IRS Help Guides
Straight answers to the IRS problems people ask about most, each one paired with a short video from Tampa tax attorney Darrin T. Mish.
How Do I Set Up a Payment Plan (Installment Agreement) With the IRS?
A Tampa tax attorney explains IRS installment agreements: the types, how to apply with Form 9465 or online, fees, and how to stay out of default.
I owe the IRS money. What should I do first?
Owe the IRS? Don't panic. Here are the first steps: file all returns, pull your transcripts, and pick the right resolution. From a tax attorney with more than three decades of experience.
What should a small business do about IRS problems, especially payroll tax?
Payroll tax is the most dangerous IRS problem for a small business. Learn how the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty exposes owners personally and what to do first.
What is injured spouse relief and how do I use IRS Form 8379 to get my share of the refund back?
Injured spouse relief (Form 8379) gets back your share of a joint refund taken for your spouse's debt. How it works and who qualifies.
What should I do if I have unfiled tax returns and owe back taxes?
Have unfiled tax returns? How to get compliant with the IRS, avoid a Substitute for Return, and handle any balance you owe. Plain-English guidance.
How long does the IRS have to collect a tax debt?
The IRS generally has 10 years from the date of assessment to collect (IRC 6502). Learn how the CSED works, what pauses it, and why it changes strategy.
What is an IRS CP2000 notice and how do you respond to it?
A CP2000 isn't an audit or a bill. It's a proposed change from the IRS. Learn what it means, how to respond, and why it's often wrong.
How Does an IRS Offer in Compromise Actually Work?
Can you settle IRS debt for less? Tampa tax attorney Darrin Mish explains how an Offer in Compromise really works, the RCP formula, and who qualifies.
What should you do if the IRS is auditing you?
Getting audited by the IRS? Learn the three audit types, your rights, and the golden rules that protect you. Plain-English guidance from a tax attorney with more than three decades of experience.
How do you stop an IRS wage garnishment and get a wage levy released?
An IRS wage levy keeps taking every paycheck until it's released. Here's how to stop an IRS wage garnishment fast, from a tax attorney with more than three decades of experience.
Can the IRS take away your passport for unpaid taxes?
Owe the IRS more than $66,000? Your passport can be denied or revoked. Here's how passport certification works and how to reverse it, from a tax attorney with more than three decades of experience.
I moved abroad and stopped filing U.S. tax returns. What happens now?
U.S. citizens abroad still have to file. Here's what happens if you stopped filing overseas, and how to catch up without big penalties, from a tax attorney with more than three decades of experience.
Someone filed a tax return using my Social Security number. What do I do?
If someone used your Social Security number to file a tax return, here's how to fix it with the IRS, protect yourself, and get your refund, from a tax attorney with more than three decades of experience.