ten years
As a general rule, there is a ten year statute of limitations on IRS collections. This means that the IRS can attempt to collect your unpaid taxes for up to ten years from the date they were assessed. Subject to some important exceptions, once the ten years are up, the IRS has to stop its collection efforts.

Will the IRS settle a tax debt?

Yes – If Your Circumstances Fit. The IRS does have the authority to write off all or some of your tax debt and settle with you for less than you owe. This is called an offer in compromise, or OIC.

What to do if you owe the IRS back taxes?

Request a short-term extension to pay the full balance. The IRS will provide up to 120 days to taxpayers to pay their full tax balance. Fees or cost: There’s no fee to request the extension. There is a penalty of 0.5% per month on the unpaid balance.

What’s the right way to fight the IRS?

Taxpayers truly can take on the IRS. In fact, this June the IRS adopted a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights,” a list of 10 rights—including “The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard.” Here, a five-step plan to fight an IRS notice that you believe to be wrong…

Why does the IRS say I owe more taxes?

You paid your taxes—but now the IRS says that you owe more. Each year, the IRS sends out millions of notices requesting additional payments from taxpayers who made math errors on their returns…neglected to report certain income…claimed tax credits or deductions that they were not entitled to…or made other mistakes.

Can you negotiate back taxes with the IRS?

It’s important that your representative has deep experience negotiating with the IRS in back-tax payment cases. Nobody is saying that the federal government is getting all warm and fuzzy about tardy payments. However, the IRS does offer programs for Americans to get back on track with their taxes.