The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers some great advice on handling a letter or notice from them. The main takeaway is that whether or not you agree with the contents of the letter, you should stay calm and respond in a timely fashion.
If you are unsure about where you stand as far as owing money to the IRS, you may want to visit IRS.gov to view your account information. Notices regarding tax returns or tax accounts will include detailed information on how to proceed and appropriately resolve the issue.
Official letters from the IRS include exact instructions for solving the tax problems that they are reaching out to inform you about. This is done to avoid calls or trips to the IRS office. More information is available online to simplify the process.
The first contact from the IRS will come in the mail, not via social media or text message. They have a specific collection process that they follow, so if the letter from the IRS is asking for immediate payment via credit or debit card – that is a red flag and can be considered a scam.
The IRS states that “Sometimes a notice may ask for more information about a specific issue or item on a tax return.” In such cases, you should respond as soon as possible to avoid penalty charges or additional interest can incur.
It helps to have copies of any documentation that you send to and receive from the IRS.
We understand that any communication with the IRS can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to say or do. Contact a tax professional from our team at Tax Defense Partners for further assistance!