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.

Posted in

Crazy Tax Deductions

Crazy Tax Deductions Every year at tax time, people try to come up with items to deduct or write off on their tax return. Sometimes the IRS allows them, and sometimes they don’t. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite crazy tax deductions, some were successful and others were not. Crazy Tax Deductions that the…

Renting Your Vacation Home

Renting Your Vacation Home Source: IRS.gov Income that you receive for the rental of your vacation home must generally be reported on your federal income tax return. However, if you rent the property for only a short time each year, you may not be required to report the rental income. The IRS offers these tips…

Summer Job Tax Information for Students

Summer Job Tax Information for Students Source: IRS.gov When summer vacation begins, classroom learning ends for most students. Even so, summer doesn’t have to mean a complete break from learning. Students starting summer jobs have the opportunity to learn some important life lessons. Summer jobs offer students the opportunity to learn about the working world…

Small-business Owners Struggle With ‘Work-Life Balance’

Small-business Owners Struggle With ‘Work-Life Balance’ January 9, 2006 Small-business owners daily walk a fine line dividing their time between the demands of work and personal life. Often times, work wins out. From paying the bills to managing employees, the daily operations of running a business can be overwhelming. “So many small-business owners get caught…