Why Choose Tax Relief Attorney Timothy S. Hart?
When you need to get out from under past-due tax debt, the tax attorney you choose to help you can make all the difference in the outcome you achieve. Better Business Bureau A+ rated attorney Timothy S. Hart has a long and successful record of negotiating advantageous tax debt relief solutions on behalf of valued clients in New York and nationwide. In addition to his decades of experience as a lawyer standing up for taxpayers against tax agencies, he is also a highly skilled Certified Public Accountant. This dual professional background provides him comprehensive insight into the full range of issues taxpayers experience, including the problem of mounting unpaid tax debt. Here is what just one client with large tax liabilities had to say about our attorney:
“He created payment plans for both NYS and the IRS that will repay my liability without causing major disruptions to my finances. I am very grateful to Timothy and would recommend his services to anyone.”
To see what other satisfied clients have to say, go to our client testimonials page. For responsive, understanding and effective tax debt relief representation, contact our law firm to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation.
Understanding Tax Debt Relief Programs
Both the IRS and NYS State Department of Taxation and Finance offer tax debt relief programs that allow taxpayers to pay what they owe over time through an installment payment plan or to pay a reduced amount through the offer-in-compromise program. To qualify, you must have filed all of your tax returns—even if you were unable to pay the amount owed—and meet certain other criteria under the law.
Tax Installment Agreement
An installment agreement allows you to pay your tax debt over time instead of all at once. You may qualify for either a short-term plan, which requires payment of all tax debt within 120 days, or a long-term plan. For people who owe a lot of money in taxes, a long-term payment plan is often the most desirable solution. There are various long-term installment plans available. Which one you may qualify for depends upon how much money you owe and your overall financial circumstances. Once Timothy S. Hart reviews your situation, he can advise you about an IRS tax installment agreement that may be right for you. New York has a similar installment payment program you may wish to learn about if you have tax debt with the state.
Offer-in-Compromise Tax Debt Settlement
If you qualify for an offer-in-compromise tax agreement, you could settle your tax debt for less than what you owe. The IRS and NYS both have offer-in-compromise programs with their own eligibility requirements. Our attorney can advise you about whether you qualify.
To apply, you make an offer of what you think you can reasonably afford to pay of your tax debt, based upon your financial situation. You will be required to fill out a variety of complex forms and provide supporting documentation related to your income sources, expenses, bank accounts, retirement accounts and other financial data. If your offer is accepted, debt is generally repaid either in periodic payments over time or in a lump sum, depending upon the terms of your agreement. When you make an offer, you will also have to include an initial payment with it.
Currently Not Collectible Due to Financial Hardship
Taxpayers with tax debt who can prove financial hardship (which basically means that paying tax debt would leave you unable to afford housing or feed and support your family) may qualify for currently-not-collectible status with the IRS and/or state. If you are given this status after tax authorities perform an in-depth review of your circumstances, tax agencies will stop collection actions against you. They will keep tabs on you, though, and if your financial situation improves, tax debt may come due. Also, interest and penalties will continue to add up while you have currently-not-collectible status.
Don’t Wait To Get Tax Debt Relief
Owing back taxes to the government is stressful. You never know when authorities will begin taking actions against you, which is why you should not wait to learn what options you may have for tax debt relief. Call responsive tax attorney Timothy S. Hart today to arrange a free consultation and begin the process of getting out from under your burdensome debt.
Use of Tax Refunds to pay tax debt
When you have a federal income tax refund, that refund may in some cases be used to pay other unpaid debts. The United States Treasury Offset Program contains the tax rules of how and when your refund will be used against a debt. The Treasury Offset Program can use a portion or all of your income tax refund to pay against your state or federal debt, and the program is administered by the Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
The types of debts that the tax refund can be used to offset are numerous. The types of tax debts include 1) federal tax debts (income taxes, trust fund recovery penalties, etc), 2) Federal agency debts such as federal student loans that are outstanding (not in payment plan status), 3) unpaid spousal or child support that were created by court order, 4) unpaid State tax obligations (income and payroll taxes), 5) State unemployment debts, and 6) unpaid shared responsibility payments for health insurance.
The IRS will notify an affected taxpayer by mail when they are using the refund to pay a certain debt listed above, and the State has a similar program. The notice will tell you the refund that you would have received, and the amount of that refund that is being used to pay the tax debt. The notice will provide which agency (state or federal) that is administering the debt, and also provide their contact information in case the debt amount is incorrect or not yours. It is important to only contact the IRS if the debt relates to a debt related to them, in other cases you need to contact the agency that is administering the debt. When you are disputing the tax debt, it is very important to keep copies of the dispute letters that you send them and follow up each letter with a phone call to make sure your request is being acted upon.
In some instances, it is possible to have your refund used against another person’s debt. This happens when you file a joint income tax return and your spouse by themselves has a debt subject to the program, and you would otherwise have had a tax refund if you filed by yourself. The IRS allows for a injured spouse allocation in these cases to get relief. This rule only applies if your spouse is solely liable for the debt (meaning it was not a past joint tax debt for income taxes, for instance). To obtain part or whole of your refund, a Form 8379 (Injured Spouse Allocation) would have to be filed with your income tax return. As an example, say the husband is not working, and has unpaid child support owed. The wife and husband file a joint income tax return, and due to over payments from the wife, they are entitled to a refund. Furthermore, based on past income tax returns, that were filed jointly, there is unpaid federal tax debt. In this case, if a Form 8379 is filed, the refund would not go toward the unpaid child support, but would be used to offset the joint federal tax debt since the wife is listed on that debt.
Note there are many differences between injured spouse vs. innocent spouse relief. If you’re dealing with a tax liability incurred by your spouse or former spouse without your awareness, you may want to look into innocent spouse relief.
Tax Debt Relief FAQs
Get in Touch Directly for Answers to Specific Questions
Following are some general questions and answers about resolving tax debt. If you have concerns about your specific tax situation, contact our tax relief attorney for personalized answers.
You are not required to hire a lawyer to resolve your tax debt, but you are far more likely to get a beneficial solution with an experienced tax attorney representing your interests, especially if you owe a large amount of money. IRS agents are well-informed about tax laws and specialize in collecting tax debt. They also have the authority to negotiate tax debt settlements, but this is not something they will tell you up front, because they want to get as much money as possible from debt-burdened taxpayers. Experienced tax attorneys who represent taxpayers understand how the IRS operates and the power that its agents have to negotiate payments and potentially reduce debt owed. Our experienced tax relief lawyer will work hard to get you the best possible outcome.
Our tax relief attorney will help you by carefully examining all the details of your tax situation, including reviewing the accuracy of the debt you are said to owe. He will discuss your overall financial circumstances with you in order to get a clear picture of your income, expenses and other debts for the purpose of reaching a settlement with the IRS or NYS that is workable for you. He will prepare all the complicated paperwork involved and negotiate and communicate with tax authorities on your behalf.
If you don’t pay your taxes on time or make tax debt resolution arrangements with the IRS, in addition to owing more in interest charges and penalties, you could have your wages garnished and potentially have your property and assets seized through a levy. If the IRS or state authorities decide that you are intentionally not paying taxes, you could also be subject to criminal prosecution. However, none of this happens in a vacuum. You will have fair warning through written and mailed notices, audits, liens and other actions that may be taken against you. If you have past-due tax debt, reach out to Timothy S. Hart right away for help. Don’t wait until you are contacted by the IRS.
If you have unfiled tax returns, you may be subject to expensive financial penalties and interest charges on the unpaid tax debt. The longer you go without filing, the more likely it is that the IRS or state will begin an investigation against you for nonpayment. The first step to take toward resolving the situation is to file all of your back tax returns, even if you have tax debt you cannot pay. The IRS and New York State have voluntary disclosure programs that allow people with unfiled returns to come clean, file their returns and pay back taxes over time if needed, in order to avoid potential criminal prosecution for tax evasion or fraud.
The IRS and state tax authorities do not want to ruin people financially or send them to jail. They simply want to collect taxes that are due or overdue, which means in many cases they are willing to negotiate payment arrangements and settlements with taxpayers. Our tax debt attorney Timothy S. Hart is skilled at negotiating effective tax debt relief solutions on behalf of taxpayers. Reach out to him today to arrange a free consultation about your situation.
Learn Your Options for Tax Debt Resolution
Turn to Tax Debt Attorney Timothy S. Hart for Friendly and Knowledgeable Assistance
Having unpaid tax debt is scary, but you should not feel embarrassed about it. In our expensive society, it isn’t unusual for tax debt to add up because people simply do not have the money to pay what they owe. When they can’t pay on time, interest and penalties begin adding up and a person’s tax situation can quickly turn into a merry-go-round cycle of accumulating debt. Our experienced and understanding tax debt attorney Timothy S. Hart helps taxpayers resolve the frightening situation of owing a lot of money in back taxes. He may be able to help you, too.
When you work with Timothy S. Hart, he will listen carefully to you to learn the details of your situation. Then he will counsel you about your options for resolving your tax debt and assertively represent your interests with tax agencies.
Contact Timothy S. Hart Law Group, PC today to learn how our attorney may be able to help you get on the path to tax debt resolution. Call our Albany law office at (518) 213-3445 or our New York City office at (917) 382-5142. We provide free consultations in a judgement-free environment to taxpayers who owe back tax debt to the IRS and New York State tax agency.
Contact Tax Attorney Timothy S. Hart for Help
Tax debt lawyer Timothy S. Hart has helped many people throughout the country resolve their federal and New York State tax burdens.
To arrange a free consultation with him, call our Albany law office at (518) 213-3445 or our New York City office at (917) 382-5142.
Even though our law offices are in New York, our attorney is licensed to handle IRS cases nationwide, which means he can help you no matter what state you live in.
Timothy S Hart, the founding partner of the tax law firm of Timothy S. Hart Law Group, P.C. is both a New York Tax Lawyer & Certified Public Accountant. His area of expertise includes innovative solutions to solve your Internal Revenue Service and New York State tax problems, including tax settlements through the Federal and New York State offer in compromise programs, filing unfiled tax returns, voluntary disclosures, tax audits, and criminal investigations. [ 
