Taxes can be very confusing; sometimes horrifying. There are so many forms to file and so many different kinds of rules and regulations that sometimes may not even make sense. However, as a responsible citizen you try your best to make sure that you file in your tax returns every year with as few mistakes as possible. At the same time you also have your debts that can be as confusing and as horrifying especially if they are spiraling out of control. Perhaps you were a high income earner before and suddenly, due to the recession, you find yourself jobless with debts and mortgages to pay. So you decide to get help. Is there any way for you to solve both your debt and tax problems? Maybe it is time you understood the difference between debt relief tax and tax debt relief.

When you have debts that you can no longer pay off on your own, you may want to seek help from debt management companies. They may negotiate for a debt reduction to lessen your burden and come up with a repayment schedule at an amount you can afford. If your creditor agrees to it, the amount reduced may be called a forgiven debt. Forgiven debt may be taxable. That is the purpose of debt relief tax. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may view your forgiven debt as an income. For example, if your original debt was $100k and your creditor agreed to reduce your debt down to $60k, the $40k that you no longer have to pay your creditor may be taxable. This is because instead of having to pay $40k to your creditor, you are given $40k. Although you probably may never see that in physical cash, to the IRS you have just earned $40k and you may be taxed for it. Of course, not all debt reliefs are taxable so you may want to check to see if you fall under the taxable category or otherwise.

On the other hand, a tax debt relief is a form of assistance you may seek for your back taxes owed to the IRS. Basically you are probably not current on your tax payments. You may have done your best to make sure that you file your tax returns every year but perhaps you have not been inclined to make sure that your taxes are actually paid. This may be a serious matter for you to consider because if you continue to ignore your tax debts you may find yourself in much deeper trouble than with your creditors. Owing the government any amount of money is never a good idea. Once your tax debts start to accumulate, you may start to feel overwhelmed because the amount just keeps growing and growing, hence you may be less inclined to pay them. Tax debts may happen when your tax return forms are not filled out correctly. Many times it happens to people who pay their taxes directly to the IRS rather than through an employer.

If you find yourself owing the government a substantial amount of money in taxes, it may be a good idea for you to engage a professional to help filing back taxes. At least you may be 99% sure that your tax debts are being handled by people who actually know what they are doing. Of course, you may want to make sure that the tax pros that you hire are a Certified Public Accountant, Enrolled Agent or tax attorney. This is because the IRS may not allow anyone other than these professionals to deal with them. It is advisable that you make sure the professional you have engaged to help you is licensed to practice in your state otherwise you would find yourself in deeper tax mess than before. You may want to bear in mind that professional services may cost you so to keep the costs under control you may ask your tax pro to concentrate on strategies and negotiations with the IRS instead of data entry and paperwork. You can fill the IRS forms yourself.

Once you are sure which category you fall into, you may then proceed with the necessary steps to get yourself out of debt whether it is with your creditor or the government. Either way, it is always advisable that you engage the help of professionals to assist you all the way.

Author Bio: relief tax back taxes owed to the irs help filing back taxes

Category: Finances
Keywords: relief tax, back taxes owed to the irs, help filing back taxes