Tag: debt relief

Business Taxes, Family Taxes, General Information, Self Employed, Small Business, Tax Debt, Tax Deductions, Tax Reduction, Uncategorized

Owe the IRS? Find out what your credit report tells them.

Howard Tax Prep LLC

 

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Author: Trudy M. Howard

In our Chicago tax debt office you’ll often hear me say “the IRS is worse than the FBI.” Of course this is simply my opinion (based upon years of research, tax debt cases, education, and government documents), but if the IRS isn’t worse than the FBI, they surely are a close 2nd!

When I tell you that the IRS can find out anything,  I mean they can find out anything (except for your blood type, but I’m sure that’s pending)! The IRS has access to systems that you wouldn’t believe existed. For example, did you know that the IRS receives a weekly file of new movers? It’s true. “The United States Postal Service (USPS) provides an address update product — the National Change of Address Linkage (NCOALink), and the IRS receives a weekly NCOALink file from USPS. The file contains all of the reported changes of address in the United States for the week.” Not only does the IRS use this system, along with several others, the IRS also has the authority to pull a debtor’s credit report! Keep reading to see what your credit report tells the IRS.

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There are 6 key things that an IRS collections representative is looking for when they access your credit report.

  • Previous residences along with old/current employers.
  • Other lien holders to see how much you owe, and how much you’ve paid.
  • Property that may not have been disclosed during your collections interview.
  • Leads to hidden assets by identifying other creditors.
  • Financial institutions that you have done business with in the past and currently.
  • Entities and associations with foreign banks and corporations.

Hopefully, by viewing this list you see that it is important to disclose all financial information when dealing with the IRS. Once you submit all of your financial information,  Howard Tax Prep LLC, located in the South Loop of Chicago, can help you with an IRS tax debt settlement, a tax debt payment plan, removal of tax lien, and IRS wage garnishments in Chicago, and all 50 states.

Although we’ve given you the basics, this is not an all-inclusive article. Should you have tax debt help questions, need Chicago business tax preparation, business entity creation, business insurance, or business compliance assistance please contact us online, or call our office toll free at 1-855-743-5765 or locally in Chicago or Indiana at 1-708-529-6604. Make sure to join our newsletter for more tips on reducing taxes, and increasing your wealth.

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Family Taxes, General Information, General Tax Topics, Self Employed, Small Business, Uncategorized

7 KEYS TO SETTING & STICKING TO A BUDGET!

Howard Tax Prep LLC

group of women sitting in front of table

Author Trudy M Howard. 

In our South Loop Chicago Tax Office, we not only help clients with tax planning to reduce their taxes, but we also draft personalized financial wellness plans.  If you want to eliminate debt, be prepared for an emergency, and retire with confidence, you must learn how to budget your finances. Not only do you want to set a budget, but you need to STICK TO YOUR BUDGET in order to be successful. Keep reading to find out the 7 KEYS TO SETTING & STICKING TO A BUDGET.

1.) Set realistic amounts: If you know that you like to shop, or that you don’t like to cook, don’t set a budget of $25 a month for shopping and dining out.

2.) Use cash instead of a debit/credit card. Retailers know that consumers spend more when they use their card instead of spending cash. Every Sunday withdraw enough for your gas, lunch, groceries, and incidentals.

3.) Watch your funds: Balance your checkbook! Don’t rely on the online banking system to give you current balances, as some purchases may not show for 24-48 hours later. Balancing your checkbook also helps you avoid overdraft fees, and less overdraft fees equal more savings!

4.) Stick to your entertainment budget: Use a prepaid debit card for your entertainment cost. Once the card is empty, you’ll know that you’ve reached your entertainment budget for the week. Be prepared to say NO to invitations from friends, and don’t feel as if you need to provide a detailed explanation about your financial situation.

5.) Expect unexpected expenses. No matter how disciplined you are in sticking to your budget, just as sure as the sun rises in the East, and sets in the West, I can GUARANTEE YOU that some unplanned expense is going to come up. Whether it be an increase in fuel cost, an increase in your utilities, or an unexpected dental emergency, expect to spend an extra $100-$150 a month.

6.) Track every purchase for the next 30 days. In order to get a clear look at your spending habits, you need to track all of your purchases. From the gum that you purchased, to the car note that you paid, Record. Every. Single. Purchase. Although you can use your bank statements to track your spending, writing down the figures can help you identify and remember areas of your concern.

7.) Pay bills on time to avoid late fees and bad credit. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can destroy a budget faster than a late payment fee! If you don’t like having your bills set to auto pay, try using google calendar to set a reminder the day before a bill is due. Not only does paying your bills on time increase your credit score, but it also creates more wealth building opportunities.

Although we’ve given you the basics, this is not an all-inclusive article. Should you have questions, or need business tax preparation, business entity creation, business insurance, or business compliance assistance please contact us online, or call our office at 855-743-5765. Make sure to join our newsletter for more tips on reducing taxes, and increasing your wealth.

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Business Taxes, Family Taxes, General Information, General Tax Topics, Self Employed, Small Business, Tax Debt, Tax Deductions, Tax Reduction, Uncategorized

Owe taxes? What to do when you owe the IRS.

Howard Tax Prep LLC

Listen, I’ve been there. You know the place where you’re afraid to open the notice from the IRS because you think they are coming for your right arm and both legs? The place where you KNEW that you should have been paying more through out the year, but you needed your money, so you chose go exempt from Federal taxes? Or how about the place where you thought you were paying enough to the IRS, and to your surprise you wound up with a tax bill! Listen to this quick podcast below by clicking the play button, or listen on iTunes by searching “small biz tax lady.”

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I talk about if you should file, your payment options, and why you need to read your IRS notices. If you have a more complicated case (such as refund taken due to spousal debt, IRS wage garnishments, or a pending levy, please call us immediately at 855-743-5765 or email me directly at thoward@howardtaxprep.com

Have a podcast idea? Send me your suggestions at podcast@howardtaxprep.com or inbox me.

 

Business Taxes, Family Taxes, Tax Debt, Tax Deductions, Tax Reduction, Uncategorized

CAN I FILE BANKRUPTCY FOR TAX DEBT?

Howard Tax Prep LLC

bankruptcy

Once the IRS assesses a tax bill, it generally has 10 years to collect that amount before the statute of limitations expires. Holy smokes! That’s a long time to have a creditor chasing you! And this isn’t any ordinary creditor. The IRS has a lot of power that it can use to collect your late payments. The IRS can garnish wages, file a notice of federal tax lien, and empty your bank account.

If your tax bill has exploded beyond what you can pay, you’re probably already feeling the hot breath of the IRS. At this point, you need to consider your options for how to reduce or eliminate your tax bill.

If you have thought about bankruptcy, you need to be aware of its limitations. Tax debts are particularly sticky—many of them stay with you even after the bankruptcy process is complete. And it’s important to know that bankruptcy is not your only recourse. The IRS gives you four avenues of relief to help you get out of tax debt that you can read about here. Depending on your circumstances, one or more of those IRS methods could entirely eliminate that horrible tax cloud hanging over your head, or you can look into filing bankruptcy.

It is important to note that bankruptcy is not a simple process and has many lingering effects, such as the potentially decade-long hit to your credit. However, bankruptcy can be the perfect tool in the right situation—and it can permanently eliminate some of your income tax liabilities, including penalties and interest.

The following rules determine whether you can discharge your income tax debt in bankruptcy. You have to meet all three rules to qualify:
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RULE #1: Debts must be more than three years old. You have to wait at least three years after the filing deadline for the tax years at issue (normally April 15 for calendar year taxpayers) before you file your bankruptcy petition. In other words, if you file your petition on April 15, 2016, you can discharge tax debts for tax years 2013 and earlier. But note that an extension pushes your filing deadline to October 15. So if you got an extension in 2013, you must wait until October 15, 2016, to file your bankruptcy petition before you can discharge tax debts from 2013.

RULE #2: You must file all tax returns. You have to wait at least two years after you filed your tax return before you file your bankruptcy petition. So what happens if you didn’t file a return for a year? To discharge that debt, you must file that return now and then wait for two years before you file for bankruptcy.

RULE #3: Wait eight months after IRS assessment. You must wait at least 240 days after the IRS assessed your taxes before you file the bankruptcy petition.

As you can see, timing is important. If you want to ensure that the bankruptcy proceeding will clear your tax debts, you must:

  • Make sure you have filed all of your returns.
  • Wait until enough time has passed so that you qualify for relief.
  • Commit No fraud. Bankruptcy will not discharge your debt if you committed fraud or willfully evaded taxes.

Although we’ve given you the basics, this is not an all-inclusive article. Should you have tax debt help questions, need Chicago business tax preparation, business entity creation, business insurance, or business compliance assistance please contact us online, or call our office toll free at 1-855-743-5765 or locally in Chicago or Indiana at 1-708-529-6604. Make sure to join our newsletter for more tips on reducing taxes, and increasing your wealth.

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