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Bankruptcy does not necessarily get the IRS off you back

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Backoffice Squared

I represent taxpayers in Gainesville and the state of Florida who have tax issues with the IRS.

One of the benefits of filing for bankruptcy is that there is an automatic stay that prohibits the IRS from taking any further collection actions while proceedings are ongoing. On the other side of the formula, the Statute of Limitations that limits the time that the IRS has to collect is also put on hold for the duration of the filing plus 6 months. A Wisconsin couple recently found out that the automatic stay was not an absolute thing.

A district court, Pansier v. U.S., 2019 PTC 494 (E.D. Wis. 2019), affirmed a bankruptcy court's decision to lift the automatic stay. This allowed the IRS to Levy the debtors pension even though the bankruptcy case was still in motion. The reasoning from the bankruptcy court was that the pension was exempt from the regular creditors and as a result still available to the IRS outside of the bankruptcy.

This case shows once again that the IRS has far better collection tools than most creditors.

If you or someone you know has received a Notice of Intent to Levy or some other federal or state tax issue, please feel free to contact me at either (352) 317-5692 or email jim@backoffice2.net.

 

Jim Payne, CPA

Backoffice2

Gainesville, FL

Cell (352) 317-5692

Office (352) 376-9401

Fax (352) 376-9440

jim@backoffice2.net

https://backoffice2.net

Sham Reddy CRS
Howard Hanna RE Services, Dayton, OH - Dayton, OH
CRS

Thanks for the information,

One of the benefits of filing for bankruptcy is that there is an automatic stay that prohibits the IRS from taking any further collection actions while proceedings are ongoing. On the other side of the formula, the Statute of Limitations that limits the time that the IRS has to collect is also put on hold for the duration of the filing plus 6 months.

Jan 22, 2020 04:04 AM
Michael J. Perry
KW Elite - Lancaster, PA
Lancaster, PA Relo Specialist

It’s sounds like the IRS has gotten more agressive recently about collecting back taxes ???

Jan 22, 2020 05:45 AM
Jim Payne, CPA
Backoffice Squared - Gainesville, FL
CPA firm practicing in the area of IRS Collections

It's hard to make generalizations about the IRS activity levels. They lost a lot of people a few years back and new hires have now finished their training and are hitting the streets. New agents and revenue officers tend to want to follow the book that they have been taught. Experienced people have learned when the book is not reasonable and how much flexability they really have.

Jan 22, 2020 07:50 AM