. They live ...
Choosing the Best IRS Payment Plan for Your Tax Debt Two of the most common payment options for delinquent tax debts are installment agreements and offers in compromise. Let’s discuss theses options below, along with the key considerations for choosing which route might be best in a taxpayer’s particular case. If you owe the IRS, and are considerin...
Understanding the IRS Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED) and Your Rights The Collection Statute Expiration Date, often referred to as the “CSED”, is the maximum time period the IRS will look back to collect unpaid taxes. Similar to a statute of limitation, where anything beyond that date is off-limits, the CSED is 10 years from the date the ...
How Innocent Spouse Relief Can Protect You from Tax Liability When filing a joint tax return, married taxpayers are often privy to certain tax benefits. Generally, married taxpayers take advantage of a higher standard deduction and a lower tax rate when filing their taxes together. However, as a result of a joint filing, both taxpayers are equally ...
The Risks of Fraudulent Employee Retention Credit Claims A wise man once said, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Whoever this so-called wise man was, he had never encountered the IRS. If he had, the corrected quote would be something like this: “Fool the IRS once, go straight to jail.” When it comes to trying to defraud the ...