If you have considerable back taxes or have failed to submit tax returns for several years, an IRS Revenue Officer may pay you a surprise visit. When they catch you off guard, it can be incredibly unsettling.
You may have made the error of believing that you can hide from the IRS. You may have also thought that you can quickly negotiate with the IRS collector on your lonesome, but doing so might lead to many more issues.
The IRS’s budget for field Revenue Officers has been reduced in recent years, so if one shows up at your house, it’s because the IRS believes your tax debt is among the worst. The Revenue Officer’s primary responsibility is to collect these unpaid taxes.
If you owe past taxes, an IRS Revenue Officer may make an unannounced appearance. This conveys to the taxpayer that the IRS is serious about recovering unpaid taxes and is consistent with their current collection policies. The IRS will try to contact you at your place of business first if it’s your business that owes the government.
The IRS will try to contact you at your home if you owe individual income taxes. If you were not present at the time of the unannounced visit, the officer would commonly leave a business card.
IRS Revenue Officers typically collect on significant payroll tax delinquencies rather than minor income tax delinquencies. Still, you could be visited by a Revenue Officer for either reason, depending on the nature of your situation and the IRS’s goals.
Revenue Officers are specially trained and skilled members of the IRS Collections Divisions, and they have access to a variety of collection tools. As previously stated, Revenue Officers are known to contact people in their homes or places of work. They can also direct for summons to be issued, requiring you to appear in person at an IRS field office.
Many Revenue Officers are good people, but you must never forget that they will always be enforcers of the IRS Collections Division first, and yes, they do hold a lot of power. The amount and speed with which they can recover delinquent taxes are used to evaluate their work effectiveness.
Revenue Officers serve as both judge and jury in collections cases, and their decisions are believed to be correct before anything else.
As a result, the taxpayer must present their argument to the Revenue Officer’s satisfaction. Revenue officers are well aware that they have the upper hand in negotiations with tax filers. Because of their immense power, forbearance to taxpayers is usually at their discretion.
Some will use intimidation to encourage taxpayers to pay their debts faster, and others will use aggressive collection tactics to complete a case quickly. So expect the worst when a Revenue Officer shows up at your doorstep, as they have a particular mission.
When evaluating their job performance, an IRS Revenue Officer generally looks at two things: how much money they can collect and how quickly they can shut a case out. However, other than a successful resolution, the most crucial goal for a taxpayer is to get an IRS Revenue Officer out of your life – ASAP.
No taxpayer would want anyone from the IRS peering over their shoulder, and the longer they stay, the more chances they have to make your life a living hell.
Any delinquent returns may be prepared ahead of time as part of preparing to face the IRS Revenue Officer.
Whatever your profession happens to be, there are always a handful of people that make our lives more challenging than they should be. They might hand in work that isn’t up to par and will take a considerable amount of your effort to fix. They may be folks who require continuous follow-ups so that you can have the stuff that you need. But, unfortunately, they may also continually fail when it comes to meeting deadlines and appointments.
You may be one of these individuals to others, but you must not be one of these people to an IRS Revenue Officer.
It’s never a brilliant idea to get on their wrong side. They will be less likely to provide you with the ending that you seek for your little run-in with the IRS. If you get into an IRS Revenue Officer’s bad side, expect that officer to make the negotiation even more unpleasant and challenging.
Furthermore, failing to meet revenue officer deadlines might result in severe consequences. If you start to go out of line, they might rapidly issue a lien or levy on your property. Be aware that they may approach these cases with a bias against you due to any previous lack of effort in dealing with your non-compliance in the first place. As a result, you must do everything you can to satisfy the Revenue Officer.
Make sure that all of your documents are well-organized and labeled. Do not simply stuff items haphazardly into an envelope and mail them.
Avoid sending a Revenue Officer extensive documents that they would have to spend time organizing for you. It’s not a secret that Revenue Officers hate disorganized files. Imagine these people’s desks at work. The simple act of labeling files is a big help. Keep your eye on the goal.
Generally, keep your meetings with them pleasant. IRS Revenue Officers already have a lot of difficult dialogues and interactions daily. So you can say that mentally, they’re shaped to be harsh in their dealings.
It’s not all bad, though. There is a good part about being assigned an officer. First, revenue Officers are always close by. Secondly, your Revenue Officer will be closely monitoring your case. Lastly, they are genuinely dedicated to a quick conclusion because their job performance also relies on it. Finally, personal attention entails the opportunity to form a bond with this individual and assist them in better understanding your tax situation. If you believe the revenue officer is acting unfairly or in bad faith, you can always escalate your problem to a Group Manager from the IRS.
If you’re facing an IRS audit in Santa, Ana, California and need audit representation or have questions, call us today at 855-612-7777 or email us: support@taxlawadvocates.com
