Are you getting ready to pay the IRS for back taxes that are owed or has the IRS been chasing after you for money? Before you pay the IRS you must read the rest of this article for important information that the IRS will not tell you.
Did you know that the IRS only has 10 years to collect money from you and after 10 years they are forever barred from collecting from you? If you are like 99.99% of people you never knew this simple fact because the IRS collection agents will never tell you this information. If you send them a check after the ten years, the IRS will gladly take your money and you will be none the wiser.
So here are the facts. If you owe the IRS money then they are limited by law on how long that they can attempt to collect this money from you. This is known as the Statute of Limitations.
The most important item is when does the clock start ticking on this ten year period? According to the Internal Revenue Code, the ten years start when the tax liability is assessed by the IRS.
This can be either when the tax return is filed or when the IRS issues a notice of deficiency. To further complicate the matter if an extension was filed then this extension can affect when the ten year period starts.
An assessment is a simply a recording of the tax debt on the books of the IRS. When you file your tax return and if you owe money with your tax return but do not pay, then the IRS will automatically make a tax assessment against you.
In the alternative if you never file your tax return, then the IRS may prepare a return on your behalf based upon the limited information that they have on record. They will then make a tax assessment against you.
Finally, if your tax return is selected for an audit and the IRS determines that you owe more money, then they will make an assessment against you.
So with the Statute of Limitations it is very important to determine on what date the notice of assessment started, because this starts the clock running with the 10 years.
Furthermore you may have already extended the statute of limitations on the collection period without even knowing it.
If you had entered into an installment agreement with the IRS, then this installment agreement stops the clock from running. If you default on your installment agreement then the clock starts running again.
Dealing with the IRS can be very difficult and costly if you do not have the proper advice and guidance. If the IRS is trying to collect money from you, then before you pay them one dime see if the statute of limitations has expired otherwise you could be throwing your money down the toilet.