Question 1

Do you charge for the first conversation?

Accepted Answer

No. The first call is free and carries no obligation. If your situation turns out to be simple enough to handle yourself, we'll tell you that — it costs us a client and it's the right answer.

Question 2

Who will actually work on my case?

Accepted Answer

Katherine Johnson, a CPA since 1996 and a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist. Her team in the Georgetown office gathers documents and assembles your file; Katherine reviews it, decides the approach, and deals with the IRS. Your case doesn't move to a processing department.

Question 3

Do I need my tax documents for the first call?

Accepted Answer

No, and you don't need to have counted the years accurately either. Most of what matters comes from your IRS transcripts, which we request. Bring whatever's in front of you and describe the rest.

Question 4

Will you ask for my Social Security number or a credit card on the first call?

Accepted Answer

No. Neither. If a firm asks for a card before it has looked at your case, that tells you what kind of firm it is.

Question 5

Is what I tell you confidential?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your information isn't sold or shared.

Question 6

Can you help if I'm not in Kentucky?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Katherine is licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS in all 50 states, and most of the work happens remotely regardless of where you live. The Georgetown office serves Central Kentucky in person.

Question 7

Do I have to decide during the consultation?

Accepted Answer

No. It's a conversation, not a closing sequence. You'll have the information and the number, and you can take as long as you need.

Question 8

Will I judge myself less after talking to you?

Accepted Answer

Katherine has been doing this for thirty years. There is nothing you can tell her that she hasn't heard, and no version of the conversation where she thinks less of you for it. This is the most common situation in the practice, not a rare one.

Question 9

What can't you help with?

Accepted Answer

Criminal tax matters, Tax Court litigation and bankruptcy filings need a tax attorney — Katherine will say so and point you toward one rather than take the case and work it out later. Current-year tax preparation, bookkeeping and business accounting are handled through her separate accounting practice.

Question 10

Are you affiliated with the IRS?

Accepted Answer

No. Next Level Tax Resolution is an independent CPA firm and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the IRS or any government agency.

Question 11

How much do you charge?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the number of years involved, whether there's a business, and whether collection has already started. You'll get a specific figure after the consultation — not a range on a first call, and not a number that changes later.

Question 12

Why won't you quote me a price on the phone?

Accepted Answer

Because the honest price depends on what your IRS account actually shows, and we haven't seen it yet. A firm that quotes before looking is either guessing or planning to revise it once you've paid a deposit.

Question 13

Do you offer payment plans for your fees?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Raise it on the first call — it's a normal question and it doesn't change how your case is assessed.

Question 14

Do you require full payment upfront?

Accepted Answer

No.

Question 15

Is there a minimum amount I have to owe?

Accepted Answer

No. Several national firms won't take a case below a threshold. If your situation is small enough that you're better off handling it yourself, we'll say so rather than sell you something.

Question 16

Do you guarantee results?

Accepted Answer

No, and nobody honestly can. No practitioner controls what the IRS accepts. What can be promised is that your case will be prepared properly, argued properly, and that you'll know where you stand at each point.

Question 17

I got a letter from the IRS. What do I do first?

Accepted Answer

Find the notice number — it's usually in the top or bottom right corner — and find the date. Those two things determine how much time you have and what the letter actually is. Then don't ignore it. Most notices are routine; a few carry hard deadlines, and they look almost identical.

Question 18

How do I know if the letter is real?

Accepted Answer

The IRS opens contact by post. It doesn't demand payment by phone, email or text, and it never asks for gift cards or card details over the phone. If you're unsure, read it to us.

Question 19

Which letter is the serious one?

Accepted Answer

The Final Notice of Intent to Levy — usually an LT11 or Letter 1058. It carries your right to a Collection Due Process hearing and a hard 30-day window, and that window does not reopen.

Question 20

What happens if I ignore it?

Accepted Answer

The sequence escalates on its own: reminders, then a notice of intent to levy, then a final notice, then actual collection — wages, bank accounts, liens. Nothing dramatic happens on any single day. What happens is that the options quietly narrow.

Question 21

I got a notice for a year I already paid.

Accepted Answer

It happens — misapplied payments, processing errors, or a return credited to the wrong year. Your transcripts will show what the IRS actually recorded, which is the fastest way to establish what went wrong.

Question 22

I got a notice about a return I never filed.

Accepted Answer

That's usually either a Substitute for Return the IRS prepared on your behalf, or identity theft. Both are addressable, and they're addressed very differently — so it's worth finding out which.

Question 23

How do I find out how much I owe?

Accepted Answer

Your IRS transcripts show what's actually been assessed for each year, including penalties and interest. It's often different from what people expect, and occasionally lower.

Question 24

I can't afford to pay what I owe. What are my options?

Accepted Answer

More than most people assume. A payment plan sized to what you can genuinely afford, a settlement for less than the balance where the numbers support it, hardship status that stops collection entirely, or penalty relief that reduces the total. Which fits comes out of your transcripts and your finances.

Question 25

How long can the IRS come after me?

Accepted Answer

There's a limited period to collect an assessed liability — generally ten years, though certain events pause or extend it. How much time remains is one of the most strategically important facts in your case.

Question 26

Does tax debt eventually go away?

Accepted Answer

When the collection period expires, yes — but the clock is longer than people think, it can be paused by things you might do without realising, and it doesn't start at all for a year you never filed.

Question 27

Can I go to jail for owing back taxes?

Accepted Answer

Owing money is not a crime. Deliberate evasion can be, and prosecutions are rare and aimed at concealment rather than at people who fell behind. For the overwhelming majority of people, no.

Question 28

Does owing the IRS affect my credit score?

Accepted Answer

Tax liens stopped appearing on consumer credit reports in 2018. That doesn't make a lien invisible — it's still a public record, and lenders, underwriters and title companies still find it.

Question 29

Can I buy a house if I owe back taxes?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes — particularly with a documented payment plan in place. Unfiled returns are usually the bigger obstacle, since underwriters ask for them.

Question 30

I haven't filed in years. Is it too late?

Accepted Answer

Almost never. It's the most common situation in this practice, and it's more fixable than nearly anyone expects.

Question 31

How many years do I have to file?

Accepted Answer

Usually fewer than you think. IRS practice for bringing someone back into compliance generally focuses on a limited number of recent years rather than everything outstanding.

Question 32

I don't have any of my records. Can I still file?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The IRS holds transcripts of income reported under your Social Security number — W-2s, 1099s, interest and more — and we request them. Where they don't cover everything, income can be reconstructed.

Question 33

The IRS already told me what I owe for those years.

Accepted Answer

That figure may well be too high. When you don't file, the IRS can prepare a return for you from reported income — one that might not give you credit for deductions and exemptions you may be entitled to receive. Filing a proper return to replace it frequently reduces the balance.

Question 34

Will filing old returns trigger an audit?

Accepted Answer

Filing correctly is what closes exposure, not what creates it. Until a return is filed, that year stays open indefinitely.

Question 35

Can I still get a refund on an old return?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes — there's a limited window for claiming one, and once it closes the money can't be paid out or applied to a balance. Every year that passes potentially forfeits another.

Question 36

Can I really settle for less than I owe?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes, through an Offer in Compromise. The IRS decides based on what it calculates it could collect from your assets and future income — not on how much you owe or how difficult your circumstances are. It's a real program, and it isn't available to most people who ask about it.

Question 37

How much will the IRS settle for in my case?

Accepted Answer

Nobody can tell you before running the calculation on your actual figures. A firm that offers a number on a first call is selling. We'll explain the formula precisely and then apply it to your position.

Question 38

Is the "Fresh Start Program" real?

Accepted Answer

The changes are real; the program isn't. Fresh Start is a set of policy changes the IRS made in 2011 and 2012 that widened access to payment plans, loosened some settlement criteria, and made lien withdrawal easier. There's no application, no enrollment window and no deadline.

Question 39

Do penalties and interest stop once I'm in a plan?

Accepted Answer

No. The failure-to-pay penalty rate reduces while an agreement is in place, but interest continues. Anyone implying otherwise is misleading you.

Question 40

What if I can't pay anything at all?

Accepted Answer

That's what Currently Not Collectible status is for. Collection stops while it's in place. The balance remains and continues to accrue, and the IRS revisits your circumstances — but it's real relief when income genuinely doesn't cover basic living costs.

Question 41

Can I set up a payment plan myself?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes, and for a modest balance with clean filings you probably should — the IRS has an online application that works. It gets difficult with multiple unfiled years, a larger balance requiring financial disclosure, an active levy, or business liabilities.

Question 42

What happens if I default on a plan?

Accepted Answer

There's usually a window before the IRS acts, and a CP523 notice means termination is underway — it carries a deadline and appeal rights. Reinstatement is generally possible. The most common cause of default isn't a missed payment; it's owing again in a later year.

Question 43

The IRS is taking money from my paycheck. Can that be stopped?

Accepted Answer

Usually — but it takes putting something else in its place, most often a payment plan or hardship status. It won't stop on its own, and a wage levy is continuous: it takes from every pay period until it's released.

Question 44

How much of my paycheck can they take?

Accepted Answer

More than an ordinary creditor could. Rather than taking a percentage, the IRS leaves an exempt amount based on your filing status and dependents and takes the rest. If the form your employer gives you isn't returned in time, the exempt amount defaults to the lowest figure available.

Question 45

My bank account was frozen. How long do I have?

Accepted Answer

The Internal Revenue Code provides a 21-day waiting period before the bank complies with the levy, specifically so you have time to act. Confirm the exact date with your bank — it runs from the moment of service, not from when you noticed.

Question 46

Will I get back money that's already been taken?

Accepted Answer

Wages already remitted are very difficult to recover. Funds still inside the bank levy window are a different matter — which is why the timing on a frozen account matters so much.

Question 47

Can the IRS take my house?

Accepted Answer

Legally possible, practically uncommon, and requiring steps well beyond an ordinary levy. It is not where most cases go.

Question 48

How do I know if I'm being audited?

Accepted Answer

By post. The IRS opens an examination by mail, never by phone, email or text. Anyone calling to 'conduct an audit' and asking for payment is running a scam.

Question 49

Should I handle a correspondence audit myself?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes. A single-item request with clean documentation is often manageable. It gets risky when documentation is incomplete, when the answer invites further questions, or when the year under examination connects to years that aren't.

Question 50

I was assessed years ago and never responded. Is it settled?

Accepted Answer

Possibly not. Audit reconsideration allows a closed examination to be reopened where you never participated or where documentation now exists. There are a lot of people paying balances from audits they never took part in.

Question 51

Am I responsible for my spouse's tax debt?

Accepted Answer

If you filed jointly, the IRS can pursue either of you for the whole amount, regardless of whose income or error caused it. Innocent spouse relief exists to address that, in three distinct forms.

Question 52

Our divorce decree says he's responsible for the taxes.

Accepted Answer

That doesn't bind the IRS. The decree governs the two of you and may give you a claim against your former spouse, but the IRS wasn't a party to it. This is the most expensive misunderstanding in this area.

Question 53

Will the IRS contact my ex if I apply for relief?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The IRS reviews the request and then contacts your spouse or former spouse to ask whether they want to participate. There's no version where they aren't told.

Question 54

Does my IRS settlement cover state taxes too?

Accepted Answer

No. They're separate authorities. A federal settlement has no effect on a state balance, and a federal payment plan won't stop state collection.

Question 55

Are states easier to deal with than the IRS?

Accepted Answer

Frequently the opposite. Many states run shorter notice sequences, tighter deadlines, and in some cases collection powers the IRS doesn't have — including referral to a licensing board affecting a professional or occupational licence.

Question 56

Do you work in my state?

Accepted Answer

Yes — all 50 states.

Frequently asked questions

Working with us

What it costs

IRS letters and notices

Owing back taxes

Unfiled returns

How to Choose a Tax Resolution Firm

Settlements and payment plans

Garnishments and levies

Audits and spouses

State taxes

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