The IRS Sucks

I've been sitting on the phone for 22 minutes, holding for the IRS. I originally owed $726.97 in taxes for 2007, and my wife and i were calculated to receive $1,200 from the economic stimulus package. We received our treasury payment from the IRS on Saturday for $472.20. Obviously they took my owed taxes out of the stimulus check we were supposed to receive, and that's just fine.

So today I get a notice from the IRS telling me i owe $726.97! First of all, i spoke with someone from the IRS about two months ago saying i would owe money. I asked him if it would influence my stimulus payment at all and he said they were completely separate entities, that i would receive my alloted amount of tax rebate, and have to pay my taxes separately.

I've done a bit of research in the (checking) 26 minutes i've been holding for one of Uncle Sams unwashed masses, and i've both read that they aren't taking the owed taxes out of the stimulus payment as well as the FACT that they HAVE taken it out of the rebate.

So, what the hell? Now i'm just sitting here wasting my friday night when i could be reading all about... i don't know. Anything other than what i'm doing right now. The hold music is SO LOUD, this really cheesy seriously classical music like in Sound of Music or something. It gets REALLY loud and then really quiet, and that same stupid hold lady comes on and tells me more of what i already know, that " out representatives are still helping other customers. please continue to hold." I waited 1 minute and 20 seconds for her to say that again so i could transcribe it here for you all.

Seriously, if the IRS drains the battery on this phone? I'm going to be so much more frustrated than i already am. UGH.. okay i'm taking a break from this little thread.

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Forget it. I've waited 50 minutes. I'm just going to fire-bomb the place instead. That should fix it.

Wow, sounds horrible. I'm really starting to dread moving out when I turn 18.

But if someone would mind to clarify this, I remember hearing something about the IRS illegally taxing people.

I hope you get it all worked out

Thanks for your concern.

I haven't resolved the issue yet. I've decided the government is going to have to WORK for my money, not the other way around. The 1% interest i'll be paying is worth it to not have to sit on hold for a weekend.

Don't you just love that symphony music!
IRS makes it difficult you you to pay other bills. Then when you don't pay the banks they ask Uncle Sam you a bailout package...Go figure.

John M.

I too have been on hold with the IRS. You have my sympathy. Honestly I'm half afraid to even voice my true feelings about that entity. If people think the CIA is the most terrifying of the American institutions, I think they're mistaken.

I thought by law you don't have to pay taxes in America?

welcome to my world.

first rule in dealing with the irs. call early. very early.

If you can't get thru on the main number, hit the website and look up the taxpayer advocate's office, that might be an easier means of getting thru.

the thing you need to understand is that the IRS has one system for collection it runs on a cycle so the statement you received might have been sent out before they updated to show the payment was taken from the stimulus check.

Dealing with the IRS can be rather easy, provided you remember a few things. First, if you get someone on the phone who seems to have an attitude, hang up. The last thing you need is an agent on an ego trip. Second, they are nowhere near as knowledgeable as they claim to be. I'm constantly reminding them of the rules and regulations when I am dealing with audits. Third, they are limited in their technology. They tend to be a few years behind the curve in their technology and, as such, their systems are not exactly integrated. I've sent letters, received corrections, made payments etc and still received bills showing old, unadjusted balances due. Sometimes it takes months (or in one case 8 years) to fix a problem.

The key is to remember that, while they are working for the enemy, they are just doing their job. The ones who let their job boost their ego are the ones you avoid. The others, they just want to go do what is asked of them and collect their paycheck.

My two favorite dealings with the IRS, in a nutshell:
1. an agent who told me the IRS gets their computers from Ed's Bait and Computer Shack when he was unable to explain why his system was showing one thing and collections was showing something else.
2. a sweet woman from the virgin islands, named Luz Moron, who helped me deal with an IRS error that resulted in an 8 year issue. The net overpayment due my client was about $4000, which we wanted applied to the current year taxes. They said we owed about $10,000 as a result of a glitch in their system thanks to an audit that we won. A hurricane destroyed Ms. Moron's office, making 8 years worth of paperwork disappear. The client ended up receiving close to $100,000 in refunds, including interest. We never did figure out why and they never asked for it back - this was more than ten years ago.

Originally posted by Basilis
Wow, sounds horrible. I'm really starting to dread moving out when I turn 18.

Just make sure it's out of the US of A!