{"id":29281,"date":"2026-10-25T15:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T19:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/cant-pay-irs-three-options-infographic\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T15:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T19:02:17","slug":"cant-pay-irs-three-options-infographic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/cant-pay-irs-three-options-infographic\/","title":{"rendered":"Can&#8217;t Pay the IRS? Three Options Explained (Infographic)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#039;ve got an IRS letter on your desk right now, you have a decision to make, and the clock matters. I&#039;m Darrin Mish. I&#039;ve spent 32 years helping people with exactly this kind of situation. Here&#039;s what you should do.<\/p>\n<p>Tax attorney Darrin Mish put this one-page guide together from official sources. Save it, print it or share it with someone who needs it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options.png\" alt=\"Can't pay? Three IRS options Infographic from tax attorney Darrin Mish.\" width=\"1080\" height=\"2278\" class=\"wp-image-29280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options.png 1080w, https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options-142x300.png 142w, https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options-485x1024.png 485w, https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options-768x1620.png 768w, https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options-728x1536.png 728w, https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/payment-options-971x2048.png 971w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>What the infographic says<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Can&#x27;t pay? Three IRS options<\/strong> How the IRS describes each option and who it fits.<\/p>\n<h3>Payment plan (installment agreement)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What it is:<\/strong> An agreement with the IRS to pay what you owe over an extended time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who it fits:<\/strong> People who can pay the full balance within that extended time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Short term:<\/strong> Pay in 180 days or less.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Long term:<\/strong> Pay in monthly payments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep in mind:<\/strong> Penalties and interest keep adding up until the balance is paid in full.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Offer in compromise<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What it is:<\/strong> A way to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount you owe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who it fits:<\/strong> People who can&#x27;t pay in full, or for whom paying would cause financial hardship.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The IRS looks at:<\/strong> Your income, expenses and the equity in your assets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>To qualify:<\/strong> File all required returns, make required estimated payments, and not be in an open bankruptcy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep in mind:<\/strong> The IRS generally won&#x27;t accept an offer if you can pay in full through a payment plan or asset equity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Currently Not Collectible<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What it is:<\/strong> The IRS temporarily delays most collection until your finances improve.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who it fits:<\/strong> People who cannot pay because of financial hardship.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The IRS may ask:<\/strong> For financial forms and proof of income, living expenses, bank accounts and assets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep in mind:<\/strong> You still owe the full amount. Penalties and interest continue. The IRS may file a lien and will apply your refunds to the debt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/payments\/payment-plans-installment-agreements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/payments\/payment-plans-installment-agreements<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/payments\/offer-in-compromise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/payments\/offer-in-compromise<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/businesses\/small-businesses-self-employed\/temporarily-delay-the-collection-process\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/businesses\/small-businesses-self-employed\/temporarily-delay-the-collection-process<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Checked October 2026.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a question about your own situation, call tax attorney Darrin Mish at (813) 229-7100.<\/p>\n<p><em>Attorney advertising. General information, not legal advice. Every case is different; follow the instructions and deadlines on your own notice.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can&#8217;t pay? Three IRS options Infographic from tax attorney Darrin Mish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_linkwrite_keywords":"","_linkwrite_no_autolink":false,"_linkwrite_no_inbound":false,"_linkwrite_exclude":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51,3,4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-currently-not-collectible","category-installment-agreements","category-irs-help","category-offer-in-compromise"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29282,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29281\/revisions\/29282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}