Federal Tax Lien
What is a Federal Tax Lien?
A tax lien affects your financial assets, personal property and your real estate. It can vary based on your individual situation and are the government’s way of protecting their interest in the case that you fail to pay your tax debt in a timely manner. If you do fail to pay the IRS on time a lien will attach to all of your current or future assets until it is addressed. If you do not address the tax debt in a timely manner the lien may turn into a levy where the IRS has the ability to seize said assets.
What Are Assets?
Real estate property
Vehicle
(car, boat, motorcycle, etc.)
Bonds
Stocks
Cash
Bitcoin
Does a Tax Lien affect My Credit Score?
As of April 2018, all three tax bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) removed liens from appearing on your credit report meaning that it should not affect your credit score whether or not it has been paid off. Although a lien does not appear on your credit score it still does need to be handled as they are still public records and may appear on other consumer reports.
How Do I Know If I Have a Federal Tax Lien?
The IRS has a filing process before sending out a notice. They will:
- Assess the amount owed through a filed tax return
- Send a tax bill to your last known address
If you do not pay the tax bill sent by the IRS, that is when the IRS will send out a lien notice.
How to Avoid a Tax Lien
Some options are:
Although it may seem like a federal lien may be looming, there is always an option available that may best fit your needs in order to avoid it. Visit our IRS problem resolution page for more services.
I Have Received a Notice, What Do I Do?
It may seem as though there’s no relief if you’ve received notice short of paying the entirety of your debt off but this is not always the case. There are a few routes you can take after receiving a federal lien. A couple of options to relieve yourself are:
- Paying the debt in full
- Applying for an Installment Agreement
- Applying for a Partial Payment Installment Agreement
- Applying for Lien Discharge
- Applying for Lien Subordination
To learn more about liens, check the following
Next Steps:
If you find yourself in danger of receiving or have already received a notice, the most important thing to remember is not to ignore it. There are many options to avoid or relieve a lien depending on your and your business’s circumstances. Call us today to discuss your options and the best way to move forward for your specific situation.