Short answer
Start with what is happening: find your IRS letter and confirm the balance in your IRS Online Account. Then compare the ways out, such as a payment plan, an offer in compromise or hardship status. Last, decide whether to handle it yourself, use free help or hire a representative. The three questions below send you to the right page.
Key takeaways
- Check any IRS letter against your IRS Online Account before you act on it.
- Deadlines matter more than the amount: a final notice of intent to levy gives you 30 days (IRS.gov, 2026) to request a Collection Due Process hearing.
- Individuals who owe $50,000 (IRS.gov, 2026) or less and have filed all required returns can apply for a payment plan online, without a representative.
- Free help exists: the Taxpayer Advocate Service and Low Income Taxpayer Clinics.
- If you hire anyone, get the fee, when it is due and the refund terms in writing first.
Start here: three questions
- Did you get an IRS letter? The notice number (CP or LTR) is printed in the right corner of the letter (IRS: understanding your notice). Look it up on the IRS notices page. If it is a final notice of intent to levy, such as an LT11 or Letter 1058, go straight to the 30-day action plan. Not sure it is real? See is this IRS letter real. No letter, just a balance? Start with I owe the IRS: what happens next.
- Roughly how much do you owe? Confirm it in your IRS Online Account, which shows your balance and payments; how to find out exactly how much you owe explains why the number can differ from your notice. Under $10,000 (IRS.gov, July 2026), up to $50,000 (IRS.gov, July 2026), or more? The IRS options change at those lines, and which IRS relief fits your balance walks through each band. The eligibility checker narrows it down.
- Have you filed every required return? If not, that comes first. Applying for a long-term payment plan online requires all required returns to be filed (IRS: payment plans), and so does an offer in compromise (IRS: offer in compromise). See unfiled returns and Fresh Start. If you are filed up, compare payment plan vs offer vs currently not collectible.
Every page below links to the IRS sources behind it. The order matters: understand the problem first, compare the options second, and only then decide who, if anyone, should handle it.
Learn: what is happening to me?
For the first days after a letter or a balance shows up. These pages explain what the IRS is doing, how serious it is and how much time you have.
- I owe the IRS: what happens nextThe first three steps, in order
- Find your IRS noticeLook up any letter by its number
- How much do you owe?Find the exact balance and payoff
- Is this IRS letter real?How to spot a fake notice
- Tax lien vs levyA claim on your property vs taking it
- IRS collection timelineEvery notice from first bill to levy
- 7 signs you need professional tax helpWhen a problem has outgrown DIY
- The Fresh Start Initiative, explainedWhat it is and what it is not
Compare: what are my options?
Once you know the balance and the deadline, compare the ways out. Most people end up on a payment plan; some qualify for an offer in compromise or a pause in collection. Balance size, ability to pay and filing status decide which.
- Payment plan vs offer vs CNCThe three main IRS options side by side
- Offer in compromise vs installment agreementSettle or pay over time?
- Which relief fits your balanceOptions for small, mid-size and large balances
- Eligibility checkerAnswer a few questions to see what may fit
- Card or loan vs payment planWhich way of paying costs less
- What relief costs on the IRS sideIRS fees, interest and penalties
- Guides by situationGig work, small business, job loss and more
- Can bankruptcy wipe out IRS taxes?The rules that decide it
- Agree with an audit or appeal?How to decide after an IRS audit
- Is Fresh Start legit?What is real and what is a sales pitch
Decide: do I need help, and who?
Many IRS balances can be handled without anyone’s help. These pages start with when you don’t need a professional, then cover how to choose one and what to ask before you pay.
- When you don’t need a professionalCases you can handle yourself
- Do it yourself, free help or a firm?The routes compared honestly
- Enrolled agent, CPA or tax attorney?Which credential fits which problem
- Questions to ask a tax relief companyAsk these before you sign
- Quote comparison worksheetLine up two offers side by side
- Already paying a company?How to get a second opinion
- What happens in a free consultationWhat to have ready and what to expect
- How Global Gate’s process worksFrom the first call to a closed case
- Which service fits your situationMatch your problem to the right kind of help
Free help, and when we are the wrong call
Two free resources come before any paid option. The Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the IRS, is always free and helps when an IRS problem is causing financial difficulty (877-777-4778 (IRS.gov, 2026); IRS: TAS). Low Income Taxpayer Clinics represent eligible taxpayers before the IRS for free or a small fee. And the IRS says you can choose to represent yourself (IRS Topic 311).
Global Gate Tax Relief works on federal IRS matters, and some problems need someone else. If bankruptcy is on the table, talk to a bankruptcy attorney (see can bankruptcy wipe out IRS taxes). A state tax balance is handled by your state’s tax agency, not the IRS. And if your balance fits a payment plan you can set up online, you may not need anyone (see do you need a tax professional).
If you do want a professional to look at your case, Global Gate offers a free, no-obligation consultation. If it takes the case, it quotes a flat fee before any work begins. It won’t quote a settlement figure before reviewing your IRS transcripts, and it declines cases where it can’t add value. Request a free consultation or call 1-877-800-8180.
The full guides
Each guide goes deeper on one part of the path.
Frequently asked questions
Confirm the balance in your IRS Online Account, check your latest notice for a deadline, and make sure every required return is filed. Then compare a payment plan, an offer in compromise and a pause in collection to see which fits.
Find the notice number in the right corner, look it up, and compare the amount with your IRS Online Account. If it is a final notice of intent to levy, you have 30 days from the notice date to request a Collection Due Process hearing.
Yes. The IRS says you can choose to represent yourself. Many people set up a payment plan in their IRS Online Account without help. Professional help matters most when there is a levy, a revenue officer, unfiled years, payroll taxes, an offer in compromise or an audit.
If you have filed every return, owe within the online payment plan limit and can afford a monthly payment, you usually don’t. Our page on when you don’t need a professional lists the cases where help pays off.
Yes. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is always free and helps when an IRS problem is causing financial difficulty. Low Income Taxpayer Clinics represent eligible taxpayers for free or a small fee.
Sources
- IRS: Understanding your IRS notice or letter (reviewed 26 May 2026)
- IRS: Your online account (reviewed 26 Oct 2026)
- IRS: Payment plans; installment agreements (reviewed 13 Aug 2026)
- IRS: Offer in compromise (reviewed 19 Oct 2026)
- IRS Topic 311, Power of attorney information (reviewed 24 Sep 2026)
- IRS: The Taxpayer Advocate Service is your voice at the IRS (reviewed 14 Oct 2026)
- IRS: Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (reviewed 2 Apr 2026)
- IRS Publication 1660, Collection Appeal Rights
We check every figure against IRS.gov and log changes on the key figures page.
Want a professional to look at your options?
Free consultation, no obligation. If we take your case, the flat fee is quoted upfront before any work begins. If you can handle it yourself through IRS.gov, we will tell you. No outcome is guaranteed.
This page is general information about IRS rules, not tax or legal advice for your situation. IRS figures change; each one links to its official source and the date we last checked it.