Reference
Start Here: One Page for the Reader Who Cannot Read a Whole Book Tonight
Find your IRS tax-debt situation, identify urgent notices and choose the guide, checklist or template that helps you take the next step.
Book by Justus D Eapen · The IRS Is Not the End of the World · Published guidance edited by TaxRZR · professional review pendingThis page’s Source Notes and review status3 min read
Review status: book guide, pending professional review. This text has not yet been reviewed by an enrolled agent, CPA, or attorney. It is general education, not advice for your situation. Figures, forms, and thresholds change; verify them on IRS.gov.
Find the line that describes you. Go where it points. Come back for the rest when you can breathe.
Scroll horizontally if needed to see all columns.
| Your situation right now | Go to | What you will find |
|---|---|---|
| Money was just taken from my bank account or paycheck | Chapter 15, then Tool 8 | The 21-day bank hold, the grounds the IRS must release on, and the exact call to make |
| I have a Final Notice of Intent to Levy | Chapter 16, then Chapter 4 | Check the printed CDP hearing deadline immediately. Timely levy CDP requests generally prohibit levy for the covered taxes and periods, subject to statutory exceptions |
| I have a letter that says "Intent to Levy" (CP504) | CP504 guide, then Chapter 4 | Treat it as urgent. Check earlier notices for each tax period; CP504 does not itself create a new universal 30-day hearing window |
| I have a stack of letters I have not opened | Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 | How to sort them in ten minutes and what each one means |
| A lien was filed on my house | Chapter 14 | What it does and does not do, and the four ways out |
| I think the IRS has the number wrong | Chapter 5 | The six ways the number is usually wrong and how to fix each |
| I have not filed for several years | Chapter 5, then Chapter 4 | What the IRS does to non-filers, and why filing the real returns is the biggest reduction available |
| The debt is from my spouse or ex-spouse | Chapter 13 | Innocent spouse relief and the two-year deadline that can apply |
| I can pay, just not all at once | Chapter 9 | The payment plans, including the one the IRS must accept |
| I cannot pay anything | Chapter 11, then Chapter 7 | Hardship status, and how long the IRS actually has |
| I want to know if I can settle for less | Chapter 8, then Chapter 10 | The two numbers that decide it, and the formula the IRS uses |
| My business owes payroll taxes | Chapter 17 today | Why this is personal, and what to do before the revenue officer calls |
| A revenue officer wants to meet me | Chapter 19, then Chapter 18 | How the conversation works, and whether to bring someone |
| Someone wants to charge me thousands to fix this | Chapter 18 | How to tell a representative from a salesperson |
| I am afraid I could be in criminal trouble | Chapter 13, the section on situations that are not collection problems | Stop reading and call an attorney, and here is why |
| I just want to understand what the IRS can actually do to me | Chapter 2 | What it can take, what it cannot, and the ten rights you already have |
Whatever line you picked, do these two things tonight regardless: write down the notice number, date, tax year, and deadline from every letter you have, and set up your IRS Online Account at IRS.gov so you can see your balances tomorrow morning. Chapter 4 explains both. Neither takes more than half an hour.
Official notice sources
IRS CP504 instructions and Publication 1660: collection appeal rights and levy exceptions. Follow current instructions and the deadline on your actual notice.