As part of my tax preparation practice in Lake Nona, a community within Orlando, FL "the City Beautiful", I see plenty of clients who are behind and haven't filed a tax return or two (or more). Whether you are here in Florida or anywhere else in the country, my advice is the same.
Sometimes life just gets in the way. You feel too busy or have experienced a divorce, illness, job loss, or death in your family that sidetracked you from filing your tax return on time. Or you could just be overwhelmed with the whole process of filing your taxes. Perhaps you don’t have the money to pay your taxes and thought you should wait to file (this is NOT a good idea).
You may also have a special situation with your spouse if they promised to file and didn’t or they don’t file correctly or they don’t pay. In some cases, you can claim that you were the “innocent spouse” and get your account corrected.
Whatever your situation, Wooten CPA is here for you when you are ready to get caught up, and the sooner, the better. I can help you relieve that huge psychological burden so you feel lighter and free from all that stress.
Failure to File Your Tax Return(s)
The IRS is very aggressive about coming after non-filers and non-payers. So even if you don’t owe that much, you’ll want to file right away to stop the penalties and interest from adding up.
IRS debt can add up fast. There’s a failure to file penalty, interest on the taxes that are late, and the taxes themselves. The failure to file penalty can be as much as 25 percent, so that’s a debt you don’t want to have pile up on you.
The most important thing about filing back taxes is to get them filed as soon as possible whether you can pay them or not. Filing back tax returns will stop the failure to file penalty and is the first step on the road back to compliance for you.
It’s never a good idea to have the IRS estimate and complete your return for you. You are better off hiring a tax professional to get you caught up and to represent your case before the IRS to work out a way to pay your back taxes that won’t leave you bankrupt or suffering financially.
I know there are many national chains out there that would like to help you with your tax problems, but most people prefer to hire a local tax professional in their own neighborhood.
A tax professional can help you:
Respond professionally to IRS correspondence
Help you collect records and receipts and get your bookkeeping caught up so you can file accurate tax returns
Prepare and file any delinquent income tax returns
Explain the next steps you need to take to continue getting back into compliance with the IRS.
Solutions for Your Delinquent Income Tax Return Filings
If you or someone you know needs to catch up on filing their tax returns please contact me at (407) 243-8678 or brad@wootencpa.com or schedule an appointment.
-Brad
I enjoy helping individuals with tax preparation and tax planning as well as offering tax help to individuals dealing with tax debt, IRS liens, IRS levies, Wage Garnishments, etc. I also service businesses (including nonprofits and churches) by providing tax preparation and tax planning as well as consulting for accounting, bookkeeping, and other finance related questions. I live in Orlando, FL, but I serve clients all across the country. Schedule an appointment if you need assistance and take a look at the resource page.
6900 Tavistock Lakes Blvd Ste 400
Orlando, FL 32827
(407) 243-8678
Serving clients in Orlando, Lake Nona, Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Azalea Park, Celebration, Hunters Creek, Lake Buena Vista, Lake Hart, St Cloud, Winter Garden, Winter Park and via the latest technology remotely around the country.
*The blog posts (as well as the YouTube channel) are my personal opinions and thoughts about a wide range of topics. They are not meant to apply to individuals specifically and should never be relied on as tax or investment advice. You should contact a professional for specific advice before taking action.
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