Copyright 2011 Tax Settlements, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (801) 233-1040 All rights reserved.
Did your spouse incur debt with the IRS?
Is the IRS after you to collect your spouse’s debt?
If you and your spouse filed a joint tax
return, legally, you are both jointly and
individually responsible for the entire
tax liability, regardless of who made
the majority of the income. Bottom
line…you are both responsible for the
IRS debt. If the IRS is unable to
collect the debt from your spouse,
they are authorized to come after you to collect the IRS debt that
was incurred during the time joint tax returns were filed.
Under normal circumstances the IRS does hold both spouses
equally accountable for the debt. However, if you were not aware
of your spouse’s errors, mistakes, or that your spouse knowingly
committed tax fraud, you may qualify for relief through Innocent
Spouse Relief. If you qualify, Innocent Spouse Relief will relieve
you of the tax, interest, and penalties that were incurred as a result
of filing the joint tax return.
To qualify for Innocent Spouse Relief, you must:
1.
Prove that you were unaware of the understatement of tax due.
2.
Prove that at the time you signed the return, you did not know that there was an understatement of tax due.
3.
You did not knowingly defraud the IRS or another third party and did not benefit from your spouse’s actions.
When filing for Innocent Spouse Relief, it is important to know that the IRS must contact the person who was your
spouse for the years you are petitioning for the tax relief. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to this rule. There
are ways to protect your personal information such as your name, address, and employer, however. If it is important
that your personal information be protected, please be sure to advise your tax resolution specialist to make
arrangements with the Tax Court accordingly.
If you do not quality for Innocent spouse Relief, you may qualify for Relief by Separation of Liability or Equitable
Relief. To assist you with this determination, it is important that you seek the advice of a tax relief professional.
Get the personalized tax settlement assistance you need and deserve
Tax Settlements Inc. offers a FREE consultation and evaluation to review your tax debt relief options. During your
consultation, we will present several workable options to help resolve your tax debt, and assign you a personal tax
relief professional. Your tax relief professional will be your singular point of contact from start to finish. They will
work with you every step of the way to patiently bring your tax debt burden to a close.
At Tax Settlements, Inc. you won’t get the run around, your call won’t be transferred to various individuals. You will
always know the status of your case. You will always receive prompt and courteous service. Schedule your free
phone consultation with Tax Settlements, Inc. Free in-person consultations are also available in our Salt Lake City
office.
Resources:
Raymond L. Warner
Certified Public Accountant
