If you find yourself unable to pay taxes, or have chosen not to pay them in the past for whatever reason, you re going to have to deal with the IRS. Maybe you already have a tax levy or a tax lien, but you definitely have some stress. When you find yourself dealing with back taxes you essentially have two options. You can negotiate with the IRS on your own or you can hire a tax attorney to deal with the IRS on your behalf. Do you need professional help? Ask yourself these three questions:
1. How Bad is it? For the sake of argument, let s define a bad problem as one in which you owe more than $10,000 in back taxes. In this case, you should, without a doubt, use the services of a tax attorney. Another way to define bad is by whether or not you already have a tax levy or a tax lien. If you are the victim of either then you should definitely hire a tax attorney to work on your behalf. Many tax attorneys are former IRS agents who know exactly how to negotiate your debt to a reasonable amount, and that is exactly the kind of service you need.
2. What Kind of Time Do You Have? If you want to handle the problem of back taxes yourself then you must realize that you will have to have a clear understanding of tax codes and how they relate to levies and liens. You will also have to intimately understand the myriad of tax solutions available in order to effectively negotiate with the IRS. Do you have that kind of time? The information is out there and it s fairly easy to obtain given the breadth of the internet, but you really need to consider whether you have enough time to adequately research the situation so that you can speak intelligently with an IRS agent whose only concern is getting what you owe the government.
3. Can You Afford a Tax Attorney? One of the most prohibitive factors for individuals who are considering hiring a tax attorney is cost. Most fear that the services of an attorney will prove to be more than they can easily afford. But the real question to ask yourself is whether you can afford not to hire a tax attorney. Tax attorneys can negotiate back taxes on your behalf with the result that you ll potentially end up paying far less than you actually owe, depending on your financial situation. They will also intercept any correspondence you receive from the IRS, whether by mail or telephone, so that you don t have to worry about it. And they know enough about tax law to make all of the loopholes and grey areas work on your behalf. Ultimately, the question is not whether you can afford a tax attorney; it s whether you can afford not to have a tax attorney.
If you find yourself dealing with back taxes, determining whether or not to hire a tax attorney may initially seem like a tough decision. After all, it couldn t be that hard to handle it on your own, could it? But once you consider the amount of specific knowledge required to effectively negotiate with the IRS, the question becomes moot. And once you realize how much pressure is removed from you once you ve enlisted the aid of a qualified tax attorney, there s no longer any reason to question the wisdom of hiring a tax attorney. The help provided by a tax attorney is invaluable and regardless of the size of your back tax problem, you simply can’t afford not to pursue that help.
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