Written by Scott Allen

stopirsaction.com — What are the IRS Collection Priorities for 2020?

stopIRSaction.com

1)      The IRS is filing IRS tax liens on all tax debts.  Revenue Officers are now required to file Federal Tax Liens as soon as they know there are taxes owed.  The number of tax liens has risen from a low of 410,220 in 2018 to 543,604 in 2019.  The IRS is making sure that they secure the tax debt before taxpayers can sell assets and use the money for other purposes.

2)      The Automated collection Service (ACS) has started issuing levies against wages and bank accounts immediately after the mandatory 30 day waiting period.  Normally the IRS would take months before issuing levies.  In the past ACS has given taxpayers 30 days to file any unfiled tax returns and another 30 days to propose a settlement.  We are now seeing ACS give as little as 3 days to file returns or make a settlement proposal.

3)      The IRS is taking more aggressive action on collecting on the trust fund recovery penalty.  Between 2012 and 2017 less than 24% of  assessments were collected.  Manny trust fund assessment penalties went several years before the IRS would try to collect.  By that time the taxpayer was less able to pay the IRS.  If you are behind on your payroll taxes, expect Revenue Officers to start immediate collection action after they assess it.

4)      If you are a non-filer or continue to owe year after year, the IRS has targeted you as a high priority.  The IRS knows that they may not be able to collect on past taxes but they will only accept this if you are staying current on this year’s tax liability.

With the huge budget deficits mounting each year and our national debt growing to dangerous proportions, congress has asked the IRS commissioner to step the timing of collection actions.  If you are struggling with any of the high priority items mentioned, contact me to discuss how you can settle your IRS matter before it reaches a point of crisis.

Scott Allen E. A.

Tax Debt Advisors, Inc

www.stopIRSaction.com