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A Successful Offer In Compromise – $74,000 IRS Problem Settled at a 95% Discount.

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In February of 2011, Professional Tax Resolution finalized an Offer in Compromise agreement for a client who had initially contacted the firm in May of 2010. The taxpayer in question had an outstanding tax liability of over $74,000 which she was unable to pay. In this particular case, the debt was a combination of unpaid taxes, interest and penalties which had accumulated over a period of ten years. After verifying that the client met the IRS Offer in Compromise eligibility requirements, our firm initiated the settlement process by filing returns for tax years 2005 through 2009 which had never been filed. Once these returns had been finalized, we had an accurate assessment of the client’s total tax debt and were able to use this amount, together with her current financial information, to calculate a reasonable settlement offer. The completed Offer in Compromise application, including supporting documentation, was submitted to the IRS in July. Because the taxpayer’s eligibility had been well documented and established IRS filing guidelines had been adhered to throughout the application process, the initial settlement offer was accepted by the IRS without argument. The end result was the successful resolution of a $74,579 tax liability for $3785, just over 5% of the original debt!

The taxpayer whose settlement case is described in the preceding paragraph is a single mother who has struggled with chronic health problems for many years. From 1999 through 2009, a series of health-related setbacks resulted in periods of unemployment and accumulating tax liabilities. The client was hospitalized in January of 2010 in response some life threatening complications resulting from her health condition. She now receives state disability and is having trouble meeting her basic financial needs. Since it was very unlikely that this taxpayer would have been able to pay the full amount of her tax debt within a reasonable period of time, she was an ideal candidate for an IRS Offer in Compromise. Outlined below are the primary components necessary to obtain a successful Offer in Compromise settlement as they pertain to this specific set of circumstances.

• The taxpayer meets one of the three eligibility criteria (doubt as to liability, doubt as to collectability, tax settlement would promote effective tax resolution) specified by the IRS.

Professional Tax resolution determined that this client would be unable to pay the balance of her outstanding tax liability and therefore met the doubt as to liability standard for eligibility.

• The taxpayer’s eligibility can be adequately documented.

Professional Tax resolution submitted documentation for the client’s medications, outpatient medical treatment, hospitalization and disability claims.

• The total amount of the tax debt is accurate based on tax returns that have been checked, submitted and refilled when necessary.

Professional Tax Resolution filed a tax return for any year where a return had not been previously submitted and checked all other past tax returns for accuracy.

• The Offer in Compromise application and the necessary supporting documentation are submitted according to IRS guidelines.

Professional Tax Resolution has experience in submitting Offer in Compromise applications and adheres strictly to the established IRS policies and procedures.
While the offer in Compromise is an effective tax settlement option for a very specific group of taxpayers such as the candidate whose case is described above, it definitely does not represent a blanket solution for anyone with an outstanding tax liability. The acceptance criteria are very explicit and, since many applications are submitted that do not meet the published IRS guidelines, the rejection rate is high. The Offer in Compromise is an excellent tax settlement option only under certain very specific conditions and when submitted using the very strict guidelines set forth by the IRS.

Visit www.profesionaltaxresolution.com for more for more information about customized tax relief assistance. With over 16 years of experience, we have the can help you select the tax relief option that will best meet the specific needs of your tax debt situation. Contact us today at (949) 596-4143 or info@protaxres.com to receive a free, no obligation consultation.

How We Reduced One Client’s Tax Debt from $40,000 to less than $1,000

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We were hired by the owner of a small mortgage company to resolve his tax debt. Our client had received a notice that his wages from a related company had been garnished by the state tax board and the federal government had issued an IRS notice of the intent to pursue a tax levy and tax lien. Both the state and the IRS were taking serious action and the client was understandably worried. At the time of the initial meeting the state tax board had already collected approximately $3,000 through wage garnishment which of course was a huge financial burden for his family.

What had gone wrong? The owner of the company admitted that he had actually not filed either his corporate or individual tax returns for five years. Why not? With the downturn in the economy, the company had lost money during that time and the owner figured it was not necessary to file his tax returns because he had made no profit.

Had he received any IRS Notices? Not only was the answer yes, he brought us a large stack of completely unopened IRS Notices and letters from the IRS. At Professional Tax Resolution Inc., we see this all too often. Clients paralyzed by fear have piles of unopened IRS Notices and Letters from the IRS. Why do you get so many letters? The reason is actually more logical than it may appear; the IRS generally has a 10 year statute of limitations for most tax debts so as an outstanding tax debt approaches the 10 year mark, the IRS collection efforts usually get more and more aggressive.

The first thing we did after our client hired us was determine which prior year tax returns had been not filed. We then did background research about beneficial tax codes so that when we filed his missed year returns, we could take all of the applicable benefits for our client. We know from our years of experience that the process of filing unfiled returns or correcting prior year returns is not only the right thing to do, it is far more productive than attempting to negotiate a settlement with the IRS for an amount less than the reported amount of the tax owed.

It turns out in the case of our mortgage company client, the IRS and state tax board had prepared estimated returns based on 1099 Forms provided to them by other taxpayers. When the IRS or State tax agency prepares an estimated or substitute return, they only include information that they have on file which traditionally only includes the income reported to them. The result is that all allowable expenses are generally not taken.

In this case we were able to contact the Internal Revenue Service and State Tax Board and obtain a 30 day collection hold to allow us the time we needed to file all of the outstanding returns. Using IRS transcripts, account information and our client’s company expense records we were able to actually prepare and file all of the outstanding individual and corporate tax returns. Once that work was completed and the returns were properly prepared, we ran a calculation and saw that the actual amount owed was now under $1,000! This was a huge reduction compared to the more than $40,000 the IRS and state tax boards indicated was owed just weeks before. We faxed the revised state tax returns to the state tax board and were able to stop the wage garnishments immediately and our client even receive a refund of the amounts the state had previously garnished!

We achieved great success in this case, reducing our client’s liability by over 97% because we correctly filed his outstanding returns. Had our client asked for advice years before, he might never had to face the burden of his large tax debt. Had he opened his IRS notices and called us for help earlier, he might have avoided a wage garnishment and tax lien. The lesson learned is simply that the worst course of action is no action at all.

For more information about how we can help you; call us at (949) 596-4143 and speak directly with a CPA today.