Social Security benefits starting - will IRS take my entire check for back taxes?

they cant take all ur ss but they can take some. i had this happen 2 yrs ago. theres a max % they can garnish.

The Federal Payment Levy Program (FPLP) allows the IRS to take up to 15% of your Social Security benefits for back taxes. They don't take it all at once. The reduction happens automatically once the IRS processes the levy against your benefits. You should receive a notice before they start taking anything. You might want to be proactive and contact the IRS to set up a payment plan (called an Installment Agreement). If you have a formal payment arrangement, they sometimes won't levy your benefits as long as you're making payments according to the plan.

I went through something similar last year with tax debt. After many frustrating attempts to call the IRS (kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours), I found a service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to an agent. It saves you from waiting on hold - they basically call and wait in the queue for you, then call you when an agent is about to pick up. I used their video demo to understand how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, I set up a payment plan where I paid $175/month toward my tax debt, and they didn't touch my Social Security at all. The website is claimyr.com if you're interested. Saved me a ton of stress.

I think everyone's mixing up SSI and SS retirement here. If you're on SSI they can't take anything, but regular Social Security they definitely can take for taxes. My brother had his whole check taken last year.

I can share my experience with you. I owed about $12,500 in back taxes when I started collecting Social Security in 2023. The IRS took exactly 15% of my monthly benefit - nothing more. In my case, that was about $260 out of my $1,735 monthly payment. I did eventually set up a formal payment plan with the IRS for $300/month, which included the amount they were already taking from Social Security plus a little extra to pay down the debt faster. The process was fairly straightforward once I actually reached an agent. One important thing to note: even while they were taking 15% of my Social Security, interest and penalties were still accumulating on my unpaid tax balance. That's why I decided to pay a bit extra each month.

My aunt had this same issue when she retired! Something I didn't see mentioned yet - if you're experiencing financial hardship, you might qualify for Currently Not Collectible status with the IRS. They basically put your account on hold if paying would prevent you from affording basic living expenses. Just another option to consider!

I went through EXACTLY this last year and let me tell you it was a NIGHTMARE!!! First they sent me a letter saying they MIGHT levy my benefits, then nothing for 3 months, then suddenly my check was 15% smaller with NO WARNING!!! I called SSA and they said call IRS, called IRS and they said call SSA!!! Round and round for WEEKS!!! Finally got it sorted with a payment plan but the whole system is BROKEN. They don't communicate between agencies AT ALL. Make sure you keep COPIES OF EVERYTHING and get NAMES of everyone you talk to!!!

Just to add one more important detail - if you're facing financial hardship, you can request a reduction or removal of the levy by submitting Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance) or by calling the Taxpayer Advocate Service directly at 877-777-4778. They're separate from regular IRS collections and can sometimes help if you're in a difficult financial situation.