Can't Pay Your Taxes? What to Do First and Your IRS Options
Owing more than you can pay is common and fixable. File on time anyway, pay what you can, and pick the IRS option that fits your budget.
Step-by-step guides
Common IRS problems, solved step by step
Owe more than you can pay, facing an audit, missing a refund or dealing with identity theft? Start with the guide that matches your situation.
Paying what you owe
IRS Payment Plans: Short-Term, Long-Term, Fees and How to Apply
Most people who owe the IRS can spread the bill out. Here is how short-term and long-term plans work, what they cost in 2026, and how to apply.
Offer in Compromise: Who Qualifies, Fees and Real Odds
An offer in compromise can settle an IRS debt for less, but only if the IRS agrees you cannot pay in full. Here is how the IRS decides, and what it costs.
Currently Not Collectible Status: How IRS Hardship Status Works
If paying the IRS would leave you unable to cover basic living costs, the IRS can pause collection. The debt stays, but the pressure stops for now.
IRS Penalty Relief: Automatic Exemption, First Time Abate, More
Many IRS penalties can be removed. A new automatic program now skips some penalties for people with a clean record, and other relief is a phone call away.
How IRS Interest Works: 2025 and 2026 Rates and How It Adds Up
IRS interest is set by law, changes each quarter and compounds daily. Here is how the rate is figured, what it has been in 2025 and 2026, and when it can be removed.
Federal Tax Lien: What It Means and How to Get It Removed
A federal tax lien is the government's legal claim on your property when a tax bill goes unpaid. Here is how it works and the four ways to release or limit it.
IRS Levy and Wage Garnishment: How It Works and How to Stop It
An IRS levy takes money or property to pay a tax debt, but only after specific warnings. Here is what can be taken, what is protected, and how to get a levy released.
Collection Due Process Hearing: Deadlines, Form 12153 and CAP
A Collection Due Process hearing lets an independent IRS Appeals officer review a lien or planned levy. The 30-day deadline matters, so here is how it works.
IRS Statute of Limitations: Assessment, Collection and Refunds
The IRS has time limits to audit, to collect and to pay refunds. Here are the three clocks, the main exceptions, and how to find your own dates.
Audits, filing and identity
IRS Audit: What to Expect and How to Prepare
Many IRS audits happen by mail and focus on a few items. Here is how audits start, what the IRS can ask for, your rights, and how to respond step by step.
Audit Reconsideration: How to Reopen an IRS Audit
If you missed an audit, never got the letters, or now have the records you lacked, audit reconsideration lets you ask the IRS to take a second look at an unpaid bill.
How to Amend a Tax Return: Form 1040-X Guide
Found a mistake after filing? Form 1040-X lets you fix it. Here is when to amend, when not to, how to e-file it, how long it takes and the deadline for a refund.
Unfiled Tax Returns: How to Catch Up With the IRS
Behind on filing? You are not out of options. Here is how many years to file, how to get your old income records, and how filing now limits penalties and protects refunds.
Tax Identity Theft: Signs, Form 14039 and the IP PIN
Someone filed a return in your name, or the IRS says you earned wages you never earned. Here is how to confirm tax identity theft, report it the right way, and lock your account.
Innocent Spouse Relief: Form 8857 and Deadlines
Signing a joint return makes both spouses responsible for the whole tax bill. If your spouse or ex caused the problem, three kinds of IRS relief may take you off the hook.
IRS Refund Delays and Offsets: Where Is My Refund?
Most refunds arrive within three weeks of e-filing. If yours is late, smaller than expected, or taken for a debt, here is why it happens and what you can do about it.
IRS Scams: How to Tell if a Letter, Call or Text Is Real
Scammers pose as the IRS by phone, text, email and even mail. Here is how the real IRS contacts people, the red flags that give fakes away, and where to report them.
Getting help
How to Contact the IRS: Phone Numbers, Hours and Tips
Reaching the IRS is easier when you call the right line at the right time with the right papers in hand. Here are the main numbers, best times, in-person options and online shortcuts.
IRS Transcripts and Online Account: How to Get Them
Your IRS transcripts show what the IRS has on file: your returns, payments, notices and income documents. Here is which transcript you need and how to get it online or by mail.
Taxpayer Advocate Service and Low Income Tax Clinics
When the IRS is stuck, slow or causing real hardship, two free or low-cost resources can step in: the Taxpayer Advocate Service and Low Income Taxpayer Clinics. Here is how each one works.
Choosing a Tax Pro: Credentials, Form 2848 vs 8821
Not every tax preparer can speak for you in an audit or collection case. Here is how CPAs, enrolled agents, attorneys and other preparers differ, and how to authorize the right person.