What Should You Do if You Can’t Afford to Pay Back-Taxes?
Paying taxes is no fun. Owing back taxes and not being able to pay them is much worse. Many people get into tax trouble when they end up owing money to the IRS and they don’t have the means to pay it off. This can cause a lot of stress, anxiety and even fear or panic. However, you shouldn’t panic. The IRS won’t show up at your door with the police ready to take you away in handcuffs.
If you do end up owing back taxes and you can’t pay them off all at once, you have some options. That’s because the IRS is willing to work with you, so long as you are willing to work with them. The first thing you should do, is file your return on time, even if you know you don’t have the money to pay off your tax debt. This will help you avoid additional late-filing penalties.
Pay as much as you possibly can when you file your return. If you just need a little more time then you can file for a short-term extension in order to pay off the remaining debt within 120 days. If it is going to take longer, then apply for a monthly payment plan with the IRS. It’s best to set up an automatic monthly payment plan. There will likely still be interest and some penalties but they will be much lighter.
The IRS wants you to be able to pay your taxes and they are willing to work with you if you keep up your end of the agreement. You can learn more about paying off back taxes by clicking here.
Making Your Medical Deductions Count
Making Your Medical Deductions Count April 15th is almost here and if you are owing tax it may pay to take a second look at that return to see if you claimed all medical deductions you are entitled to. Your diligence in keeping track of expenses will pay off. IRS Publication 502 has a complete listing…
GROCO Warns of Common Tax Filing Mistakes
GROCO Warns of Common Tax Filing Mistakes Tax return anxiety is on the rise as the federal tax filing date looms. The prospect of filing an erroneous return increases as more rely on tax software to help prepare their returns. For the week ending March 28, more than 10,000 electronic returns were filed from home…
Loss on Sale of 1244 Stock
Have you considered a loss on sale of 1244 stock as a tax strategy? Ordinarily, a loss on a sale or exchange of stock is a capital loss. Capital loss treatment is generally less advantageous than ordinary deduction treatment because of the fact that a capital loss recognized by an individual is applied, first against…
Section 213 Medical, Dental, etc., Expenses
Section 213 Medical, Dental, etc., Expenses (a) Allowance of deduction There shall be allowed as a deduction the expenses paid during the taxable year, not compensated for by insurance or otherwise, for medical care of the taxpayer, his spouse, or a dependent, to the extent that such expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income.…