I have had several visitors to my site recently who found my site with the following query:

“i have filed my income taxes but do not have the money to pay what is the irs statute of limitations”.

The main question being asked in this query is what is the IRS statute of limitations for collecting tax liability that I owe. I have answered this question several times before on this blog, see the posts below:

IRS Statute of limitations Post 1

IRS Statute of Limitations Post 2

IRS Statute of Limitations Post 3

Essentially, after the IRS has assessed taxes against you – and in most cases your tax returns are filed before the taxes to be assessed (as stated in the search engine query) – the IRS may collect those taxes from you for ten years from the date of assessment. The date of assessment varies depending on when you filed your tax returns. If you filed your 1996 tax return in March 1997, the tax was assessed on April 15, 1997 and therefore the collection statute of limitations would have expired on April 15, 2007. If this is the case for you, then the IRS may no longer harass you or collect from you for those taxes.

If you are still receiving collection letters for taxes that are older than ten years there may be a valid reason. I can assist you in determining how much longer the IRS may collect taxes from you for various years. Please visit the contact page and send me an e-mail or call me to discuss how I can help you out in your situation.