Pillar 3
Taxes
IRS letters decoded by notice number, what happens when you have unfiled years, payment plans, Currently Not Collectible status and Offers in Compromise explained without the sales pitch. Written by people who do this for a living, with the ownership disclosed on every page.
Start here
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Start here
IRS notices and letters, decodedEvery notice number, what it means, the deadline on it, and what to do this week.
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Start here
Unfiled tax returns: what actually happensOne year, three years, ten years. The penalties, the substitute returns, and the way back.
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Guides
- IRS notices and letters, decodedEvery notice number, what it means, the deadline on it, and what to do this week.
- Unfiled tax returns: what actually happensOne year, three years, ten years. The penalties, the substitute returns, and the way back.
- IRS payment plansInstallment agreements, who qualifies, and what they cost.
- Currently Not Collectible statusWhen the IRS agrees you cannot pay right now.
- Offer in CompromiseSettling for less than you owe: who really qualifies, and why most ads lie.
- Tax scamsThe IRS does not call, text or email first. How the impersonators work.
IRS notices, by number
- CP14: you owe a balanceA CP14 is the IRS's first bill: it says you filed a return that shows tax due and the amount was not paid in full.
- CP2000: proposed changes because income did not matchA CP2000 is not a bill; it is a proposal to change your return because income reported to the IRS by employers, banks or brokers does not match what you filed.
- CP501: reminder of a balance dueA CP501 is the first reminder after a CP14 that you still have an unpaid balance; nothing has escalated yet, but the clock is running.
- CP503: second reminder, balance still dueA CP503 is the second reminder that a balance is unpaid; it is the last routine reminder before the IRS announces its intent to levy.
- CP504: notice of intent to levyA CP504 says the IRS intends to seize your state tax refund and may take further collection action, including a lien, if the balance is not paid.
- LT11: final notice of intent to levy and your right to a hearingAn LT11 (or Letter 1058) is the IRS's final warning before it levies your wages, bank accounts or other assets, and it gives you 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing.