What is the IRS Fresh Start Program?
If you’re dealing with tax debt, you’ve no doubt heard radio or TV ads touting the IRS Fresh Start Initiative. But what is the Fresh Start Initiative? How does it help you get out of tax debt? What is available in the way of help? Who can qualify?
What Is the IRS Fresh Start Initiative?
The Fresh Start IRS Program is not new. In fact, if you search for the IRS Fresh Start Initiative on the IRS’s website, it gives you nothing on the topic. In part, that’s because the Fresh Start Initiative goes back to 2011 when these newly designed rules focused on taxpayers who owed back taxes but had no federal tax liens filed against them.
The IRS Fresh Start Relief Program was designed to give taxpayers laden with first-time tax debt a second chance to do things right, and it included:
In 2012, the IRS expanded the Fresh Start Initiative, making it available to even more taxpayers. Revisions included:
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These changes saw the IRS taking a more common-sense view of taxpayers struggling to pay their bills. While the program was still based on specific formulas, the IRS worked to include real-life situations—the things that typically cause people to fall behind on their taxes—in their determinations.
Who qualifies for the IRS Fresh Start Initiative?
Individual taxpayers who will accept paying their tax debt over time through an installment agreement with a direct payment structure can benefit from using the IRS Fresh Start Initiative when:
If a taxpayer can qualify for the IRS Fresh Start Initiative, certain bonus items may also come into play:
For businesses, the IRS Fresh Start regulations are applicable when:
In addition, as a bonus for qualifying, the business may qualify for the abatement of specific penalties.
How do I learn more about the IRS Fresh Start Initiative?
The IRS’ Fresh Start program is a way to help businesses and individuals get tax debt relief. But there are very specific parameters around the Fresh Start Program. It’s best to work alongside a trusted business advisor to help you understand whether you qualify and how you can benefit from the IRS Fresh Start program.
Take the worry out of dealing with the IRS and explore what the Fresh Start Initiative has to offer.
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