Glenn Sandler (CPA) of G.I. Tax Service: What to Do If You Can’t Pay Your Taxes

Published on: 12 February 2019 Last Updated on: 08 August 2019
G.I. Tax Service

Things happen, circumstances change, and often, people find themselves unable to pay their taxes. If you find yourself in a similar position, it is important that you understand the gravity of the situation. Continued refusal to pay your taxes could lead the IRS to take it forcibly: by garnishing your wages or putting a lien on your assets.

However, according to Glenn Sandler, CPA, founder of G.I. Tax Service, there is no need to panic. If you can’t pay your taxes or you owe an amount in back taxes, you can enter into an agreement with the IRS and leverage one of their several payment options. Here is how to go about it:

Ensure that you are in filing/payment compliance:

To enter into an agreement with the IRS, you must ensure that all your tax returns are filed. The next step is to keep enough of your wages aside to pay off your taxes for the current year. To do this, you will need to estimate your tax returns for the year and ascertain that the wage percentage that was withheld will suffice. If you don’t know how to file tax returns or make accurate enough estimations, please contact tax professionals that will help you through the process.

Review your tax returns:

Check your tax returns to ensure that the balance that the IRS expects you to pay is correct. The smart play is to calculate your returns for the years you owe and the 3 years that precede it, i.e., if you owe taxes for a year, review your account for the past 4 years. By doing so, any discrepancy between your calculated returns and your tax balance (according to the IRS) can be remedied.  Also, if you incurred any penalties in the past, you can try to get them reduced or removed completely.

Enter an agreement with the IRS:

Once you have filed your taxes and are back in compliance, and have confirmed that you owe exactly what the IRS says that you do, the next thing to do is enter an agreement with the IRS. The alternatives available include:

  • A brief extension of the payment period.
  • The different installment agreements (monthly payment plans with varying terms and conditions).
  • Postponed payment (known as currently not collectible status) for people in financial hardship.
  • An offer in compromise (OIC); a settlement option that allows taxpayers with special and extenuating circumstances to clear their debt by paying a portion of their total balance.

Depending on their individual situations, taxpayers with back taxes are eligible for one of the above. Before deciding on which of them to apply for, evaluate your current assets, calculate how much you can pay per month, and consider the effect of incurring even more interest and penalties.

Consult a tax professional:

If you don’t know how to do any of the above, your best bet is to reach out to a tax expert at G.I. Tax Service. They can help you file your returns and ensure that you are in compliance, check your tax returns and correct any discrepancies, and apply for one of the IRS’ payments options after considering your financial circumstances.

When managed smartly, tax debt does not have to be disruptive. All you have to do is secure a payment plan that works well with your income, and before you know it, the debt is all gone.

Read Also:

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

6 Tips on How to Pay Off Your Tax Debt

6 Tips on How to Pay Off Your Tax Debt

For the tax year 2015, the IRS reported that taxpayers filed 150.5 million individual income tax returns, which is an increase of 1.3 percent compared to the previous year. This yielded $10.4 trillion income for the said tax year and also a 4.5 percent increase from 2014. Here’s the thing: not everyone is able to file and pay taxes for the income earned. If you happen to be one of them, then you need to read this post to find out how you can pay off your tax debt and prevent penalties, possible jail time, and garnishment of your assets: 1. Know how much you owe :  You can’t just pay any amount just to “lower” your tax debt. Paying the amount stated on the letter from IRS doesn’t automatically mean it reflects the actual tax debt since you could be eligible for a tax credit (or IRS could be wrong too). Therefore, find out first how much you actually owe for each tax year. This will give you a summary of your tax situation, thereby making it easier for you and your tax debt lawyers to come up with strategies that lower your debt. You can also use a tax calculator online to give you an idea of your total tax debt. 2. Consolidate the tax debt with your credit card :  First things first, it is not advisable to pay off one debt using another debt. If you owe something especially taxes, then you might want to break this rule. IRS accepts all major credit cards like MasterCard or Visa to pay off your tax debt. Simply go to the payment page of the IRS to make a payment. Keep in mind that IRS doesn’t charge a fee for doing such transaction, although processing companies who process the payment charge up to as much as 2.35 percent. Nevertheless, make sure to pay your credit card in time. 3. Try refinancing your home :  Why not? Believe it or not, the IRS could recommend re-financing depending on the situation. If you happen to have equity such as a house and you can afford it, then you can use your assets to pay off your existing tax debt. The good thing about this movie is that mortgage rates are typically lower compared to the rate charged by credit card companies. Also, you can take away home mortgage interest on your income tax return – and how can you say no to that? 4. Apply for Short-Term Extension to Pay :  This is only applicable if you can pay your tax debt in 120 days or less. The good thing about this arrangement is that there is no set-up fee and you can apply either online by filling out the Online Payment Agreement application or by phone. Penalties and interest fees are likewise lower, so make sure you pay within the given period granted to you. 5. Enter into an installment agreement : Ideally, you would be able to pay off your tax debt at once. On the other hand, there are instances when you need a little more time to pay it off. In that case, consider entering into an installment agreement with the IRS. The good thing about installment agreement is that you can apply either online or by mail. You don’t have to worry about reminders and missed payments, especially if you sign up for the monthly payment plan. You can apply for the installment agreement if you owe $50,000 or less, which already includes combined individual income tax, interest, and penalties. When you apply for this, make sure that you filed all of your returns in order to qualify for this agreement. How does installment agreement work? A direct debit payment plan is highly recommended because of the lower cost, hassle-free payment, and the cost for a set-up fee is more affordable compared to other payment plans. What if you have more than $50,000 tax debt? In that case, the next tip would be your most feasible option. 6. Consider an Officer in Compromise :  Also known as OIC, this strategy could also be helpful if you want to pay off your tax debt. Unlike the Installment Agreement, Officer in Compromise is more applicable for a larger amount of tax debt. How does this work? OIC will allow you to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount you actually owe. Filing of an income tax return and payment requirements must also be updated. Nonetheless, there are several factors IRS looks into before they agree to this kind of arrangement. This includes, but not limited to: Income Expenses Asset equity Ability to pay Aside from this, it is IRS who will determine whether you are qualified for OIC or not. If they see that they won’t be able to collect the entire amount within a reasonable time, then you could be qualified. Check out their website to determine whether you can be qualified for this or not. At the end of the day, it is important that you file and pay on time to avoid hassle come due date. In case there was a delay, take note of these tips and prevent the government from taking what was yours. Read Also : Eight Essential Tips For Getting Out Of Debt Are Debt Consolidation Loans Recommended For Credit Card Consolidation Dealing With A Debt Relief Officer For A Better Assistance

READ MOREDetails
UAN Login

UAN Login and its facilities with Registration process

UAN or Unique Account Number is a Unique ID Number provided by the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) for each of those individuals who have opted for provident fund account. This is an Online Portal, so you can keep track of all your provisional funds and deposit your provisional funds in that account. EPFO presented UAN which goes about like a cloud service for the numerous Member Ids assigned to a person by various managers. The UAN program was propelled in October 2014 as a component of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakaram. It is maybe the most remarkable advance taken by EPFO in the ongoing past. UAN is a one of a kind 12 digit number doled out to a worker by EPFO. UAN empowers connecting of various EPF Accounts (Member Id) dispensed to a solitary part. It offers a bunch of administrations like progressively refreshed UAN card, refreshed PF passbook incorporating all transfer-in points of interest, facility to interface past individuals' ID with present ID, month to month SMS in regards to the credit of commitment in PF record. Employees are required to initiate their UAN at UAN portal and to profit an extensive variety of online administrations offered by EPFO. When UAN is initiated, employees can sign in utilizing UAN and password and access different online administrations and in addition to refreshing KYC details and so forth, for more details on how it works you can head over to Finance Nize. Various Facilities provided in UAN is as follows: Before going to attend the complete the registration process, it is essential for you to know some of the facilities offered in UAN. Hope the mentioned facilities will be helpful for all the seekers that who want to complete the registration process. Also, it helps to gather some idea about the facilities available in UAN. Let’s have a look at some of the facilities allotted in UAN. UAN Account Status: This portal has made it easy for you to check your UAN status just by few clicks. This Facility will also let you get all your funds in a single account. Online EPF transfer: Earlier we were able to transfer PF funds, under the Online Transfer Claim Portal. Things have changed with the introduction of UAN. Under this Single Portal, you will be able to do it from one account to another without much paperwork and hassle-free. Online PF withdrawal: UAN allows Employees to withdraw the funds. However, he/she is not employed prior to 60 days of pst resignation. The Process is easy and convenient but UAN must be attached with Aadhar Card. Online Registration of Establishments: Online Registration Process for completely web-based now. PF payments online: EPFO has made it mandatory for the organizations to pay online. EPFO also tied up with almost all major banks for collecting PF Dues. Passbook and Claim Status: All members can view their Passbook online and even check the claim status too along with updating KYC. SMS/Miss Call Service: Once you have activated your UAN. You can access your account by sending SMS in a certain format as per guidelines suggested by EPFO. You can take actions like Enquiry for Transfer, KYC status, Balance inquiry and lot more. UAN LOGIN: When it comes to complete the registration process, make sure to follow the official website of the organization. In order to log in, first of all, visit: https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/ UAN Registration Process: For information, people who are employed or unemployed can register for UAN account without skipping any instruction. Even students or the one who has not enrolled for EPFO can join UAN Easily. Read Alos: 8 Reasons To Have A Pre-Employment Background Check Facility In Your Organization 5 Counseling Specializations Undergraduate Students Should Understand

READ MOREDetails
Gold IRA

Can I Convert My 401k To A Gold IRA?

Retirement might seem like a long way away for a lot of us out there.  Truthfully, it’s easy to want to put that sort of thing off and not have to worry about saving for it right now.  However, this is typically not going to be the best move. Most experts recommend that we start to save or invest for our retirement years as early as we can.  There are a few ways to go about that, though.  Considering all of the different types of retirement savings and investment accounts that are out there, it can be hard to make that choice. That’s even more true as we see a ton of advertisements and advice columns out there that talk about the various options and how amazing each of them is.  How are we supposed to choose, right?  Sure, there are articles like this one, but for now, we’ll stick to one thing – a deep dive into gold IRA accounts. What Is A Gold IRA? Although they might seem like a relatively new invention, the truth of the matter is that people have been using gold as an investment for centuries – maybe even thousands of years.  So, the fact that they’ve adapted to our modern economic structure should come as no surprise.  First, though, let’s cover what IRAs are. An IRA (individual retirement arrangement) is a type of savings account that offers the holder some sort of tax benefits.  That will vary depending on the type of IRA, of course.  Self-directed, Roth, and traditional are just a few examples, and each of them has its own rules and regulations as well. Now, when it comes to the question of can I convert my 401k to a gold IRA, the answer is yes – but there are a few steps involved that you’ll want to familiarize yourself with.  One thing to be aware of is that a gold or precious metals IRA is simply a self-directed one that is dedicated specifically to that asset. All sorts of things are eligible to be placed into them.  For example, bullion and coins that fall under the requirement of gold percentage can both be added to one.  However, a necklace or ring made out of precious metals wouldn’t be eligible.  If you want help sorting that out, you can always talk with your broker to see what can work. How Does The Conversion Work? With that bit of background information out of the way, we can turn our attention to how the actual conversion works.  One of the first steps that you’ll want to be aware of is the fact that you’ll need a broker and/or custodian.  In this context, that’s just an organization that will hold onto your physical gold for you and keep the account. You can find out a bit more as far as how that works here, https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GAL =r&linkaccess=abs&issn=07300743& a8, although if you reach out to potential custodians to talk with them, they can probably explain it as well.  They’re a crucial component of turning gold investments into an IRA, though, so don’t forget this part of the equation. From there, though, what should we do?  Well, you’ll probably want to take inventory of your current financial situation as a whole.  Think about how much money you want to take out of your 401(k) to actually do the conversion. Depending on how long your employer has offered the 401(k) and how much you and they both contribute, this exact amount could vary a lot.  Ideally, you won’t entirely drain your 401(k) to open a gold IRA, but some people do.  Just remember that the goal is to diversify your financial holdings and to give you an opportunity to have an asset that acts as a hedge against inflation. Once you’ve decided on how much you want to convert, you can start to initiate the process of purchasing your precious metals in whatever form you want.  Whether that’s as coins or bullion or something else entirely, as long as it’s eligible according to your custodian, you should be good to go! Thankfully, it’ll act pretty much the same as any other individual retirement arrangement, with yearly limits to how much you can contribute to it.  There will still be taxes, of course.  It’s not too hard to figure out, though, and your custodian/broker will be able to assist when needed. Why Convert, Though? One of the major questions that most people still have is why they should convert their 401(k) into an IRA in the first place.  It’s certainly worth pondering, but the answer is pretty simple.  As you can see here, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4148028, a lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re currently facing an economic recession. Combating it isn’t easy for a lot of us consumers, unfortunately.  There are a few ways, though – most of them involve utilizing hedges against inflation in some way.  Gold is a major hedge because its value isn’t diminished by things like paper currency losing buying power. So, that’s probably the main reason that it’s widely considered worthwhile to do this conversion process.  However, there’s also the fact that in investing in general, it’s not a great idea to put all of your eggs into one basket.  Keeping your assets diverse is critical, especially for something as important as your retirement. Again, even if it seems a long time away, it’ll creep up on you faster than you realize.  We all deserve a comfortable and happy retirement, especially after spending years being valuable members of the workforce.  Saving for that time of our lives is super important. Consider converting part of your 401(k) plan into an IRA if you know it won’t impact your current financial status in a negative way.  As long as you’ve done your research and you know what you’re getting yourself into, there really isn’t much of a reason not to do it – at least when looking at it from an investor’s standpoint. Read Also: Is Investment Bankers/Brokers/Service A Good Career Path In 2021? 5 Reasons Why Bitcoins Are Considered Reliable Investments 5 New Assets To Diversify Your Investments In 2021

READ MOREDetails