If you’ve got plans to travel abroad this year and haven’t applied for or renewed your passport, the Internal Revenue Service can throw a wrench in the works if you owe a significant amount of back taxes. Three years ago, the IRS implemented harsher collection measures for people with "seriously delinquent" federal tax debt. This change, which applies to those who owe $54,000 or more, appeared as part of the Read More

If you have a PayPal account, you’ve probably gotten emails with warning headers like ‘Security Breach on Your Account or ‘Act Now or Your Account Will Be Deactivated’. These communications are probably not from PayPal: they are intended to make you panic, log into your ‘account’ via a false website, and unwittingly give your login credentials to a cyber-thief who will lock you out of your own account and empty any Read More

The biggest fear for anyone charged with a crime is having to serve time in prison. Besides having your charges dropped or getting acquitted in court, receiving probation could be the best outcome. Federal judges consider numerous factors and are influenced by countless factors when sentencing a defendant to probation.  In other words, it is not just luck but often a compelling life story well -presented by your Read More

To answer the question, yes. The Internal Revenue Service began using the services of private collection agencies (PCAs) several years ago. The IRS tasks the contracting PCAs to collect (or attempt to collect) inactive tax receivables from taxpayers. Inactive tax receivables do not cover all, or even most, tax debts. These receivables are tax debts that cannot be collected due to the IRS’s inability to find the Read More

To begin to answer the question posed above, we must first clarify that taxpayers are typically presumed to own their own mistakes. That is especially true when taxpayers prepare their own tax returns, without the help of a CPA or other tax professional.  Let’s say you did hire an accountant to prepare your federal tax return. You’re under the impression that you provided truthful and comprehensive information. Read More

For many people accused of wrongdoing, statutes of limitations are their saving grace. The highest stakes with respect to statutes of limitations involve criminal charges, but most civil actions also have limiting statutes.  A statute of limitations is the maximum amount of time allowed to start legal proceedings against a party accused of wrongdoing. The clock begins ticking on the statute of limitations Read More

Despite the best efforts of the most skilled criminal defense attorney one can find, federal juries often return guilty verdicts. However, experienced legal counsel can still make a significant impact for defendants during the sentencing phase. One of the most important components of the sentencing phase in federal cases is the U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines. An important note before we explain more about the Read More

A recent call to the IRS has ended in frustration for many taxpayers. The agency’s dwindling budget, compounded by the COVID-caused backlog of returns, has left few employees available to answer phone calls. Not being able to reach a human being causes significant anxiety for taxpayers whose finances are suffering due to a dispute (or even a simple misunderstanding) with the IRS.  Taxpayer Advocate Service Some Read More

Executing search warrants—of someone’s house, car, or place of business—is a common way for police to gather evidence of an alleged crime. Staring down the business end of a search warrant is rattling and should be concerning. After all, who would want state or federal authorities walking through their home and searching every corner?  Adding to the perturbing situation is the tendency of federal agents to execute Read More

When taxpayers hear “IRS,” they don’t think of the federal agency’s IT infrastructure, information services, and behind-the-scenes operations support. Taxpayers are primarily concerned with the IRS’ ability to collect taxes, audit their tax returns, and, in worst-case scenarios, investigate tax crimes.  The forward-facing component of the IRS is usually referred to as the enforcement division. There are numerous Read More