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Which IRS letters are just scare tactics and which letters are serious? Find out the answer to this very important question HERE!

If you are on my webpage, then you probably have a tax problem. And if you have a tax problem, I bet you have been bombarded with "love letters" from the IRS... some letters reminding you to pay your unpaid taxes, some reminding you to file, some wanting information, and some wanting you to call them. Yikes. Or perhaps some letters are even more sinister: demanding pay by a deadline, threatening to levy or threatening to seize assets. Undoubtedly, every letter is scary when you owe the IRS and just not knowing what is coming next can be unnerving. What you may or may not know is some IRS threats are serious, and some are scare tactics. How is a person to know the difference?

Today I have some very valuable information for you. I am going to share secret information on how to tell which IRS letters really require urgent attention.

• 1. Final Notice of Intent to Levy: The Internal Revenue Code stipulates that the Service must notify a taxpayer of intent to levy prior to a levy.
• a. Oftentimes, the IRS will issue "Notice of Intent to Levy...Intent to seize your property or rights to property". This is called a CP504 letter. This is a scare tactic. This letter does not have teeth and the IRS cannot seize property unless a "Final Notice" has been issued. But don't continue to bury your head in the sand just because this letter does not have teeth. Instead, if you receive a CP504 letter, you are heading down the path to a levy, and it is best to start taking action NOW before it gets too out of hand.
• b. On rare occasions the IRS will not even send a Notice of Intent, and will instead just issue a Final Notice of Intent to Levy. If you receive a Final Notice of Intent to Levy...seek help immediately! A levy is imminent.
• 2. Summons: The IRS will issue a Summons only when a specific local IRS employee is working the case. This will either be an IRS Revenue Officer or an IRS Revenue Agent. This is not something to mess around with or put off until the last minute. It's serious business. Typically a Summons is issued when an IRS employee feels that the taxpayer is not being compliant in requests for information (see Summary of Contact below) or is believed to be withholding or falsifying information. If you have been issued a Summons, seek help immediately!
• 3. Summary of Contact: If you receive a Summary of Taxpayer Contact from the IRS, you have received a form 9297. A form 9297 is serious because a Revenue Officer is requesting information by a certain deadline. When they issue a 9297 one of two things is happening: 1.) They are trying to assess the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty against a responsible party for failing to file and/or deposit payroll tax (very serious)... or 2.) They are trying to obtain financials to perform a financial analysis or find sources of income to garnish. Seek help immediately! DO NOT IGNORE A FORM 9297. If you are open for a levy and you miss the deadline, the IRS will not hesitate to seize your income. Call me immediately!
  
  Warning: If you have received ANY of the above letters, you do not want to handle this yourself. You may end up disclosing, or not disclosing something that will only hurt you; hiring a qualified tax lawyer upon receipt of these letters can help make sure that whatever happens is in your best interest...not the IRS' best interest.