You, your authorized representative, or a third-party whose property is subject to a collection action and has received a notice of their right to request a CDP or EH hearing, may request a hearing if it is within the permitted time limit.

When the IRS receives a request for a CDP or EH hearing, usually collection actions are stopped until the hearing has ended.

When tax is not paid the IRS can issue a levy, file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien (NFTL), and your United States passport can be denied or revoked.

• Levies are a legal seizure of your property or assets.
  • The IRS can issue a levy to take funds from a bank account, Social Security benefits, wages, your car, or your home.
• The IRS can file a NFTL for unpaid tax balances.
  • The NFTL is a public record that can affect your property and assets.
• The amount owed determines if your United States passport can be denied or revoked.
  • Visit Revocation or Denial of Passport in Case of Certain Unpaid Taxes for further information.

For specifics on your particular notice, visit Understanding your IRS Notice or Letter on IRS.gov.

You received various notices or letters from the IRS requesting payment for the balance due and the tax debt remained unpaid.

When you have a balance due, the IRS can continue with its collection process by

• filing a lien, which makes claim to your assets as security for a tax debt, or
• issuing a levy that can take your property (such as funds from a bank account, Social Security benefits, wages, your car, or your home).

If you disagree with the collection action in the notice and received your right to request a CDP hearing, verify you still have time to make the CDP request before the deadline.

CDP and EH hearing requests have strict time limitations and requirements.

• They must be in writing,
• Must be signed by the taxpayer or authorized representative,
• CDP requests must be filed on or before 30-days after the date of a notice of Intent to Levy,
• CDP requests must be filed on or before 30-days after 5-business days following the filing of a Notice of Federal Tax Lien (NFTL),
• If later than 30-days, an EH may be requested within 1-year after the date of the notice,
• Requests are made by submitting a signed Form 12153 to request the hearing (it’s included with the notice), or
• If a written request, it must contain all information on the Form 12153 and be signed.
• The hearing request may not be considered if a frivolous position is stated or listed information is to delay or stop tax law processing.

The first thing to do is to check the return address to be sure it’s from the Internal Revenue Service and not another agency.

If it’s from the IRS, the notice will have instructions on how to respond and provide specific website link for you to visit for additional information located at the end of the notice or letter. Visit I got a notice from the IRS for further details including what to do if the notice is not from the IRS.

Even if you can’t pay the taxes you owe, responding to a notice before the due date could prevent enforcement action. For example, the IRS can issue a levy and take your property or assets (such as funds from a bank account, Social Security benefits, wages, your car, or your home). Be sure to keep your address up to date with the IRS so you receive all notices and letters.

This Notice is Your Right to request a Collection Due Process (CDP) hearing. If you wish to appeal the filing of the lien and/or the proposed levy action, but failed to timely complete and mail Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process or Equivalent Hearing, you have lost. The ability to contest Appeals’ decision in the U.S. Tax Court. If your request for a CDP hearing isn’t timely, you can request an Equivalent Hearing within one year from the date of the CDP notice, but you can’t go to court if you disagree with Appeals’ decision.

If the IRS has already issued a CDP notice for that particular tax debt, then you can still request a hearing with the IRS Office of Appeals either before or after the IRS levies your property. You can also request a hearing when the IRS proposes filing of a Notice of Federal Tax Lien and when the IRS rejects, modifies or terminates your installment agreement. You will need to request a conference through the Collection Appeals Program (CAP), but unlike a CDP hearing, you may not seek review of Appeal’s determination in the U.S. Tax Court. See IRS Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process, and Publication 1660, Collection Appeal Rights, for a full explanation of the process.

You can request a payment plan or submit an offer in compromise to pay off your balance. For more information about Payment Plans or Offer in Compromise. 

For specifics, see I got a notice from the IRS on TAS Get Help.

If your income is below a certain level, you may qualify for Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) representation.

. A list of LITC locations is in Publication 4134.

You can obtain the manager’s name and phone number by contacting the employee listed on your notice. IRS employees are required to give you their manager’s name and phone number.

You may complete Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement or send a signed statement to the IRS explaining your reason why.

For specific instructions, see Notice 746, Information About Your Notice, Penalty and Interest (PDF).

You may wish to check your tax withholding to make sure you have enough taken from your payroll check each pay period or that you have made an accurate estimated tax payment to ensure you do not have a balance due at the end of the year.

Too little can lead to a tax bill or penalty. Too much can mean you won’t have use of the money until you receive a tax refund. Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to determine if you need to make changes to your withholding.