Tag Archive for OIC

Effective Use Of The Offer In Compromise (OIC) Program Will Save Valuable IRS Resources While Bringing Finality To Taxpayers

When a taxpayer can’t afford to pay a tax liability in full, Internal Revenue Code (IRC) § 7122 authorizes the IRS to accept less than the full amount due in the form of an offer in compromise (OIC). As a condition of acceptance for an OIC, the taxpayer must agree to remain compliant with his or her filing and paying requirements for the five years following the acceptance of the OIC. So, although the IRS agrees to settle a tax debt for less than the full amount due, the IRS secures future filing and payment compliance for the next five years, hopefully developing better taxpayer habits, while also collecting an amount that it is unlikely to collect otherwise. On the other hand, the taxpayer is no longer saddled with a debt that cannot be satisfied in full. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS • National Taxpayer Advocate

You Owe The IRS And May Qualify For An Offer-In-Compromise

Barry Fowler, offer-in-compromise, late tax filing

If you’re squeamish about filing your taxes because you owe back taxes and aren’t in a position to pay in full, you might be able to qualify for an Offer-in-Compromise (OIC). Depending on how much you owe, you could potentially save thousands of dollars in taxes, penalties, and interest by qualifying for an IRS offer-in-compromise settlement.

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Written by | Posted in Tax Filing

If The IRS Sends You A Bill That You Can’t Pay… Please Don’t Have A Heart Attack!

A few years ago, a client came to me almost at the point of a nervous breakdown. He had been recently audited by the IRS and subsequently received a tax bill in the mail for over $180,000! After briefly perusing the documents he brought in, I quickly realized that something was significantly amiss with this tax bill. So I advised him not to panic, but to leave his documents with me. After comparing the audit adjustments with his documents, I decided that we had to go and pay the IRS a visit.

A couple weeks later, we were sitting down with the officer who had conducted the audit and his manager, and after reviewing the audit adjustments together, the amount originally assessed was eventually cut in half. The audit officer, who appeared to be a rookie, had apparently done a very poor job. Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual • IRS • Tax Controversy

Audit Tips – Case Resolution

The most important thing about representing a client is – know at least as much about them as the IRS does.

Don’t ever put yourself in the position of being embarrassed, after putting together your client’s financials or tax audit workpapers – only to learn that the IRS knows about income or assets your client has not disclosed to you.

How do you make sure this never happens?

1) Get a signed power of attorney from the client and/or spouse and/or partner
2) USE the POA to request every possible kind of transcript there is for the year(s) in question – third party reports of income and expenses, master file records, account Read More

Written by | Posted in Audit • Tax Tips

Alphabet Soup For Offers In Compromise (“OIC”)

I. Concept and Goals

a. Taxpayers who have few assets and little prospect of generating sufficient income to pay a tax liability in full may be allowed to strike a settlement for less than the full amount due to settle their case.

b. The IRS’s acceptance of an offer in compromise conclusively settles the liability, absent fraud or mistake.

c. What is the policy goal? To achieve collection of what is potentially collectible at the earliest possible time and at the least cost to the government while providing taxpayers with a fresh start toward future voluntary compliance. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS • Tax Controversy