Tax Lien

[Anonymous]

I'm not guilty!  That's what everyone says when they get arrested or a tax lien is filed.  So... I did not meet the income threshold that required me to file taxes in 1997 & 1998 with the State.  I have a professional license, so the State filed taxes for me using the mean income of license holder.  That was done during years that they were mailing to my old address.  I paid them in full last fall though a demand in escrow.  Then I received another bill.  I wrote to them during the time given for a response.  No reply.  Then I received a Notice of Levy.  I called the day I received it & drove to Sacramento to pay it while continuing to dispute.  It was released immediately.  Then they returned the money for 1997 & 1998 and for the additional bill because I didn't owe any of it.  They did not send a letter, just the re-imbursment checks referencing the tax years.  The liens are wreaking havoc on my FICO scores.  How do I get the credit repositories to recognize that the liens were filed in error and remove them from their reports? 

[Anonymous]

---

streamline wrote:

I'm not guilty!  That's what everyone says when they get arrested or a tax lien is filed.  So... I did not meet the income threshold that required me to file taxes in 1997 & 1998 with the State.  I have a professional license, so the State filed taxes for me using the mean income of license holder.  That was done during years that they were mailing to my old address.  I paid them in full last fall though a demand in escrow.  Then I received another bill.  I wrote to them during the time given for a response.  No reply.  Then I received a Notice of Levy.  I called the day I received it & drove to Sacramento to pay it while continuing to dispute.  It was released immediately.  Then they returned the money for 1997 & 1998 and for the additional bill because I didn't owe any of it.  They did not send a letter, just the re-imbursment checks referencing the tax years.  The liens are wreaking havoc on my FICO scores.  How do I get the credit repositories to recognize that the liens were filed in error and remove them from their reports? 

---

i had a similar experience....sent a certified letter to the state tax commision, and it was removed within 2 weeks.....

[prizz4]

OMG! i am so surprised to know that almost the same thing has happened to me. tax lien filed in error from median income of profession, lien released within days, subsequently wages levied-then returned. i have disputed and included this info, to no avail. these liens are only negative on my TU. please tell me what letter u wrote and who to send to. i would so appreciate this help, as disputing has done no good so far.Am in the market for a new home. Thanxs in advance x 10

[Anonymous]

Not trying to beat you up while you are down but maybe it will help someone else contemplating not filing. As a former tax professional the #1 advice I can give is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAY and ALWAYS file a tax return.

Examples like this just show why it is a bad idea to not file a return for any reason.

One unknown fact is the SOL never expires if you don't file a tax return. The SOL is based on date of filing so if you never file they can go back 5yrs, 10yrs, 50yrs. If you don't file you must then prove to the government your income and tax burden for that year. Combine that with no SOL and you can be in a situation where you are trying "prove" your income from a decade ago without complete records. It is a hopeless task and most people just accept the $$$ given by the government and pay in full with penalties (even if they really didn't owe anything).

Quick quersion to anyone thinking of not filing. Can you prove absolutely your income, deductions, and tax burden from 1998? Do you have all the supporting documentation? Can you even get it all (employer, banks gone out of business, lost records, changed systems, etc)?

ALWAYS file a tax return. You can file a tax return of $0 income. It starts the SOL clock. If you file a return the burden of proof moves to the government as they must now disprove your claimed income.

BTW: Always file a tax return.

[Jesedmotherof5]

nope I dont have documents all together, but I think i would probably owe more then they are asking if I did! Though i do have quiet of few 5 to be exact deductions... whatever I'll pay what they say and play by the FILE your returns from now on!