The IRS just cleared my bank account

[Kaiser]

So I just checked by checking account and shat a brick. Someone put a hold over its total amount on it. The bank told me it's the IRS and gave me a number to call. The IRS doesn't have anything on record regarding this.

WTF, we never received any mail regarding this either. Out of the blue my the majority of my cash assests went down to $0.00

I'm shaking about all this

Kai

 

[Warped04]

Holy Crap! That's some scary ****!

 

[skinfiddler]

I would be inclined to contact a Tax Attorney. Just Damn!

 

[Kaiser]

I mean if you take money from an account, leave at least some on it. If I wouldn't have a savings account on the side, I would be out of cash now.

Can you imagine if that happens shortly before the mortgage is due.

Kai

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Did you go over 200 gallons this year?? Maybe it's the revenuers...

Sorry to hear about it man, hope everything works out!

 

[Kaiser]

I would be inclined to contact a Tax Attorney. Just Damn!

Yes, but that costs money.

Kai

 

[Joker]

So the bank said it was the IRS, but the IRS has no record of it?

 

[skinfiddler]

They left your savings? Doesn't sound like the IRS. If they you have defrauded them, they will typically seize ALL your cash assets.

 

[Evets]

ID theft of some kind? I sure hope not. Good luck

 

[flyboy]

Yes, but that costs money.

Kai

Usually they will work with you about payments. I had troubles with my student loans and the tax attorney worked with us with a payment plan. Sometimes they have a free consultation for the first visit. You need some help, thought.

 

[GloHoppa]

The bank should give you more information. I would recommend goin back to your bank and starting there. Thats terrible kai! Hopefully it was a clerical error...

 

[the_bird]

I don't know what to tell you other than if you don't get better information from either the bank or the IRS tomorrow, you NEED a lawyer. Cash available right now or not, I don't think you have a choice.

 

[paulthenurse]

They left your savings? Doesn't sound like the IRS. If they you have defrauded them, they will typically seize ALL your cash assets.

Agreed. If the IRS was pissed enough that they went hunting for your assets they would take all of them. Everything is referenced by your SS number so its easy for them to find everything with your name on it. Since you have already talked to the IRS and they said it wasn't them, my next call would be to the local police department.

PTN

 

[Soulive]

This sounds like theft to me. Either way, good luck man...

 

[Bedlam]

That is NOT the way the IRS works. You CERTAINLY need to contact the police IMMEDIATELY.

If it were the IRS, there would be a lien, served like a subpoena, directly to you. This is some kind of fraud/ID theft and the theives are hoping the "IRS" thing will keep you from getting it investigated for a while, so they can make a smooth break. This is thievery, simple and plain.

 

[Klainmeister]

That is NOT the way the IRS works. You CERTAINLY need to contact the police IMMEDIATELY.

If it were the IRS, there would be a lien, served like a subpoena, directly to you. This is some kind of fraud/ID theft and the theives are hoping the "IRS" thing will keep you from getting it investigated for a while, so they can make a smooth break. This is thievery, simple and plain.

+1

This is sketchy, get the authorities involved.

 

[Kaiser]

We know more and the **** is actually pretty big. There is a very large oustanding balance on my wife's account. Apparently when she was young and stupid, she forgot to pay taxes. Only a few thousand dollars, but now, with interest and penalties, it's much more.

What bothers me about the IRS is, that they have my wife's address, since we have been filing taxes together for a few years now, and we NEVER go any statement from them.

Don't they have an obilgation to tell you that you owe them? I think that's what I need a lawer for.

Kai

 

[Soulive]

We know more and the **** is actually pretty big. There is a very large oustanding balance on my wife's account. Apparently when she was young and stupid, she forgot to pay taxes. Only a few thousand dollars, but now, with interest and penalties, it's much more.

What bothers me about the IRS is, that they have my wife's address, since we have been filing taxes together for a few years now, and we NEVER go any statement from them.

Don't they have an obilgation to tell you that you owe them? I think that's what I need a lawer for.

Kai

Yeah that still doesn't sound kosher. I would get some advice asap. Man, that is scaring me now about marriage...

 

[c.n.budz]

Typically the IRS will put a lien on the title to your house (if you own one) before they freeze your accounts. Either way, they're supposed to notify you first so you can try to resolve the problem before they have to do anything like this

 

[the_bird]

I wouldn't trust the IRS to be smart enough to pick up on her new address, especially filing a joint return. DAMN, that sucks.

 

[adx]

My dad had some trouble with the IRS and he knew about it for a LONG time before they froze any of his accounts. I'd get a way up there of the Bank and an attorney on the line ASAP.

 

[Jesse17]

Wow man that sucks! Other than getting a lawyer, or trying to come to some agreement with the IRS, the only advise I can give you, is if you have your paycheck direct deposited, CHANGE IT. Don't change it to another account, because I'm sure the IRS will go for ALL your accounts shortly.

So change it to a real check, and find somewhere that will cash it. At least that way you can pay your bills (one of which should be a tax attorney).

Good luck man!

 

[Kaiser]

It does suck, but I think we are going to pull through this. It will be a cut in our lifestyle and set us back with a few projects we wanted to do. At least I was running a no-debt-orther-than-house policy and this helps us now.

I will contact a taxt professional to find out if te IRS was under any obligation to notify us. They must have had her address for the last 4 years since that's when we started filing joint returns and at least I want to be forgiven any penalties and interest for that period. Interestingly enough we were getting big refund checks all that time.

We have until the beginning of May to come up with the money and I think we can swing that. I basically plan to borrow most of it from my 401k where the money is not going to do much anyway for the next few years and we will make an effort of paying it back quickly.

Kai

 

[EdWort]

Was she self employed or something?

 

[javedian]

Have not had issues with IRS, but we have had some back sales taxes due to the State Board of Equalization. They have cleared out our business and personal checking accounts twice, (well, not completely the second time, they got enough). Both times, we got copies of the legal subpoenas a few days later. The bank is served with the lien and order to levy the all assets. Yes, they can and do have the right to do this. Given the time involved, it may be worth getting a tax attorney to work a settlement, or try to negotiate a reduced settlement. You probably won't get out of the original tax due, but you may get rid of a chunk of the penalties. Any way, it sucks. Our two levies were about three months apart, FWIW. Good luck.

 

[Kaiser]

You probably won't get out of the original tax due, but you may get rid of a chunk of the penalties.

That would be the ideal case for me. I don't have a problem with paying taxes even if they are my wife's old ones. But don't come to me a bunch of years later and demand penalties and interest while you gave me big refunds during the past years.

Sounds to me that one department doesn't know what the other one is doing.

Kai

 

[brewt00l]

What bothers me about the IRS is, that they have my wife's address, since we have been filing taxes together for a few years now, and we NEVER go any statement from them.

Don't they have an obilgation to tell you that you owe them? I think that's what I need a lawer for.

Kai

Not saying this is what's happening in your case but...

Sure I have seen clerical snafus where the notices were going to past/wrong addresses but 9 out 10 times, the person responsible for the issue was disposing of the notices before their spouse would ever see them.

If you use a tax pro (not HR Block or similar), consult them immediately before paying a dime. If not, in many cases it is worth consulting a tax attorney/CPA/professional to mitigate some of the interest and penalties if possible before settling, depending on the amount in question.

 

[Kevin Dean]

From what I understand, the seizure was because his wife didn't pay taxes, not because someone made a tax mistake - sounds like a "by the book" seizure. If he's got a savings account under his SSN and they seized a joint account that would explain why they didn't touch his savings. It's also possible he's got a box full of cash burried somewhere as savings.

Rather than dispute the validity of the debt, I dispute the validity of the IRS - but as long as it exists, you're gonna loose. The government would feel threatened if the people actually controlled their own property.

Good luck man, I hope everything works out for you and your wife - sorry to hear you got jacked by Uncle Sam.

 

[the_bird]

Did they seize the assets or just freeze the account?

In any case, best of luck to you and your wife. If you can still make it out on the 26th, your beers are on me!

 

[zoebisch01]

Sounds to me that one department doesn't know what the other one is doing.

Kai

Although what we are going through is not nearly as scary as your situation, I am going through an information problem as well. Our mortgage company was supposed to have been paying our insurance for years now, at one point we switched the policy on the house but as far as we knew there was never any problem as we went through the same carrier, they made the new policy, sent it to the mortgage company and both the broker and company assured us it had been set up for an escrowed account.

Last year about this time I remember going through this song and dance where they tried to charge us for coverage using their carrier (policy was like 3x what a normal policy is) and we called in and they refunded us the money because after digging we found they did have our policy on file....fast forward a year. They did the same thing.

So I start wondering what the heck is going on, I call in and come to find out that basically they have neglected to pay our insurance (the company even has copies of the original bill, late notice and cancellation that they sent the mortgage company) since back in '06. And they also have it stating that the policy is to be payed from escrow. They are claiming that they never got billed.

What that boils down to is there was a period of time where we were uninsured and not of any fault of our own. Now though, they are still trying to give us the run around....hopefully, prayerfully they'll refund us so that our escrow isn't obscenely negative (they charged us for the time period that they claim we were 'uninsured' when it was their own negligence!)

So I feel for you. It is a scary place to be in when you are dealing with companies/institutions where one hand doesn't let the other know what it is doing. And you'd think that in this day and age of "information technology" they'd have this all sorted out. Bah. I think there are software errors that are going to cause some really bad problems and have done so already. The problem is, they always throw the ball back in your court 'cause you're the little guy. If my mortgage carrier screws me on this, I am seriously thinking of finding out what can be done legally, on the basis of principle alone.

And what really annoys me is this. Don't these people have a friggin phone? I know I do. Why wait till way over a year later to tell me about a problem as serious as this???

 

[Chriso]

Oh ****e. SWMBO worked p/time 3 or 4 years w/o even knowing what a tax return was. Her first one ever filed was last year when we were living together and *I* had to do it for her. We have a joint checking account... the house is in only my name ... for now. Except. Uh. We're getting married in June and I'm taking her name, and I would assume she is on all my assets at that point.

Hm. I'm going to pay very close attention to this thread. Best of luck with this, man. Sorry that you have to go through this. I really hope I don't have to do the same.

I think I'm going to cry now.

 

[Reverend JC]

FAIR TAX!!!! FAIR TAX!!!! FAIR TAX!!!!!!!!

that would be the death of the IRS and i think we would all applaud that.

 

[Kevin Dean]

We're getting married in June and I'm taking her name

The government doesn't see you as a person, so your name is irrelevant. If both SSN's are on the accounts it's fair but since the only name on your titles/deeds are yours it might prevent anything stupid.

As to taking her name... Depends on where you live but that could be a fun exercise... People in Kentucky SWORE that a man couldn't take his wife's name and we're shocked by the idea. The Social Security people were pretty cool though and made the process smooth.

 

[Chriso]

I wondered if you'd notice that, Kevin, I saw you'd done the same thing. Mine is hard to spell and German (and from the side of the family I don't talk to, nonetheless), hers is five letters and very well-known in our town. I've been reading up on the process, and I'm going to start the paperwork very soon, so that I can have it legally changed about a month before the ceremony. Then I can start the arduous task of updating EVERY account I've ever registered or opened for. Ooof.

Anywho. Methinks I should have her consult a tax attorney briefly. Where does one "search" if they have any outstanding tax debts? Where do ya start?

 

[brauhaus]

i thought that they couldn't go after joint accounts unless both parties are guilty?

kai, that sucks man, I wish you guys the best of luck.

 

[brauhaus]

Except. Uh. We're getting married in June and I'm taking her name, and I would assume she is on all my assets at that point.

that's very different and very cool.

 

[Kaiser]

And what really annoys me is this. Don't these people have a friggin phone? I know I do. Why wait till way over a year later to tell me about a problem as serious as this???

The problem here is, that I'm dealing with the goverment. There is no other agency that I could take my business to if I'm dissatisfied. That's why they don't have to care about us.

Yes I can take a lawyer, but they are going to charge almost as much as I'm expecting the amount to be reduced by. And the IRS knows that.

Kai

 

[Chriso]

Aww, thx. Kevin did the same thing.

I'm shocked how much backlash we're getting from family already - and it's not even legal yet! You should see their faces. "Whyyyy?! What on earth would make you do that?!?"

The problem here is, that I'm dealing with the goverment. There is no other agency that I could take my business to if I'm dissatisfied. That's why they don't have to care about us.

I hate being in that situation. And I hate that our gubmint has so many "flow controls" in place to regulate what we think is the truth, and what is the truth. But I think that train of thought leads to a new thread of its own.

 

[david_42]

They wait so the interest & penalties accumulate. California tried to pull one on me about 15 years ago.

 

[kornkob]

The government doesn't see you as a person, so your name is irrelevant.

Yeah--- change your name to a hyphenated name that doesn't include your birth last name and then try and get a passport. The government does care about yoru name if it doesn't match what they expect it to be.


My sister got all tied up tryign to get the passport folks to understand: I was born with Last Name A. When I was a minor my Last Name was voluntarily changed to Last Name B (my mother's maiden name). When I got married I changed my name to a hyphenated last name that was made up of Last Name A and my husband's name.

My sister is weird.