Nicholas Hartney, E.A.©

Offer in Compromise acceptance rate per the 2010 IRS Data Book remains at under 25% .  In the midst of the second greatest economic downturn in the history of the United States the Internal Revenue Service received over 57,000 Offer in Compromises submitted by taxpayers across the country. Of the 57,000 plus Offers that were submitted only 13,866 were approved. In a time when the unemployment rate hovers around 9% (The official unemployment index, based on a monthly survey of sample households, counts only people who reported looking for work in the past four weeks. It doesn't account for part-time workers who want to work more hours but can't, given the tight job market. And it doesn't include those who have given up trying to find work. When the underemployed and the discouraged are added to the numbers, the unemployment rate rises to 16.6%) one would think that the IRS would be more lenient in accepting these Offers.   Rather than cutting back on expens...

Keys to Unlock a Successful Offer in Compromise © by Nicholas Hartney, EA © of Genesis Tax Consultants, LLC© *Updated Article 2018 Here Contact me: Nicholas Hartney Licensed to Represent Taxpayers Before the IRS  T he Offer in Compromise is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s liability for some amount which is less than the full amount due. The IRS has the authority to settle or compromise federal tax liabilities by accepting less than full payment under certain circumstances. The taxpayer makes an Offer in Compromise on Form 656. If the IRS accepts the Offer in Compromise, then a contract is formed in which the IRS agrees to cancel the tax debt in return for the payment of the agreed sum. The IRS has a whole set of rules, policies and procedures which govern when it will accept an offer. Unfortunately, you just don’t offer to pay them 10, 25, or 50 cents on the dollar. They look at your offer, compare it to their g...