The IRS has options available if you can't pay your taxes in full. However, those options can be confusing, challenging, and just downright frustrating at times, as todays example illustrates.
This morning, I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with IRS, trying to help a client set up a payment plan for her 2021 and 2022 balance due.
First, we tried to do it online, because according to irs.gov, it's $31 to set up direct debit online, and $107 if set up by phone, mail, or in person.
My client started by creating the ID.me account, which went surprisingly smoothly, and I highly recommend going online and creating one so you have access to your tax records if needed.
But then, as soon as we requested the payment plan, it immediately said we need to call this certain phone number, with the certain extension number, so we called, and through the course of two verifications and a transfer to a different department, we ended up with agent ID # XXXXXXXX. I didn't catch his name, I was lucky to get his ID number written down, all the agents seem to talk so fast, and act so annoyed when I ask them to repeat the information.
This particular agent looked up the account and after many "less than five minute" holds he finally told us the payment plan was going to cost a couple hundred dollars. We, of course, argued with that since it was through no fault of our own that the IRS website wasn't able to process a simple payment plan on my clients behalf.
He put us on yet another "less than five minute" hold. Next time he came back, he told us that he actually couldn't do a payment plan at all, because the secondary taxpayer, my client, the spouse on a jointly filed return, had a $13 unprocessed balance from 2015 and until that "posts to the account", the system won't let him do a payment plan for us.
What the actual fuck. Pardon my language. I don't usually swear, but some circumstances just call for it, and this is one of them. What kind of broken system is the IRS, when a taxpayer who is trying to do the right thing and get caught up on their taxes can't go online and set up a payment plan for the $12,000 in taxes that she owes. It's no wonder people put off dealing with tax issues. It really is easier sometimes to just ignore tax filing requirements rather than do the right thing, especially when the IRS makes it so freaking difficult to get a hold of anyone, get questions answered, and make payment arrangements.
Dealing with the IRS is frustrating and time-consuming and something needs to change. In the meantime, if you need help with a payment plan or penalty abatement, or getting caught up on unfiled returns, I can help.
Whatever your comfort level is… I can sit with you while you call the IRS or go online to obtain account info or try to request a payment plan, or you can sign a tax power of attorney and let me speak to IRS on your behalf without you needing to be there or worry or stress about the situation. Let me relieve the burden and work towards a solution that can be mutually agreeable for all parties,
Just imagine how good it will feel to have your tax situation caught up and taken care of.
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