Taxpayer Bill of Rights: The Right to Privacy

From the Desk of Lauran Corcoran

Taxpayer Bill of Rights: The Right to Privacy

Taxpayers have the right to expect that any IRS inquiry, examination, or enforcement action will comply with the law and be no more intrusive than necessary, and will respect all due process rights, including search and seizure protections and a collection due process hearing where applicable.

What does The Right to Privacy mean?

• During a Collection Due Process hearing, an independent IRS Appeals/Settlement Officer must consider whether the IRS’s lien filing balances the government’s need for the efficient collection of taxes with your legitimate concern that the IRS’s collection actions are no more intrusive than necessary.

• During a Collection Due Process hearing, an independent IRS Appeals/Settlement Officer must consider whether the IRS’s proposed levy action balances the government’s need for the efficient collection of taxes with your legitimate concern that the IRS’s collection actions are no more intrusive than necessary.

• The IRS cannot levy any of your personal property in the following situations: before it sends you a notice of demand, while you have a request for a payment plan pending, and if the IRS will not recover any money from seizing and selling your property.

• The IRS cannot seize certain personal items, such as necessary schoolbooks, clothing, undelivered mail, certain amounts of furniture and household items, and tools of a trade.

• There are limits on the amount of wages that the IRS can levy (seize) in order to collect tax that you owe. A portion of wages equivalent to the standard deduction combined with any deductions for personal exemptions is protected from levy.

• The IRS cannot seize your personal residence, including a residence used as a principal residence by your spouse, former spouse, or minor child, without first getting court approval, and it must show there is no reasonable alternative for collecting the tax debt from you.

If you missed last week’s blog, check it out: Taxpayer Bill of Rights: The Right to Retain Representation