Years behind on taxes? It's more fixable than it feels.
Unfiled returns and IRS balances are the most common problems contractors bring to Katherine Johnson, CPA. Start with a free, confidential 30-minute review, and find out where you really stand.
Free· Confidential·No obligation·Every case reviewed by a CPA
If any of this sounds familiar
- It's been three years since the last return. Or seven. Or you've stopped counting.
- Nobody withheld anything, and the tax bill was more than you had that year.
- The IRS letters go in the truck, or a drawer, unopened.
- You filed, but you've owed every year, and the balance keeps getting bigger.
- The IRS sent a number that seems impossibly large.
- Something is already being taken: a levy on the account, money from what customers owe you.
- You keep meaning to deal with it "after this job."
Almost nobody stops filing on purpose. For contractors, it usually starts with one year when the self-employment tax was more than the account could cover. Filing becomes something to deal with later, and later keeps arriving.
Being behind doesn't mean you did something unforgivable. It means one hard year turned into several. You're not the first contractor to be here. It's the single most common situation in this practice.
It's usually smaller than it feels
You likely need fewer years than you think.
IRS practice for bringing someone back into compliance generally focuses on the most recent six years, not on every year outstanding. The real number depends on your circumstances, and for most people it's lower than the one they've been carrying around.
Missing paperwork isn't a reason to wait.
The IRS holds records of what was reported under your Social Security number: 1099s, W-2s and more. We request those transcripts. Where they don't cover everything, income and expenses can be reconstructed from bank records and other evidence. It makes the work slower, not impossible.
The IRS's number is often too high.
When you don't file, the IRS can prepare a return for you, called a Substitute for Return. In the IRS's own words, it "might not give you credit for deductions and exemptions you may be entitled to receive." For a contractor, that can mean being taxed on gross receipts with little or nothing for materials, fuel, subcontractors, tools or the truck. Filing your own return to replace it very often reduces the balance.
Not sure which of these applies to you? Get a free review and we'll tell you straight.
Get a free reviewIf the IRS is already taking money
When the IRS moves to collect, it usually goes after bank accounts, wages, or payments customers owe the business. For a contractor, that can mean a frozen account in the middle of a job.
A levy can usually be released. It takes putting something else in its place: a payment plan, a hardship status, or another resolution the IRS will accept. The options still open depend on how quickly someone acts, so when the form says money is already being taken, the office sees it first.
If this is happening now:
Call (800) 236-3741, Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm Eastern. Outside those hours, fill out the form and book the earliest time on the calendar.
Fill out the formA CPA, not a call center
You've probably heard the radio ads. The usual pattern: a salesperson on commission, a large fee up front, then your file goes to a department where you may never deal with anyone licensed, and you're passed from one case manager to the next.
At Next Level Tax Resolution, every case is reviewed and worked by Katherine personally, a CPA with more than 30 years of experience. Not a processing department. Not a case manager relaying messages from someone you'll never meet.
| Next Level Tax Resolution | Typical national tax relief firm | |
|---|---|---|
| Who works your case | Katherine Johnson, CPA, personally | Often unlicensed staff, handed between departments |
| First conversation | Free review, no pressure | Often a commissioned salesperson |
| Office | Real office in Georgetown, Kentucky | Often a call center |
| Fee | A straight answer before you commit | Often a large fee up front |
Katherine M. Johnson, CPA, CTRS
Katherine has been a CPA since 1996 and has spent more than 30 years helping individuals and business owners with the IRS. In 2026 she earned the Certified Tax Resolution Specialist (CTRS) designation from the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers, a credential focused specifically on resolving IRS problems.
Office:Georgetown, Kentucky. Her authority to represent taxpayers before the IRS is federal, so she works with clients in every state, by phone, email and secure upload.
She's worked with contractors who were years behind several hundred times. What clients mention most isn't the technical work. It's that nobody made them feel judged.
What clients say
“I needed a CPA and based on her great reviews and being female owned I chose Katherine. Which was the best decision ever!!! Her staff and herself were absolutely Godsends. She advocated for me with the IRS and turned my horrible situation around and prevented me from financial devastation. There are not enough praises for her. She is proven, ethical, professional and will be your best advocate.”
“Katherine and her team took a stressful, overwhelming tax situation and made it manageable. They handled everything with the IRS so I didn't have to deal with the letters or the calls. Professional, responsive, and genuinely caring from start to finish.”
“I'd put off dealing with back taxes for years because I didn't know where to start. Katherine walked me through it step by step, got the returns filed, and negotiated a payment I could actually afford. Worth every penny.”
Google reviews widget (Trustindex)
Case story 1 · Details changed to protect client privacy.
Case story 2 · Details changed to protect client privacy.
Case story 3 · Details changed to protect client privacy.
These testimonials reflect the experiences of individual clients. Every tax matter depends on its own facts, and individual results vary. Nothing here is a prediction or guarantee of the outcome of any other case.
What the free review looks like
- 1
Answer a few questions
About a minute. No documents needed.
- 2
Pick a time.
Choose the earliest slot that works. Levy and garnishment cases are flagged so the office sees them first.
- 3
30 minutes on the phone.
Tell us what's going on. Katherine reviews what you share.
- 4
Leave with three things.
Where you stand, what your options are, and what it would cost to fix.
- 5
You decide.
No pressure, no obligation. If it makes sense to work together, the fee is agreed in writing before any work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Start with 30 minutes
The hardest part is usually the first call. It's free, it's confidential, and there's nothing to prepare.
Get your free, confidential review
Three quick questions so we can see what's going on before we talk. Takes about a minute.
Get your free, confidential review
Three quick questions · Takes about a minute
Free· Confidential·No obligation·Every case is reviewed by a CPA
Prefer to talk now? (800) 236-3741, Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm Eastern.
Office closed - leave a message or book a time.