17 plain-English guides
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Pick the problem in front of you. Each guide explains the deadline that applies, the rule behind it, and what to do first.
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Triage for an IRS emergency: what to do in the first day, and every deadline that cannot be missed.
The IRS Deadlines You Cannot Miss, in One Place
Most IRS problems can be fixed. A missed deadline often cannot. Here is every hard deadline that matters in a collection emergency, in one table, with the law behind it.
Read the guideIRS Emergency? What to Do in the First 24 Hours
An IRS emergency feels like everything is happening at once. It is not. Each notice has its own deadline and its own first step, and the first day is about finding yours.
Read the guideMoney Already Taken
Bank levies, wage levies, Social Security levies and seizures, and how to get money released.
The IRS Froze Your Bank Account: Using the 21-Day Hold
When the IRS levies your bank account, the money is frozen but not gone. The law gives you 21 days, and what you do with them matters more than anything else.
Read the guideThe IRS Levied Your Business Account or Your Customers
The business account is frozen, or a customer just told you the IRS sent them a levy on what they owe you. Here is how to keep the doors open and get the levy released.
Read the guideThe IRS Is Taking Your Social Security: How to Stop It
Your Social Security deposit came in short, or a CP91 says the IRS is about to take part of it. The levy can be stopped, but the timing of what you do matters.
Read the guideThe IRS Says It Will Seize Your Car or Home
A revenue officer has mentioned seizing your car, your equipment or your house. Seizures are rare and heavily regulated, and there are several points where you can stop one.
Read the guideThe IRS Is Taking Your Paycheck: What to Do This Week
A wage levy does not stop on its own. It takes part of every paycheck until the IRS releases it. The first week is about protecting the part of your pay the law exempts, then getting the levy lifted.
Read the guideDeadlines Running
Final notices, the 90-day letter and lien notices, where missing the date costs you your rights.
CP504 Notice: What It Means and What to Do Now
The CP504 is not the last letter you will get, but it is the one where the IRS stops asking politely. Here is what it lets the IRS do, and how to get ahead of the next step.
Read the guideGot a Notice of Federal Tax Lien Filing (Letter 3172)?
Letter 3172 tells you the IRS has publicly filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien. It also starts a short deadline to challenge that filing before an independent Appeals officer.
Read the guideFinal Notice of Intent to Levy (LT11, Letter 1058): Your 30 Days
The final notice of intent to levy is the last letter before the IRS can take your bank account or paycheck. It also gives you a 30-day right that most people never use.
Read the guideThe 90-Day Letter: Your Last Chance to Go to Tax Court
A notice of deficiency is the one IRS letter that lets you fight a tax bill in court without paying it first. The window is short, and the court will not extend it.
Read the guideThe IRS Is at Your Door
Revenue officers, summonses and trust fund interviews: what they mean and how to respond.
You Got an IRS Summons: What It Requires
An IRS summons is not a letter you can file away. It is a legal order with a date, a place and a list of records, and the choices you make before that date matter.
Read the guideAn IRS Revenue Officer Showed Up: What to Do
When a revenue officer gets involved, your case has moved from form letters to a real person with enforcement authority. How you handle the first contact shapes everything that follows.
Read the guideLetter 1153: The Trust Fund Penalty and Your 60 Days
Letter 1153 means the IRS wants to make you personally liable for payroll taxes your business did not pay. You have 60 days to appeal, and how you use them can shape the rest of the case.
Read the guideBlocked by the IRS
A revoked passport, a stalled closing, or a call you are not sure is real.
An IRS Lien Is Holding Up Your Closing
A federal tax lien on title does not have to kill a sale or refinance. There are set IRS procedures for this, but they take time, so the first move is to start the paperwork now.
Read the guideIs This Really the IRS? How to Tell in Two Minutes
Scammers count on panic. A few quick checks will tell you whether the contact is fake, and whether there is a real IRS notice you should not ignore.
Read the guidePassport Denied for Tax Debt: How to Get It Released
If the IRS has certified you as owing a seriously delinquent tax debt, the State Department can deny or revoke your passport. The fix runs through the IRS, and there is a faster track if you have a trip coming up.
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