Fixing Your Tax Problems to Repair Your Credit: What You Need To Know

August 16, 2013 by

“They say love makes the world go round, but that’s not true,” Sal M., who lives in Spencer, MA, said. “It’s money – or more correctly, credit! – that matters. If you don’t have good credit, you can’t do anything in this world. You can’t buy a house, you can’t start a business, you can’t go to school – I can’t even get a car that runs halfway decent because my credit’s all screwed up!”

Tax Liens Can Hurt Your Credit

Many people don’t realize that their tax problems can hurt their credit. When you owe money to the IRS or MA DOR (or both!), and you don’t pay your tax debt, you can wind up with tax liens. Tax liens are public record, which means anyone can find out about them. All of the credit rating agencies use tax lien information against you when determining your credit score.

A good credit score is, as Sal discovered, essential to the way we live our lives today. Even the US Government seems to have figured that out. That’s why there are special incentive programs in place to encourage delinquent taxpayers to resolve their tax issues and repair their credit.

Don’t Try To Fix Your Tax Problems On Your Own!

Working with a skilled, experienced firm that specializes in solving tax problems gives you the widest range of options when it comes to having your tax liens released or withdrawn. The IRS and MA DOR are not in the business of advising tax payers how to best solve their tax problems and restore their credit – they’re focused on collecting the maximum amount they can from you.

You May Qualify for a Fresh Start to Fix Your Credit

The Fresh Start Initiative allows delinquent tax payers who meet specific qualifications to take steps to repair their credit. If you owe the IRS less than $25,000 and can comply with a direct debit payment plan, after you’ve made 3 payments, you can request a lien withdrawal from the IRS.

This is only one of the ways you may qualify for the Fresh Start Initiative. Your experienced tax problem solver will fill you in on other available options to obtain a lien withdrawal. All tax lien withdrawals have a very positive impact on your credit rating. Be aware that you’re required to remain in full compliance with the tax laws going forward, and it’s an opportunity that’s only available once.

Is the Fresh Start Initiative right for you? The best way to get an answer to that question is to consult with an experienced tax professional. Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation today to discover how you can fix your credit and get your life back on track!

 

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How to Avoid The Filing of An IRS Federal Tax Lien

July 19, 2011 by

By Matthew J. Previte CPA MST
www.taxproblemsrus.com
July 20, 2011

Federal tax liens filed by the IRS for unpaid back taxes can cause serious damage to many areas of your life. IRS tax liens can not only ruin your credit rating but also cause problems with employers. Companies often pass up on hiring an otherwise qualified candidate because of IRS tax liens on the candidate’s credit report. Employers in some industries, (banking, finance, legal, accounting, law enforcement, or government agencies requiring security clearances) often have to terminate employees due to IRS tax problems when they discover an IRS tax lien has been filed against their employee.

For well known public figures (politicians, celebrities, etc.), IRS federal tax liens can do great damage to your reputation once the local press gets a hold of the news that the IRS has filed a federal tax lien on you for unpaid back taxes. Often they will publish news of your IRS tax problems for the world to see causing not only embarrassment and humiliation but damage to personal and business relationships.

So what can you do to avoid the IRS filing a federal tax lien?

Once a federal tax is assessed, the IRS collection cycle begins. Besides the usual IRS collection letters threatening to levy and seize your assets, the IRS will eventually issue a federal tax lien and file it in the public record as notice to the public that you owe back taxes to the IRS. The trick to avoiding the filing of a federal tax lien is to be proactive before the federal tax lien is filed by the IRS.

In lieu of a federal tax lien, the IRS can in many cases accept a Collateral Agreement which protects the government’s interest so they do not have to file a federal tax lien. The three most common assets used as collateral are: (1) letters of credit from a lender, (2) securities, or (3) surety bonds. There are other assets that can be used but these three are the most common and can go a long way towards getting a Collateral Agreement accepted quickly to avoid the filing of a federal tax lien.

So, avoiding the filing of an IRS tax lien is possible. It just takes knowledge of the Collateral Agreement process and approaching the IRS early in the collection cycle before they issue a federal tax lien. An experienced tax CPA or tax attorney is best suited to help you with this process as they know how to properly draft a Collateral Agreement, negotiate with the IRS, and get the Collateral Agreement accepted.

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Time Heals Taxpayer’s Wounds

January 4, 2010 by

Stephen was suffering tremendous anxiety. His business had filed bankruptcy many years ago and both the IRS and MA DOR had assessed some unpaid business payroll taxes against him personally. He was stressed out and wanted the problem to just go away. Stephen also desperately wanted to buy a house and knew any tax problem would affect his ability to get a mortgage. Our firm investigated Stephen’s case and discovered that the statute of limitations on collection had already expired. This meant the IRS and MA DOR no longer had any legal ability to collect these old payroll taxes. Legally, he did not owe them. We informed Stephen he did not owe any taxes, worked to obtain release of the liens, and gave him the information he needed to clean up any problem with his credit report. He was greatly relieved and ecstatic his problem was finally over. Stephen was finally now able to obtain a mortgage and purchase that long awaited home.

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