Before the IRS takes any action explained in this section, they will contact you to give you, by letter or by telephone, a chance to voluntarily pay what you owe. But beware. If you do not pay the tax debt in full, and try to ignore them to, then the IRS will take some pretty powerful collection enforcement action.
The IRS is different from any other collection agency. They do not have to file a civil law suit against you first in order to obtain a legal judgment against you before they can start any collection action. They have satisfied their requirements if they merely calculate the tax debt you owe them and then give you proper notice of the debt and send out a series of collection letter. can start collection action.
The IRS is very powerful. They are the most powerful collection agency in the entire world. After making a Demand for payment of the unpaid tax, the IRS can:
- File a Notice of Federal Tax Lien against your property (Make a legal claim to your property as security or payment for your tax debt).
- Serve a Levy on your bank accounts, wages or salary, or other property (Legally seize your property to satisfy a tax debt).
- Assess a trust fund recovery penalty for employment taxes.
It does not pay to ignore the IRS. I encourage you to seek the help of an experienced tax professional. The question is not “IF” the IRS is going to come after you, but “WHEN” they are going to come calling.