Tax Debt Relief

Tax resolution is the work of turning an unpaid balance into terms you can actually live with. It starts with confirming what is genuinely owed, and it ends with an arrangement the IRS has accepted in writing. This page is for individuals and businesses carrying a balance they cannot simply pay.

There is no single answer that fits everyone. The right path depends on your income, your assets, how many years are unfiled, and how much time the IRS has left to collect. Acting early widens the range of options; waiting narrows it, and enforcement makes some of them harder to reach.

Start with what is actually owed

The first step is confirming the total, then finding the errors, missing filings, and penalties inside it that can be reduced. Multiple years of back taxes are common, and unfiled returns block most resolution programs until they are cleared. Verifying balances and deadlines, and whether the IRS followed its own procedures, often changes the number before any negotiation begins.

The main paths

• Installment agreements: manageable monthly payments over time, and in some cases a partial-payment agreement that resolves less than the full balance.
• Offer in compromise: settling for less than the amount owed, where you meet strict eligibility criteria.
• Penalty abatement: removing added charges where the circumstances justify it, which lowers the total directly.
• Currently not collectible status: pausing enforced collection during a genuine hardship.
• Filing compliance: bringing past returns up to date so the rest becomes available.

Each option carries strict requirements, and choosing the wrong one delays resolution and adds cost. The decision rests on documentation, so accurate financial statements and complete supporting records do more for the outcome than argument does.

When the debt is not really yours

A joint return can leave one spouse holding a liability created by the other. Innocent spouse relief can remove that liability, and injured spouse relief recovers a refund share taken to pay a debt that belonged to the other spouse. They solve different problems and are filed differently.

Rights that apply while you resolve it

• The right to appeal certain collection actions
• The right to professional representation during interviews
• The right to clear explanations of balances and procedures
• The right to confidential handling of your financial information

Under 26 U.S. Code Section 6330, taxpayers generally have a right to notice and an opportunity for a hearing before certain levy actions proceed. That hearing is frequently the opening to challenge the collection path and put an alternative in front of the IRS instead.