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What to Do
While there are probably no fail-safe ways to protect yourself in all circumstances
from situations arising from IRS ineptitude, there are a number of things you can and
should do
- First, send all correspondence and payments to the IRS by certified mail. I even
take this a step further by having the post office stamp the receipt slip in the event the
green certified card is mysteriously lost (yes, this has happened).
- Never pay the IRS in cash. As obvious as this may seem, remember that your check
is your receipt. On every check, be sure to put your social security number (or, if
it is a corporate matter, the corporation's federal ID number) and the tax period to which
the payment pertains. I also recommend putting the tax form number on the check.
- If you need copies of canceled checks you've sent to the IRS, be sure to copy both the
front and back of the check. The lengthy numerical tracking code on the back of
every check cashed by the IRS will allow your check to be traced back to the account to
which it was applied.
- Keep complete copies of everything you send to and receive from the IRS. File
these copies in a safe place for at least six years.
- Be sure to get the name and employee number of any IRS representative with whom you
speak. (They are required by law to give you this information.) Keep detailed notes
of any such conversations.
- If all else fails, hire a reputable tax professional to intervene on your behalf to show
the IRS the error of its says. Taking some of the protective measures I have
suggested above should help you do just that.
HOWARD KAPLAN is a tax attorney in Omaha, Nebraska,
specializing in federal tax controversy work and tax planning. His Web site is
www.kaptax.com
©1999, Network
Marketing Publications Inc., 15303 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Reproduced by permission
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