What to do When You Owe Taxes

For all your good intentions, you’ve found yourself in a position where you owe taxes to the IRS that you can’t pay right away. All is not lost, there are ways to deal with this situation that can be helpful if you can’t pay. The IRS has several methods you can use to arrange a plan to pay the IRS taxes that you owe over time.

The most important part is to not ignore the situation, you need to take action and make arrangements. If you ignore it, like most things, your situation will only get worse, costing you more in interest and penalties.

Recently the IRS published a Special Edition Tax Tip 2017-09 which details what you can do in this situation. the actual text of the Tip follows below:

Tips for Taxpayers Who Owe Taxes

The IRS offers a variety of payment options where taxpayers can pay immediately or arrange to pay in installments. Those who receive a bill from the IRS should not ignore it. A delay may cost more in the end. As more time passes, the more interest and penalties accumulate.

Here are some ways to make payments using IRS electronic payment options:

• Direct Pay. Pay tax bills directly from a checking or savings account free with IRS Direct Pay. Taxpayers receive instant confirmation once they’ve made a payment. With Direct Pay, taxpayers can schedule payments up to 30 days in advance. Change or cancel a payment two business days before the scheduled payment date.
• Credit or Debit Cards. Taxpayers can also pay their taxes by debit or credit card online, by phone or with a mobile device. A payment processor will process payments.  The IRS does not charge a fee but convenience fees apply and vary by processor.

Those wishing to use a mobile devise can access the IRS2Go app to pay with either Direct Pay or debit or credit card. IRS2Go is the official mobile app of the IRS. Download IRS2Go from Google Play, the Apple App Store or the Amazon App Store.

• Installment Agreement. Taxpayers, who are unable to pay their tax debt immediately, may be able to make monthly payments. Before applying for any payment agreement, taxpayers must file all required tax returns. Apply for an installment agreement with the Online Payment Agreement tool.

Who’s eligible to apply for a monthly installment agreement online?

• Individuals who owe $50,000 or less in combined  tax, penalties and interest and have filed all required returns
• Businesses that owe $25,000 or less in combined tax, penalties and interest for the current year or last year’s liabilities and have filed all required returns

Those who owe taxes are reminded to pay as much as they can as soon as possible to minimize interest and penalties. Visit IRS.gov/payments for all payment options.

IRS YouTube Videos:

• IRS Taxes-Three Easy Ways to Pay – English | Spanish | ASL
• IRS2Go Mobile App – English | Spanish | ASL