Are you looking for an IRS collections lawyer in Hanover, MD?
At Crepeau Mourges, we provide IRS collections representation grounded in more than 40 years of combined work on behalf of clients in Hanover.
If you owe back taxes, the IRS has enforcement tools that most creditors do not. It can file liens, seize bank accounts, and take part of your paycheck without ever going to court. A Hanover, MD IRS collections lawyer at Crepeau Mourges can stop or slow that machinery, negotiate a resolution you can actually live with, and protect the assets that matter most. We offer free consultations for collection matters.
IRS Collections Lawyer Hanover, MD
An IRS collections attorney represents taxpayers who owe federal tax debt the government is actively pursuing. Once a balance is assessed and unpaid, the case moves into the IRS collection function, which operates on notices, deadlines, and escalating enforcement. The IRS collection process begins with a bill and can end with levies on wages, bank accounts, and even retirement funds.
Collection cases are different from audits. The government is no longer asking what you owe. It is deciding how to take it. Representation at this stage focuses on payment alternatives, procedural rights, and timing, because the law gives taxpayers meaningful options that the notices rarely explain.
Types of IRS Collections Cases We Handle in Hanover
Collection problems come in many forms, and the right resolution depends on your finances, your filing history, and how far enforcement has progressed. Our firm handles the full range of collection matters for individuals and businesses in Hanover, MD.
- Installment agreements. Monthly payment plans resolve most collection cases. We negotiate terms based on your actual ability to pay, not the number the IRS proposes first.
- Offers in compromise. Some taxpayers qualify to settle for less than the full balance. We prepare offers with the financial documentation the IRS requires and defend the numbers when they are questioned.
- Wage garnishments. The IRS can garnish your wages after required notices are issued. We work to release garnishments and replace them with manageable arrangements.
- Bank levies. A levy can empty an account in a single day. We move quickly to secure releases, particularly where the levy creates economic hardship.
- IRS tax liens. A federal tax lien attaches to everything you own and complicates any sale or refinance. An IRS tax lien lawyer can pursue withdrawal, release, discharge, or subordination depending on the situation.
- Currently not collectible status. Taxpayers who cannot pay basic living expenses can ask the IRS to pause collection entirely. We document hardship and push cases into this status when it fits.
- Trust fund recovery penalties. When a business falls behind on payroll taxes, the IRS can pursue owners and officers personally. We defend against these assessments and negotiate business resolutions.
- Unfiled returns. Collection alternatives generally require filing compliance, and unfiled tax returns block nearly every option. We bring clients current so resolution becomes possible.
- IRS appeals. Collection Due Process hearings and the Collection Appeals Program let taxpayers challenge liens and levies before or shortly after they happen. We use both.
- Penalty and interest relief. Penalties often make up a large share of the balance. We request abatement where reasonable cause or first-time relief applies.
Why Choose Crepeau Mourges as my IRS Collections Lawyer in Hanover, MD?
A Firm That Handles the Whole Tax Problem
Collection cases rarely arrive alone. They follow an IRS audit, a period of unfiled returns, or a business downturn, and resolving the balance means addressing the cause. Our founding attorneys have spent their careers in federal and state tax controversy. Brian J. Crepeau has represented individual and corporate taxpayers since 2003 and holds a management science degree in accounting from Bridgewater State University, a background that shows in how our firm works through financial disclosures. Brandon N. Mourges is a member of the Attorney-CPA Association and the Federal Bar Association, and he volunteers with the VITA program at Fort Meade. Clients working with an IRS tax lawyer in Hanover, MD from our office get both the legal strategy and the financial fluency these cases demand.
Practical Resolutions, Not Promises
The IRS publishes the rules for every collection alternative, and the outcome relies on preparation. We have helped taxpayers release levies, remove penalties, and settle balances they believed were unmanageable.
What Is Important To Understand About IRS Collections Cases?
Enforcement Powers, Payment Alternatives, and Taxpayer Rights in IRS Collections Cases
The collection function operates under rules that create both risk and opportunity. Publication 594 describes the process in detail, and several points shape almost every case:
- The IRS generally has ten years from assessment to collect a tax debt. This collection statute of limitations can be paused by certain events, including offers and bankruptcies.
- Required notices must be issued before most levies, and each notice opens specific rights.
- A Collection Due Process hearing can stop a levy while the case is reviewed.
- Payment alternatives include installment agreements, offers in compromise, and hardship status.
- Interest and penalties continue to accrue during most resolutions, which affects which option costs least.
- The Taxpayer Bill of Rights applies throughout the collection process.
What Are Important Aspects of an IRS Collections Case?
Collection outcomes depend less on argument and more on financial reality, documented properly. Defending against IRS collection starts with a clear picture of what the government can legally reach. A few things deserve attention early.
- Filing compliance comes first. The IRS will not approve most resolutions while returns are missing.
- The financial disclosure shapes the outcome. Forms 433-A and 433-B determine what the IRS believes you can pay.
- Deadlines on collection notices are short, and ignoring them forfeits hearing rights.
- Timing matters. The collection statute, pending offers, and appeal rights interact, and collection alternatives work best when sequenced deliberately.
What Is The IRS Collections Case Timeline?
Collection cases move on the government’s schedule until you engage, and then the timeline depends on the resolution pursued. A levy release can happen in days. An offer in compromise routinely takes six months to a year.
- The IRS assesses the tax and sends an initial bill.
- Reminder notices escalate to a final notice of intent to levy, which triggers hearing rights.
- If no response is made, liens are filed and levies begin.
- Once representation begins, enforcement is typically paused while a resolution is negotiated.
- The case closes through payment, settlement, hardship status, or expiration of the collection statute.
What Should You Bring to Your IRS Collections Consultation?
Complete records are helpful but not required, because our firm can obtain account transcripts directly from the IRS.
- All IRS notices and letters, especially any final notice of intent to levy
- Recent pay stubs, bank statements, and a general list of monthly expenses
- Copies of your last few tax returns, filed or not
- Any existing installment agreement or prior offer paperwork
Your first consultation is free. We will confirm what the IRS says you owe, explain which resolutions you realistically qualify for, and lay out the next steps.
What Are Important Maryland Legal Resources for IRS Collections Cases?
Official agency resources explain the collection process and your rights within it. These are dependable places to start.
- The IRS describes taxpayer options in Publication 594.
- Payment plan terms and applications are on the IRS payment plans page.
- The Taxpayer Advocate Service helps when collection action creates hardship.
- The Comptroller of Maryland handles state collection matters that often accompany federal debt.
Reach Out to Crepeau Mourges to Schedule a Consultation
Collection notices escalate on a fixed track, and the options available today may not exist after the next letter. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with an IRS collections attorney in Hanover, MD. We will review your notices, confirm your balance through IRS records, and give you a candid assessment of the resolutions available. Our office responds quickly to every new matter.
