Are you in a position where you cannot afford to pay your tax bill? This is more common than most people ever realize. If your situation is serious, whereas paying your bill will result in a service hardship, you need to do something about this. Your best option is to determine if you are a candidate for IRS hardship status. Although you may not be eligible, it is something that you have to look into. If you don’t, you could be missing out on a chance to get by for a few months or years without the IRS on your trail.
Here are four things to think about if you are going to get in touch with the IRS about proving your uncollectible status:
1. Every person is looked at on a case by case basis. Just because somebody else was approved does not mean you are going to find yourself in the same position soon enough. In fact, you need to keep this in mind from the very beginning so that you keep all doors open to the future. In other words, if uncollectible status is not in the stars you need to look into something else to ensure that you are not put in a bad position such as one in which the IRS is coming after you to collect through force.
2. You are going to need a lot of supporting documentation. Simply put, the IRS is not going to take your word for it. If you want to be approved for uncollectible status, you must show the IRS that any collection would greatly hinder your ability to lead a normal life. The more documents that you get together early on the better off you are going to be.
3. Hire a tax professional. Although you may not want to pay the money for a professional, it is a good idea for a number of reasons. Above all else, you will have somebody with experience working alongside you every step of the way. It may not sound like a big deal, but a tax professional can show you the way and ensure that you are giving yourself the best possible chance of success.
4. Uncollectible status does not last forever. Just because you are in a bad spot right now does not mean that the IRS is going to stay away forever and let you get away with not paying your taxes. You will have to continue to prove your financial situation, periodically. If the IRS finds that you are now able to pay your tax liability, they will expect you to do so immediately.
If you cannot pay your taxes you may qualify for IRS hardship status. This is not the easiest thing to do, though. Before you put all your eggs in this basket, look into the finer details. If you are not eligible there are always other things you can do to cooperate with the IRS and pay what you owe.
Need help filing for IRS Hardship Status? Request a free consult from one of our tax professionals.
