IRS Is a Lot More Open to Compromise These Days

It used to be that if you owed a large debt to the IRS you didn’t have a great chance of catching a break. Even though the IRS has always been able to compromise, at least a little, the tax agency has never been really eager to do so. Some people might not even be aware that this was a possibility, but it is. It’s called an offer in compromise and it gives taxpayers with overwhelming debt the chance to pay off that debt for less than the total amount owed.

During the 10 years between 2000 and 2010 the IRS accepted somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 percent of these petitions on average, but never reached the 40 percent threshold. However, recently, especially during the last three years the IRS seems to have become a lot more charitable with offers in compromise. That’s good news for taxpayers with large amounts of tax debt.

In the 2012, the IRS accepted 24,000, or 38 percent, of these offers and that number jumped to 31,000, or 42 percent in 2013. In 2014, the number dipped slightly to 27,000 accepted offers, or 40 percent. Typically the IRS does not accept OICs if the agency feels that the taxpayer has the means to pay off the entire debt. However, every situation is different, so if you are considering making an offer in compromise to the IRS to settle your tax debt, then you might want to speak with an experienced tax accountant from GROCO first, in order to weigh your options. You can contact us by clicking here or by calling 1-877-CPA-2006.

Posted in
Are You Practicing These Important Leadership Skills?

Are You Practicing These Important Leadership Skills?

Are You Practicing These Important Leadership Skills? Imagine if you had the greatest tool in the world but you never used it. What good would that do you? Obviously, the tool would be useless. Now imagine you’re in a very important leadership position, with many significant responsibilities. You worked hard and learned several valuable leadership…

How to Invest for Your Grandkids

How to Invest for Your Grandkids

How to Invest for Your Grandkids Have you reached that pinnacle of life yet? Do you know the one where you’re a grandparent? Having grandkids is an amazing experience and opportunity. But with all of the fun, comes more responsibility. Now you have even more people to worry about. In fact, for some grandparents, taking…

How Has the Tax Reform Affected the Real Estate Market?

How Has the Tax Reform Affected the Real Estate Market?

How Has the Tax Reform Affected the Real Estate Market? One of the doom and gloom theories regarding the federal tax reform, also known as the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, was that it would put a heavy burden on the real estate market. The theory was that because the reform placed a $10,000 cap…

How to Lower Your Tax Bill in Retirement

How to Lower Your Tax Bill in Retirement

How to Lower Your Tax Bill in Retirement How far away are you from retirement? Are you getting closer to those so-called “golden years?” If you are then you hopefully you’ve already started preparing for your retirement with a sound plan. Retirement is supposed to be a glorious time in life. But unfortunately, for many,…