Interacting With an IRS Revenue Officer

If you are delinquent on paying your taxes or filing your returns, you may find an IRS Revenue Officer has contacted you. While you must take their investigation seriously, you should not be intimidated. These officers want to help you come into compliance and can offer solutions if you cooperate.

Our seasoned tax attorney works with former Revenue Officers who have insight into these government employees and what they are looking for. Call us and retain legal counsel so you know what to expect when you interact with an IRS Revenue Officer.

What Should a Taxpayer Do If They Are Contacted By a Revenue Officer?

The first rule is: do not ignore them! IRS Revenue Officers expect prompt answers and action. It is their job to demand a list of items and give a deadline; and if that deadline is missed, they will follow through on the consequences. Every officer is different in how lenient they are in extending deadlines, but often they will only allow one deadline extension before moving forward with collection action . Revenue Officers are held to a timeline by the IRS so they cannot let a case linger for weeks or months without acting.

You can work directly with the Revenue Officer yourself or you can hire a legal professional as an intermediary who helps gather needed information and organize it in a way that is easiest for the Revenue Officer to come to the ideal conclusion. Former Revenue Officers can anticipate the IRS’s next steps and requests, helping you in your interactions.

How Do Revenue Officers Handle Unpaid Taxes?

Revenue Officers issue standard IRS notices demanding payment, provide a deadline, and warn of consequences if it goes unpaid. These demands for payment often include appeal rights if you believe there is a reason that the IRS should not attempt collection of the debt.

Officers will file Notices of Federal Tax Lien to secure the government’s interest in a taxpayer’s assets and to put the public on notice that the government has a priority claim on assets. If you are unable to pay in full immediately, they will request a collection information statement and supporting financial documents to determine if you are able to pay, and then how much you can pay immediately and on a monthly installment basis. If you do not provide the information, ignore the request, or stop cooperating with the Revenue Officer, then they will move forward with enforcement action, including levies (garnishments) of income and accounts, or seizure of property.

How Do They Handle Taxpayer Interviews?

When Revenue Officers begin work on a case, they will start by either sending an appointment letter with a time to meet and the information that you should have available for the interview; or they will show up unannounced to the taxpayer’s home or business. Either way is acceptable and standard practice.

During that initial meeting, the Revenue Officer will make you aware of all items and amounts that are due to the IRS and ask if you can pay or provide them immediately. If you cannot, the officer will ask some questions to determine the next steps to bring you into compliance. They will ask about your income and expenses, assets, loans on those assets, and retirement accounts, among others.

How Can Revenue Officers Help You Resolve Your Tax Issues?

If a taxpayer is cooperative and works hand in hand with the assigned Revenue Officer, it is likely that they will come to a fair resolution, like an installment agreement or Currently Not Collectable status. They also educate taxpayers to help them avoid potential problems in the future.

Sometimes there is an issue on the IRS account that erroneously shows a taxpayer owes a balance or has an unfiled tax return, and that taxpayer has been attempting to resolve this problem through other avenues within the IRS, with no positive results. Once a case is with a Revenue Officer, they must resolve all issues associated with that taxpayer’s account, so they now have a direct contact within the IRS who should walk the documents through IRS channels and fix that underlying problem.

Call Us If You Were Assigned a Revenue Officer to Handle Your Tax Situation

While having a Revenue Officer assigned to your case may seem scary and intimidating, sometimes it can be a blessing because you now have a dedicated person to work with, instead of calling and waiting on hold with the IRS for hours and getting a different person each time.

At Pontius Tax Law, you can speak with a former IRS Revenue Officer who can explain how you should interact with the person currently overseeing your tax matter. Call us for a consultation today.