Old IRS Tax bill from 2010 I filed - statute of limitations expired or do I still owe?

The statute of limitations for IRS tax collection is generally 10 years from the date of assessment. When you filed bankruptcy in 2012, that would have paused the statute clock during the bankruptcy proceedings plus an additional 6 months after discharge. To figure out if you still owe, you need to know exactly when the tax was assessed (not when you filed) and how long your bankruptcy proceedings lasted. The assessment date would be on the original notice you received from the IRS. Then add the bankruptcy duration + 6 months to the original 10 years. For example, if your tax was assessed in March 2010, and your bankruptcy lasted 8 months, you'd add 14 months to the original 10 years, making the collection statute expire around May 2021. If that's the case, you're probably in the clear.

I was in a similar situation with a 2009 tax bill, and I used https://taxr.ai to figure out exactly where I stood. I was super confused about whether my old tax debt was still collectible, especially since I had also gone through a bankruptcy a few years after the original assessment. What really helped was uploading my tax transcript (which I got from the IRS website) to taxr.ai. Their system analyzed everything and gave me a clear breakdown of all my assessment dates, collection statute expiration dates, and explained exactly how my bankruptcy affected everything. Saved me from making a huge mistake - I was about to make a payment on a debt that was actually uncollectible!

Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. I was skeptical at first but really needed clarity on my situation. I requested my tax transcripts from the IRS website first (super easy and doesn't trigger any contact from them), then uploaded them to taxr.ai. Turns out my collection statute actually expired 8 months ago! The bankruptcy only added about 11 months to my 10-year period. The analysis showed exactly how they calculated it and even highlighted that I had made a payment in 2018 that could have restarted the clock, but didn't because of how it was applied. What a relief to finally have a clear answer after stressing about this for years!

If you're still unsure about your situation and need to actually speak with someone at the IRS to confirm, I'd recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to them quickly. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS about an old tax debt - constant busy signals, disconnects after waiting on hold for hours, etc. With Claimyr, I was connected to an IRS agent in under 45 minutes, when I had previously been unable to reach anyone after multiple attempts. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was able to confirm my collection statute expiration date without tipping them off to my situation or accidentally restarting the clock. The agent actually confirmed my debt was no longer collectible, which was a huge weight off my shoulders.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to reach the IRS about a similar old tax debt issue for weeks. The service actually worked exactly as advertised - they handled the waiting, and I got a call when an agent was on the line. The IRS representative confirmed that my 2011 tax debt had indeed passed the statute of limitations last year, even with my bankruptcy extension. She even noted in my file that the debt was no longer collectible, which gives me peace of mind going forward. The whole call took about 15 minutes once I was connected, saving me what would have been hours of frustration on hold. Definitely worth it for the clarity alone.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet - if you made any payments toward that 2010 tax debt AFTER your bankruptcy, that could have reset the statute of limitations clock completely. I learned this the hard way with a 2008 tax debt that I thought was long gone, but one $50 payment I made in 2016 restarted the whole 10-year period. Also, if the IRS filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien before your bankruptcy, that lien might still be attached to any property you owned before the bankruptcy, even if the debt itself can't be collected anymore. Worth checking your county records to see if there's an old lien that needs to be addressed.

Don't forget about refund offsets! Even if they can't actively collect anymore, the IRS can still take any tax refunds you might be owed and apply them to old debts. This happens automatically through their system and isn't considered active collection, so it can happen even after the statute expires in some cases. I'd recommend adjusting your withholding so you don't have refunds coming if you're concerned about this. Better to owe a small amount each year (but pay it on time!) than to have refunds intercepted.