Michael Raanan, EA
Santa Ana, CA
Male, 35
My tenure with the largest and most powerful collection agency in the world, the IRS, began fresh out of college and with much surprise. Following an extensive interview process and a cross-country flight to the West Coast, I found myself in Los Angeles with the unenviable task of getting delinquent taxpayers back into tax compliance. After approximately 8 years of service, I left, and now find myself (very literally) on the other side of the table helping taxpayers resolve their IRS disputes.
Fees for setting up an installment agreement with the IRS are:
$105 for regular installment agreements
$52 for direct-debit installment agreements
$43 if a taxpayer's income is below a certain level
The only way to avoid the fee is by paying the tax liability in full prior to establishing an installment agreement.
Related:
1) 11 Tips for Taxpayers Who Owe Money to the IRS: http://bit.ly/VMooQz
2) 10 Things to Know About the IRS Collection Process: http://bit.ly/JThMyU
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Within my office, employees discussed politics from time to time, but it was usually one of many topics of conversation. I don't recall an official prohibition of any particular topic, however employees did attempt to keep discusssions of more controversial topics, such as politics, as professional and politically correct as possible, similar to other professional workplaces.
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I'm not too familiar with Paul Ryan's tax plan, however any "tax plan" that is easy for the average American to understand and treats all taxpayers equally and fairly sounds like a good one to me. I'm a big supporter of the K.I.S. concept - there's almost always a way to keep it simple, even with taxes.
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Employees are evaluated on numerous Critical Job Elements (CJEs) throughout the year. Failure to meet the CJEs can result in a 90-day probationary period whereby the employee is given an opportunity to improve prior to termination, mandated re-training, transfer, or other alternatives. Exact procedures differ depending on the position and division within the agency, however auditors and other employees are reviewed regularly by their immediate manager, the manager's supervisor, and on a more macro level by the Area Director and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
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Casino Marketer
What's the most unethical thing you've seen casinos do to "part you from your dollars?"
"The Onion" Contributors
What's your favorite Onion headline of all time?
Waitress
What types of customers are the worst tippers?
While no one knows exactly what flags an IRS audit, gambling income alone shouldn't usually be cause for concern. Out of the 1,481,966 audits conducted by the IRS in 2012, about 1,122,216 (76%) were completed via correspondence (versus field or in-person audits).
In the case of gambling winnings, the casino will file a copy of Form W-2G with the IRS. If IRS records don't reconcile with income reported on a tax return, a systemic (computer-generated) notice is sent to the taxpayer asking for clarification.
The IRS has provided this online tool to help determine if you need to claim gambling winnings and if you can deduct gambling losses: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Do-I-Need-To-Claim-My-Gambling-Winnings-and-Can-I-Deduct-My-Gambling-Losses%3F
Related:
1) 6 Ways to Reduce Your Chance of an IRS Audit:
http://www.landmarktaxgroup.com/taxes/6-ways-to-reduce-your-chance-of-an-audit
IRS Circular 230 Disclaimer: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Service, you are informed that nothing in this post is intended to be used as or construed as rendering any United States tax advice and is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any matters addressed on this Website.
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The idea of lavish spending made me laugh. Not because it isn't a valid question (it certainly is), but because the reality of working at the IRS can be described as the polar opposite of anything that can be considered lavish, despite any abuses or poor judgments made by a few IRS heads. During my recent tenure, the organization was in desperate need of basics such as working fax machines, printers, toners, copy machines, and sufficient personnel. With new IRS leadership in place, hopefully operational funds wil be used in an efficient and judicious manner.
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Any work outside of the IRS must be pre-approved by the agency. Work related to tax preparation or tax consulting is explicitly prohibited by the IRS. Revenue Officers and other IRS employees have to refrain from pariticipation in any activity that constitutes a conflict of interest or 'perceived' conflict of interest.
See this recent example of an IRS Agent who was recently sentenced for having an unapproved tax service on the side: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Former-IRS-agent-sentenced-in-database-case-4811725.php
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