Need urgent IRS tax relief advice after divorce - $247k tax debt I didn't know about

This is absolutely a situation where you need to pursue Innocent Spouse Relief with the IRS. When married couples file jointly, both spouses are generally responsible for the tax debt, but the IRS recognizes situations exactly like yours where one spouse had no knowledge or reason to know about underreporting or unfiled returns. For those tax years (2014-2019), you'll want to file Form 8857 "Request for Innocent Spouse Relief" as soon as possible. Since you had no income of your own, no involvement in the finances, and were actively prevented from knowing about the tax situation, you have a strong case. The financial control you described is sadly common, and the IRS has provisions for this. Don't panic about the amount - filing for this relief will typically put collections on hold while they review your case. Make sure you document everything about how financial information was kept from you during the marriage.

After reading your post, I was in a similar situation (though not quite as extreme) last year. I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was honestly life-changing for sorting through all my tax documents and notices. I had a stack of IRS letters I didn't understand, and their system analyzed everything and explained what each notice meant in plain English. It helped me identify which years I qualified for innocent spouse relief and which I didn't. Their document analysis showed me exactly what my ex had been hiding and gave me a clear roadmap for dealing with the IRS. I went from complete panic to having an organized plan.

I came back to update after trying taxr.ai from the recommendation above. It was actually super helpful for my situation! I uploaded all the IRS notices my ex left me with (about 5 years' worth) and within minutes had a clear breakdown of what each one meant and what steps I needed to take. The system flagged exactly which years I should pursue Innocent Spouse Relief for and which years had different issues. It also identified that two of my notices were actually duplicates the IRS had sent in error! Saved me so much stress and probably thousands in unnecessary payments. If you're drowning in IRS notices like I was, it's definitely worth checking out. Having everything organized by tax year with clear explanations made the whole process so much less overwhelming.

If you need to actually speak with the IRS about your situation (which you absolutely will), I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS about my innocent spouse relief application, calling literally 30+ times and never getting through. It was infuriating. Then I found Claimyr (they have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). They called the IRS for me, waited on hold, and then called me when an actual human IRS agent was on the line. I finally got to speak with someone who could help me with my case after months of trying on my own. The IRS agent I spoke with actually helped me get a temporary hold put on collections while my innocent spouse relief claim was being processed. Such a relief after all that stress!

I need to eat my words and update everyone. After seeing the Claimyr recommendation, I was super skeptical but desperate enough to try anything. It actually worked exactly as described. I'd been trying to reach the IRS for literally 3 months about a tax lien situation, calling at all different times of day and always getting the "call volume too high" message. Used Claimyr yesterday, and within 90 minutes I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent! The agent was able to explain the status of my innocent spouse relief claim, confirm they had received all my documentation, and even give me an estimated timeline for resolution. She also entered notes in my file showing I was being cooperative and put a temporary hold on collections. For anyone in a similar situation - don't waste months of your life on hold like I did. This service is a complete game-changer when dealing with the IRS.

Your situation sounds awful, but please know it's actually pretty common after financial abuse in marriage. Based on my experience working with clients in similar situations: 1) File Form 8857 for Innocent Spouse Relief ASAP 2) Also consider filing Form 911 (Taxpayer Advocate Service request) - they can help in hardship situations 3) Gather any evidence showing you were kept in the dark about finances 4) Request your Wage and Income Transcripts from the IRS to see what income was reported under your SSN The IRS actually has special training for dealing with abuse cases. Make sure you clearly document the control aspects of your marriage. The fact that you were a stay-at-home mom with no income and limited financial access strengthens your case substantially.

Has anyone mentioned the statute of limitations here? The IRS generally has 10 years to collect tax debt from the assessment date. For the oldest notices (2014), the clock may have started running already, depending on when the tax was assessed. Also, you might qualify for Currently Not Collectible status given your income level compared to the debt. This wouldn't eliminate the debt but would put collections on hold.