If you are a struggling taxpayer and have been finding it hard to pay your back taxes, then the IRS Fresh Start Program can help you get back in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The program offers several tax back tax assistance alternatives to individuals and small businesses, making it easier to repay or reduce your backlog of taxes.
A large number of taxpayers fail to pay taxes to the IRS every year, making them susceptible to various penalties and liens. In 2008, the IRS came up with the Fresh Start Program to offer some concessions to taxpayers passing through a financial crisis. This is more of an initiative rather than a program that undergoes frequent modifications.
The IRS Fresh Start Program underwent major changes in 2012 when the IRS decided to loosen some of the stringent provisions of taxation so that a greater number of distressed taxpayers could benefit from the program.
For example, if you’ve been unemployed for more than 30 days, you can request a waiver of penalties for defaulting on your tax payment. If you qualify for the IRS Fresh Start Program, you can apply for a six-month extension of a tax payment deadline without any penalties.
The main focus of the IRS Fresh Start Tax Program is to reduce the burden of back taxes for citizens and small businesses during temporary financial difficulties. It offers various measures to help you settle your back taxes quickly and easily.
The principal types of tax assistance offered under the program include the following:
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If you fail to pay your taxes on time, the IRS may place a legal claim against your assets. Any such claim against your personal, financial, or real estate assets is known as a tax lien. Every year, about 17% of IRS taxes remain unpaid, and the government enforces liens for at least some portion of that outstanding amount. Receiving a tax lien notice can be extremely distressing, and it also affects your credit score.
The IRS Fresh Start Program makes it possible to avoid tax liens as well as to get existing tax liens withdrawn.
Previously, the minimum amount of back taxes required to trigger a tax lien was $5,000. The IRS Fresh Start Program has increased this threshold to $10,000, making it easier to avoid tax liens. However, note that in certain circumstances, the IRS can serve you a tax lien notice even if your back tax amount is less than $10,000.
The IRS Fresh Start Program has also simplified the process for removal of a federal tax lien. After you have cleared your back taxes, you can file for a lien withdrawal by submitting the request in a single-page Form 12277.
In addition to this, you can also file a withdrawal request on any of the following grounds:
Whatever grounds you choose to base your withdrawal request upon, be sure to provide a plausible explanation to support it. You should mail the request form to the IRS office under which your tax account falls.
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If you do not file your tax return or pay your taxes on time, you may be subject to interest and penalties. The IRS may impose penalties of up to 40% of the unpaid tax balance. The IRS Fresh Start Tax Program can help you reduce this amount or even completely absolve you from these penalties.
You must fulfill various conditions to qualify for penalty assistance, the most prominent of which are the following:
In addition to providing tax assistance through removal of penalties, interest, tax levies, and liens, the 2017 IRS Fresh Start Tax Program also makes it easy for you to pay off your back taxes. Under the program, you can pay off your back taxes in two ways:
Installment agreements are probably the most popular IRS Fresh Start Program tax assistance measure. In 2015 alone, taxpayers entered into almost three million installment agreements.
If your financial condition does not permit you to pay your back taxes all at once, the IRS Fresh Start Program makes provisions for making payments through an installment agreement. You can set up a payment plan either for the full amount of back taxes or for a lesser amount. You can thus escape interest and penalties for late payment.
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You can negotiate an installment agreement with the IRS, which is the final authority in deciding the amount of installment you pay each month. However, you must be sure to make the payment every month without missing any installment. If you fail to pay any of the installments, the IRS may revoke the agreement and impose a penalty for the failure.
For back taxes amounts of up to $50,000, you can set up an agreement to make online payments in as many as 72 monthly installments, and you need not provide any financial statement for the arrangement. However, for a larger amount of debts, the IRS will ask for detailed financial information.
The repayment period varies with the type of agreement. There are four major types of installment agreements you can enter into:
Guaranteed Installment Agreement
This agreement is available for back taxes of up to $10,000. You can repay the debt in up to three years.
Streamlined Installment Agreement
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This type is available for back taxes of up to $50,000. Repayment can be made in up to six years.
Partial Pay Installment Agreement
This type of agreement somewhat resembles the offer in compromise arrangement (discussed later). It allows you to pay your taxes through monthly installments within the stipulated deadline for IRS tax collection.
In-Business Express Installment Agreement
If you run a business and owe taxes of not more than $25,000, you can choose this type of agreement. It allows you to make repayment in up to 24 months. Note that you must have employees in order to be eligible. If your back tax is over $10,000, you must pay the installments through direct debit.
Routine installment agreements with longer repayment periods are available for larger back taxes amounts.
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If you have a back tax amount of more than $50,000 and you think you can’t repay it within six years, then you must work out an installment plan with the IRS either in person or by mail. Arrangements in such cases cannot be processed online. You will be required to file Forms 433-F and 9465. It’s advisable to retain an experienced tax consultant to prepare, propose, and negotiate an installment agreement with the IRS.
Ideally, you should propose a plan wherein you pay the whole of your income in monthly installments after keeping a reasonable amount for essential expenses. Immediately after placing your proposed plan before the IRS, you should start paying your monthly installments without waiting for approval. It will show your commitment to paying off your back taxes and improve the chances of approval.
If the amount of your back taxes is so high that your income and assets would be insufficient to repay it, then you can negotiate a compromise with the IRS to reduce the amount of debt or to completely write it off. Although federal tax law previously had provisions for such settlements, the IRS Fresh Start Program has streamlined the process. It has raised the upper limit of allowable living expenses to provide assistance to a greater number of taxpayers.
There is no limitation in terms of the debt amount, meaning that you can make an offer in compromise for any amount of unpaid taxes. You just need to prove that repaying the entire tax amount would cause a heavy financial hardship for you.
While evaluating your eligibility for the offer in compromise program and computing the minimum amount of offer, the IRS takes into account your expected income for 12 to 24 months in the future. The IRS will accept a compromise only if it is satisfied that you will be unable to pay back the debt and that the amount it would receive through a compromise would be at least equal to what it can realistically recover from you. The IRS usually rejects a compromise offer if it believes that you can pay the back taxes through an installment agreement.
The IRS usually analyzes the following factors while reviewing your eligibility for an offer in compromise:
In addition to these factors, regularly filing your tax returns on time (even though you are unable to pay the taxes) increases your chances of having a compromise accepted. In any case, you should be able to provide detailed information about your financial condition.
Since there are different types of assistance offered under the IRS Fresh Start Program, the procedure, qualification, and application method also vary depending upon what type you choose to apply for. While applications for some types are processed online within a matter of minutes, others may take as long as a year to get approval.
Similarly, there is no uniformity in the fee or cost involved in the program. For example, an offer in compromise would cost you a filing fee of $186, whereas an installment agreement would cost you a fee of $52 for direct debit repayment and $120 for other modes of repayment.
As a matter of caution, you should not choose a tax assistance program based only on the cost involved. The assistance that costs you the least may not necessarily be the most appropriate one for you; it may prove to be more expensive than others in the long run.
Similarly, you should not apply for a tax assistance program just because you are eligible for it. Assistance programs have their own share of disadvantages and repercussions. For instance, you may be required to disclose confidential financial information, or the IRS may attempt recovery of the unpaid balance any time within the next 10-year period.
A settlement under the IRS Fresh Start Initiative does not absolve you of your responsibility for paying taxes in the future. After you finish making payments under an IRS Fresh Start Program settlement, you must continue to pay your taxes for at least another five years. Failure to do so will give the IRS the right to disregard the settlement and recover the original amount of taxes due.
It’s also important to keep in mind the statute of limitations, wherein the IRS can demand that you pay a back tax amount any time within 10 years from the date of assessment. It’s usually advisable to seek assistance with respect to those back taxes that are nearing the statute of limitations date.
If you choose to get help from a professional tax firm to settle your back taxes through the IRS Fresh Start Initiative, it’s important to choose a reputable company. Below, we’ve selected our top picks for getting tax assistance under the IRS Fresh Start initiative. These 5 companies are experienced at negotiating with the IRS and could help you save on your back taxes.
Anthem Tax Services is top-rated on Solvable and if you look at their customer reviews, it’s no surprise why! The firm has been in business for over 10 years and boasts high ratings on TrustPilot and the BBB. Their team of enrolled agents and tax attorneys are pros at negotiating with the IRS and are experienced with the IRS Fresh Start Initiative.
Anthem Tax Services has an excellent money-back guarantee, promising 100% of your money back if they are unable to find resolution for your problem. They are also an affordable solution, with services starting as low as $250.
Offering service to taxpayers in all 50 states, Anthem Tax is a trustworthy tax firm that could help you settle your back taxes for much less than you owe. If you think you qualify for the IRS Fresh Start program, reach out to the experts at Anthem Tax Services
Stop IRS Debt is one of the top-rated tax firms in the business, with a BBB rating of A+. This firm has been in business for 10 years and employs tax attorneys who can help you navigate the IRS Fresh Start Program and its’ complexities.
The firm resolves cases in an average of six to eight months, and if offers payment plans that last up to 12 months to make budgeting easier for taxpayers.
If you’re seeking a tax assistance firm to help you negotiate with the IRS programs like payment plans, offers in compromise, or penalty abatement under the Fresh Start Initiative, Stop IRS Debt could be a smart choice.
With an A+ BBB rating, and over 100 customer reviews with an average rating of five stars, Community Tax is a Solvable top-rated tax assistance firm. Community Tax has expertise in releasing tax liens, and can help you get IRS resolution through the IRS Fresh Start program.
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Community Tax offers some of the most flexible payment plans in the business to ensure you get the tax assistance you deserve. They offer a generous refund policy, and can tailor the terms of their payment plans dependent on situation. You can expect a full fee refund if the firm can’t provide a solution, giving you added peace of mind.
If you’re looking for a tax attorney with an excellent record, extensive experience, and generous payment policies, Community Tax could be the right choice for you.
Justice Tax can help you solve your IRS debt issues through the IRS Fresh Start Initiative. Justice Tax employs tax attorneys and enrolled agents who are well-versed in tax law and know how to negotiate with the IRS or your state tax agency.
Their process begins with a free consultation to determine what programs you are eligible for – then, their knowledgeable tax practitioners will offer a course of action. The consultation is no-obligation, so you can then decide if you want to move forward or not. The experts at Justice Tax are dedicated to bringing justice to the taxpayer and the IRS and you can trust them to fight to get you resolution.
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With its Solvable score of 9.0, its A+ rating from the BBB, and its 100+ Solvable reviews that average four out of five stars, Optima Tax Relief is one of the best tax assistance firms in the business. The firm has been in business for nearly a decade and employs tax attorneys, CPAs, and EAs to handle all your back tax needs.
Optima Tax Relief offers all clients its signature two-phase process, which begins with communicating with the IRS on your behalf and then providing the best possible resolution out of the possible options. The firm can provide results in as few as three months, and its experienced tax professionals work with taxpayers in all 50 states.
If you’re seeking a tax attorney who can help you save pennies on the dollar, Optima Tax Relief could be the right choice for your situation. The firm provides a 15-day money-back guarantee to offer added peace of mind.
Tax Defense Network has been providing clients with tax assistance services for 22 years. The company has been accredited by the BBB since 2008. With over 80 customer reviews, Tax Defense network is a dependable company that can help you put your IRS issues behind you once and for all.
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Tax Defense Network is experienced in negotiating payment plans under IRS Fresh Start and can help you remove and avoid tax liens through the program. You begin with a free consultation with Tax Defense Network, which may give you a good idea of what your services will cost. Fees vary depending on the services that you need.
Understanding the nuances of various tax assistance programs under the IRS Fresh Start Program can be overwhelming. At Solvable, we can analyze your financial situation in detail, suggest the most suitable assistance for you, and help you file the necessary applications.
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