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Back Taxes Solutions
Comprehensive strategies for resolving years of unpaid back taxes.
Talk To A Real Tax Attorney
One honest conversation. You'll hang up knowing exactly what the IRS can — and can't — do to you, and how we'll stop them.
Call (877) 829-5267Tax Attorney · Villanova University School of Law · Admitted in Delaware, New Jersey, United States Tax Court
The Truth About Back Taxes Solutions — And What To Do Right Now
Back taxes — unpaid taxes from previous years — don't go away on their own. The IRS adds penalties and interest that can quickly double or triple the original amount. But you have more options than you think.
McCauley Law Offices develops comprehensive strategies combining multiple resolution tools: Offers in Compromise, installment agreements, penalty abatement, and CNC status — whatever combination produces the best result for your specific situation.
How Back Taxes Grow Over Time
Understanding how the IRS calculates what you owe helps you see why acting sooner saves you money:
- Failure-to-File Penalty: 5% per month on unpaid taxes, up to 25%
- Failure-to-Pay Penalty: 0.5% per month on unpaid taxes, up to 25%
- Interest: Currently ~8%, compounded daily on the entire balance including penalties
- Combined effect: A $50,000 tax bill can grow to over $100,000 within 3-4 years
Resolution Strategies for Back Taxes
Offer in Compromise
Settle the entire debt for a fraction of what you owe. Best for taxpayers who genuinely can't pay the full amount based on their income and assets.
Installment Agreement
Pay over time in manageable monthly payments. We negotiate the lowest possible payment and explore partial-pay options where the statute expires before the balance is paid.
Currently Not Collectible
If you truly can't afford any payments right now, CNC status stops all collection. If the 10-year statute expires during CNC, the debt disappears.
Penalty Abatement
Penalties often make up 25-50% of a back tax bill. We pursue First-Time Abatement and reasonable cause arguments to strip penalties from your balance.
The 10-Year Collection Statute
The IRS has 10 years from the date of assessment to collect taxes. After that, the debt expires permanently. This is a powerful strategic tool — we calculate your CSED (Collection Statute Expiration Date) for each tax year and factor it into your resolution strategy. Some years may be close enough to expiration that it makes sense to wait them out rather than settle.
People Just Like You Have Sat In This Exact Chair
They were terrified. They were ashamed. They thought they were the only one. Then they made one phone call — and everything changed.
10 Years of Back Taxes Totaling $280,000
A self-employed contractor owed $280,000 across 10 tax years. We filed all delinquent returns (reducing the assessed amount by $90,000), got penalties abated, and negotiated an Offer in Compromise for $18,000.
$340,000 Back Tax Liability Settled for $28,000
A Cherry Hill business owner with 9 years of liability and limited future earnings settled for an OIC of $28,000 — less than 10 cents on the dollar.
Old Liability Resolved by CSED Expiration
We mapped a Conshohocken client's CSED dates and moved him into CNC two years before the oldest year expired. Result: a $96,000 balance was permanently written off without payment.
That Letter In Your Hand? Here's What It Really Means.
The IRS writes notices in code on purpose. If any of these landed in your mailbox, back taxes solutions is exactly how we fight back — and the clock is already ticking.
This is the IRS's first notice telling you that you owe taxes. It shows the amount due, including any penalties and interest.
Deadline: 21 days
A reminder that you have a balance due. This is a follow-up to the initial CP14 notice.
Deadline: 21 days
This is the second reminder that you owe taxes. The IRS is escalating their collection efforts.
Deadline: Immediate
This is a final notice before the IRS seizes your assets. They intend to levy (take) your state tax refund and may seize other assets.
Deadline: 30 days
This is the absolute final warning. The IRS will begin seizing your wages, bank accounts, and property within 30 days.
Deadline: 30 days
Notice CP49 tells you the IRS used all or part of your tax refund to pay an old federal tax debt. If anything is left, you'll get it; if you still owe, the notice shows the remaining balance.
Deadline: 60 days to dispute
The IRS has no record of your federal tax return for a prior year and is asking you to file it. CP59 is the IRS's first formal step toward filing a Substitute for Return (SFR) on your behalf — which almost always overstates what you owe.
Deadline: Respond promptly (typically 30 days)
CP71C is an annual statement that you still owe back taxes and warns that the debt may be certified as 'seriously delinquent' — which can lead to passport denial or revocation by the State Department.
Deadline: No fixed deadline (passport risk is ongoing)
Every Day You Wait, The IRS Wins A Little More.
Penalties stack. Interest compounds. Legal options quietly disappear. One free call ends the spiral.
Exactly How We Take This Off Your Shoulders
The hardest step is the first one. Everything after that, we carry for you. No surprises. No runaround. No lectures.
- 1
Pull every transcript and compute the CSED
We map every assessed year, balance, and the actual 10-year clock — sometimes time alone is the best leverage.
- 2
Evaluate every resolution path
Installment, partial-pay IA, CNC, OIC, bankruptcy — modeled side-by-side based on real numbers.
- 3
Get current on filings
No resolution sticks without current compliance. We file any missing returns first.
- 4
Negotiate and execute
Whatever path fits the facts, we file the package and follow through to acceptance.
- 5
Maintain the resolution
Stay-in-compliance monitoring so a single missed estimated payment doesn't unwind years of work.
Trusted by Thousands of Taxpayers
Real results from real clients
Robert M.
Sandra L.
Michael T.
Jennifer K.
David R.
Maria G.
Thomas W.
Patricia H.
James C.
Robert M.
Sandra L.
Michael T.
Jennifer K.
David R.
Maria G.
Thomas W.
Patricia H.
James C.
Robert M.
Sandra L.
Michael T.
Jennifer K.
David R.
Maria G.
Thomas W.
Patricia H.
James C.
Robert M.
Sandra L.
Michael T.
Jennifer K.
David R.
Maria G.
Thomas W.
Patricia H.
James C.
"McCauley Law resolved my $180,000 IRS debt for a fraction of what I owed. I was facing wage garnishment and bank levies — they stopped everything and negotiated an incredible settlement."
Robert M.
Philadelphia, PA
1 / 5
The Questions Keeping You Up At Night — Answered
The Paperwork Behind Back Taxes Solutions
Step-by-step guides — including who files, mailing addresses, and the mistakes that get applications rejected.
Other Ways We Shut The IRS Down
Offer in Compromise
Settle your tax debt for less than what you owe through IRS settlement programs.
Installment Agreement
Set up manageable monthly payment plans to pay off your tax debt over time.
Currently Not Collectible
Prove financial hardship to temporarily halt IRS collection activity.
Penalty Abatement
Remove or reduce IRS penalties through first-time abatement or reasonable cause.
One Phone Call. Or Another Sleepless Night.
Stop Letting The IRS Own Your Mornings.
You already know what happens if you do nothing. Pick up the phone for a free, confidential conversation with a real tax attorney — 30+ years inside the IRS playbook — and finally start fighting back.
Call (877) 829-5267 NowPrimary Sources & Authority
We cite the underlying IRS publications and statutes so you can verify everything on this page.