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Garnishments, Levies, & Seizures

Bank Levy
A wage garnishment levy can force your employer to pay the IRS for back taxes owed by you before you get paid. Just as with a tax lien, the IRS uses a wage garnishment and other levies as a way to collect what you owe in taxes.  We have dealt with many clients who have ignored those IRS letters threatening to levy their bank accounts or garnish their wages, because most thought it would never happen.  In just about every case we have resolved, the IRS has explained that a wage garnishment and/or levy is considered as the option of last resort.

Basically, if you ignore those IRS notices, the IRS will eventually garnish your wages or hit your bank account to “wake you up” and force you to deal with the issue.

By code, if your wages are garnished, the IRS can take all but $812 per month if you are single, and all but $1,625 per month if you are married.  As you can see, it doesn’t matter how much you make and the IRS garnishment is not limited to a percentage of your income.  The IRS is only required to “leave” you an amount equal to the standard deduction plus the personal exemption(s) reported on your most recent income tax return.  The rumor that the IRS can only garnish 25% is simply not true.  The IRS can take much more than 25%.  Like most tax situations; until you deal with the underlying tax issue, the garnishment and/or levy will continue until it is resolved.

If you are under a wage garnishment or bank account levy, or if you have received that threatening notice informing you that it will happen soon, call us today.  It is much easier to stop a garnishment or levy action before it starts than it is to stop one once the IRS has begun the process.  As with every solution, the sooner you deal with the problem, the easier the solution will be.

IRS Seizures

A seizure of property, either real or personal, is very similar to a levy, except the thing seized is not money. The same notices must be sent to the taxpayer for the seizure to be legal. If the seizure is legal, the IRS can sell the property seized and keep all of the money. To apply to the taxes owed.

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I had not filed my returns since 2004. I thought it would be a nightmare trying to figure out what I owe. But ETS quickly filed all my returns, got me caught up on all my returns and negotiated a payment plan that I could afford. Thank you for taking that stress off of me!
BrianGreenville, SC

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