Do you know if there's a waiting period for the Fresh Start Initiative? Like, can you apply if you just became unable to pay your taxes this year, or do they expect you to have been struggling for a certain amount of time?

There's no specific waiting period for the Fresh Start Initiative programs. You can apply as soon as you realize you can't pay your tax debt in full. The qualification is based on your current financial situation, not how long you've been struggling. What matters more is demonstrating that you can't pay the full amount without causing financial hardship. This is where documenting your income, expenses, assets, and debts becomes important. They want to see that you're making a good faith effort to comply with tax laws going forward, but genuinely can't address the past debt in full immediately.

I used a tax pro for my Offer in Compromise under Fresh Start. Cost me $1,500 but they got my $32k tax debt settled for $8k, so definitely worth it in my case. If you're just doing a simple installment agreement though, you might be able to handle it yourself.

Do you actually mail in your 1099 forms when you file? I thought you just kept them for your records and entered the info in your tax software.

I don't mail them in - I keep them for my own records. But having them organized this way helps me if I need to reference them later, especially if I get questions from the IRS. You're right that you typically don't send in your 1099 forms with your tax return when e-filing. You just enter the information from them. But keeping good records of which form is correct is important for your own reference and in case of an audit.

Is that still true if the money is in their account but they could withdraw it anytime? Like if the OP just chose not to request another check but could have?

Thanks for the advice. I definitely have clear evidence. The agent claimed I never provided certain bank statements which I have delivery confirmations for. They also calculated my business income using figures that completely ignored several legitimate business expenses that were clearly documented and submitted. When my CPA pointed this out, the agent just ignored it. The most frustrating part was when they claimed certain deductions weren't eligible when the actual IRS publications specifically list them as qualifying expenses.

Those examples sound exactly like the kind of evidence needed for a legitimate complaint. The fact that you have delivery confirmations for documents they claimed you never provided is particularly important - that's a clear factual dispute, not just a difference in interpretation. I'd recommend organizing all this evidence chronologically in a simple document that clearly outlines each instance of misconduct. Include dates, specific claims made by the agent, and your contradicting evidence. This will make it much easier for TIGTA to investigate. My brother says the more specific and factual your complaint is (rather than emotional), the more seriously it will be taken.

There's definitely a difference between incompetence and fraud. I've dealt with both. Incompetence is when they make calculation errors or misapply tax law because they don't understand it. Fraud/lying is when they claim you never sent documents that you have proof of sending, or when they intentionally ignore valid deductions. The key difference is usually in how they respond when corrected. An incompetent agent will usually acknowledge mistakes when pointed out clearly. A dishonest one will double down or ignore evidence that contradicts their position.

Wouldn't filing an identity theft form when your identity wasn't actually stolen cause more problems? I'm worried that might flag my account in a bad way for future years.

That's a good question. When you can't verify your identity through normal channels, the IRS actually recommends filing Form 14039 with the box checked for "I received a notice from the IRS and believe someone may have used my SSN." Since you received notices about identity verification, this is technically accurate. It doesn't create problems for future years - actually, it creates an extra layer of protection. After resolving my case, they added additional security to my tax account and gave me a special PIN to use for future filings. Made me feel more secure, honestly!

I'm a tax preparer and yes, this can definitely help! If we prepared your return, we can go with you to the appointment and bring our records which often helps verify everything more quickly. We can also contact the Practitioner Priority Service on your behalf, which is a special IRS hotline only for tax professionals that usually has much shorter wait times.

Thank you! This is super helpful. For my food truck, would keeping a daily sales journal (even just handwritten) alongside my inventory purchases be considered a "systematic approach" if I can't afford a fancy POS system yet?

Yes, a consistently maintained daily sales journal would definitely qualify as a systematic approach, especially when backed up by inventory purchase records. The key is consistency and reasonableness. Make sure your daily logs show total sales, and ideally break it down by broad categories if applicable (food vs. drinks, etc.). Even a simple spreadsheet updated daily is fine. What raises red flags in audits is when there's no system at all, or when reported income doesn't align with the lifestyle or business volume we observe.

I used the National Restaurant Association's industry reports during an audit of my small cafe. The IRS agent was familiar with them and it actually helped me show that my reported revenue was in line with industry averages for my type of business in my area. They still wanted to see my actual records, but having that benchmark data definitely helped establish that my numbers were reasonable.