Home / Resources & Tools / Tax Debt

Tax Debt

When you owe the IRS a lot of money, your financial situation can seem hopeless. You may be tempted by the advertisements of tax relief companies who promise to settle your tax debt for pennies on the dollar. But in many cases, these firms have questionable reputations or outright fraudulent practices that may leave you even deeper in debt. To address your tax debt issues, it’s important to look for information from sources you can trust.

Tax debt resources

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS that helps to ensure every taxpayer is treated fairly and that you know and understand your rights. On the TAS website, you’ll find lots of resources on a wide range of subjects:

• I can’t pay my taxes – what to do if you can’t pay the money you owe
• Settle tax debt – understand your options for settling your debt
• I got a notice from the IRS – what to do when an IRS notice arrives in your mailbox
• I need help resolving my balance due – explore all your options for paying overdue taxes
• Payment plans – learn about setting up a payment plan with the IRS
• Offer in Compromise – understand how an Offer in Compromise works

You’ll find additional resources on the IRS.gov site:

• The “What ifs” for struggling taxpayers – information on the tax implications of events like losing a job, closing a business or filing for bankruptcy
• View your tax account – see your payoff amount, the balance owed for each tax year and your payment history
• Tax tips – a list of current helpful tax tips

Trusted advice on managing debt from ACCC

Since 1991, we’ve been helping people just like you solve their debt problems and plan for a debt-free future. Our highly trained and certified credit counselors are experts at analyzing your financial situation and helping you explore all the options for paying down your debt and making a budget you can live with.

Free debt counseling

We offer a free credit counseling session where you can discuss with a highly trained expert to explore all your options for paying off your debt. Our counselors can answer your questions and direct you to all the resources available to you for managing your debt – and for reducing the stress that always accompanies financial difficulties.

Our credit counseling services include:

• A detailed review of your debt and analysis of your financial situation
• Personalized options for managing your debt
• Access to educational materials, financial management resources, and social service referrals when appropriate
• Debt management plans – including budget consultation – that may be the best option for eliminating your debt over time

When you finish your credit counseling session at ACCC, you’ll have a detailed plan for managing your debt and starting your journey out of debt. You’ll also have the knowledge that there is always someone on your side and who can provide assistance and advice every step of the way.

Why choose ACCC?

1. Accredited through the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating
2. Credit counseling in person or by phone
3. Experience in the credit counseling industry since 1991
4. Free financial education and materials
5. Counselors that care about you and will work with you until your problems are solved