It’s safe to say that many people consider the Internal Revenue Service to be one of the scarier government organizations. The IRS can impose heavy fines on those who don’t pay or misfile taxes, even if it was unintentional. Since it can be a difficult process, we recommend always hiring a professional to file taxes for you. However, if you opt to try filing yourself and soon afterwards find yourself in hot water with the IRS, we want you to know that there are options to help yourself out of a jam.
The IRS simply wants you to fulfill your obligation to pay your fair share of taxes to support the public services we all enjoy. If you follow the law and pay the whole amount you owe in taxes in a timely manner, you shouldn’t have any problems with the IRS. Unfortunately, some people have trouble doing that for one reason or another. In order to help those folks out, the IRS introduced the Fresh Start Program several years ago.
What is the Fresh Start Program?
The Fresh Start Program makes it easier for delinquent taxpayers, or those who misfiled, to avoid having heavy tax liens imposed on them.
What’s included in the Fresh Start Program?
The Fresh Start Program can help with IRS relief in Des Moines, IA in several different ways:
- Penalty relief: In 2012, the IRS added a penalty relief clause to the Fresh Start bill that forgives unemployed people who have failed to pay their tax penalties. There is now a six-month grace period for certain people who failed to pay their taxes in the past.
- Installment agreements: To assist people who owe up to $50,000 in back taxes, the IRS created new, streamlined installment plans. Prior to 2012, the installment plans were hard to obtain. Now, folks just have to fill out one or two forms to get set up for a reasonable payment plan.
- Offers in compromise: The IRS knows that a lot of Americans struggle each year to pay their taxes. In order to help those people, the government created a process for people to settle their tax liabilities for less than the original amount they owed. To receive this benefit, taxpayers must prove that they’ll be able to pay the lower amount owed as a lump sum or via an installment plan.
- Tax liens: While a tax lien is still a possible punishment for a delinquent taxpayer, the IRS’ Fresh Start Program raised the amount owed before a tax lien will be filed on someone’s personal property. In most cases, taxpayers must now owe $10,000 before the IRS will file a tax lien. In addition, taxpayers can request to have the lien removed if there is proof that they are paying their liabilities through a direct deposit installment plan.
If you’ve received a letter from the IRS saying you owe them a large amount of money, give Accounting & Tax Professionals, PLC a call to find out how we can help you with IRS relief in Des Moines, IA.