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The IRS has identified you as a nominee or alter ego of athe taxpayer named in the letter who owes a tax balance.
The IRS has filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien (NFTL) for the unpaid balances located on the Form 668(Y)(c) enclosed with the letter.
While NFTLs no longer appear on credit reports, they may still affect your ability to get credit if a potential creditor uses other resources, such as public records, to discover the NFTL.
You have been identified by the IRS as a nominee or alter ego of the taxpayer named in the Letter 3177 who has a balance owed to the IRS. When the IRS isn’t paid, they can file a public document, an NFTL, with local and/or state authorities.
When the IRS files this special NFTL, it alerts creditors you are associated with the named taxpayer who owes the government. The NFTL secures the priority of the government’s claim to the property specified on the notice, if none is specified, then all the property of the named taxpayer that is being held in your name is secured by the lien.
Other ways to resolve this issue are:
Guidelines for Notices of Federal Tax Liens and Centralized Lien Processing
Understanding your notice or letter
For more specifics on your notice, visit Understanding your IRS Notice or Letter on IRS.gov
Get Help topics
Browse common tax issues and situations at TAS Get Help
If you still need help
The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS. TAS helps taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS, makes administrative and legislative recommendations to prevent or correct the problems, and protects taxpayer rights. TAS helps all taxpayers (and their representatives), including individuals, businesses, and exempt organizations. You may be eligible for free TAS help if your IRS problem is causing financial difficulty, if you’ve tried and been unable to resolve your issue with the IRS, or if you believe an IRS system, process, or procedure just isn’t working as it should.
TAS has offices in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. To find your local advocate’s number:
Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) assist individuals whose income is below a certain level who need to resolve tax problems with the IRS. They also provide education, outreach, and information on taxpayer rights to individuals who speak English as a second language. LITCs represent taxpayers in disputes before the IRS and courts and help taxpayers respond to IRS notices and correct account problems. Services are offered for free or a small fee. LITCs are independent from the IRS and TAS. For more information or to find an LITC near you, see the LITC Page or Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List. You can also request Pub. 4134 by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
View our Interactive Tax Map
Let us help you navigate your way through the IRS. Visit our interactive tax map to see where you are in the tax process.
Taxpayer Roadmap
The taxpayer Bill of Rights is grouped into 10 easy to understand categories outlining the taxpayer rights and protections embedded in the tax code.
It is also what guides the advocacy work we do for taxpayers.
