What to do when you can’t pay your tax bill

The majority of taxpayers get tax refunds, according to the IRS. But not everyone is so fortunate. In fact, some people have to write checks to the U.S. Treasury at tax time.

It is painful enough to pay taxes throughout the year. But it hurts even more when you have to fork over additional cash when filing your tax return in the spring, especially if you were not expecting to do so. What happens if you cannot afford your tax bill?

FILE YOUR TAX RETURN

Don’t assume that if you don’t file a tax return, the IRS won’t know that you owe money. “The No. 1 thing you should not do is not file simply because you can’t pay,” said Bill Smith, the managing director of the national tax office at CBIZ MHM, an accounting provider. “It’s a crime not to file a return.”

Plus, you will be charged a failure-to-file penalty of 5 percent on the amount you owe for each month your return is late, Smith said. However, the penalty won’t exceed 25 percent of what you owe.

If you file but do not pay, you will be charged just a 0.5 percent penalty on what you owe each month until you pay in full.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN

If you cannot pay your entire tax bill, pay a portion of it. “You can reduce additional interest and penalties by paying as much as you can,” according to the IRS.

Also, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to explain your situation. The IRS might provide you with alternate payment options, depending on your ability to pay.

Make sure to direct the IRS to apply any payment you send directly to your tax bill first.

AVOID PAYING WITH CREDIT

Using a credit card might seem like the obvious solution if you cannot afford to pay your tax bill with a check. But going into debt on your card so you can pay taxes means you likely will end up owing a lot more than the original debt.

For starters, you will have to pay a fee to one of the payment processors the IRS contracts with to handle credit card transactions. The processing fees range from 1.87 percent to 2.25 percent.

You will pay interest on your credit card balance. And that rate is likely to be higher than the interest and penalties charged by the IRS for late payments.

IF YOU DON’T PAY

First, you will get a bill from the IRS stating what you owe, plus interest and penalties. If you do not pay up, you will get another bill. If you do not pay after getting this second and final bill, the IRS will take collections actions. These range from applying subsequent years’ refunds to what you owe until the balance is paid in full to seizing property and assets.

plan for NEXT YEAR

Smith said that often when people are faced with a tax bill they cannot pay in full, they cut back on other tax payments during the year by under-withholding, or skipping estimated tax payments so they have more money to cover their big bill. Then, they end up deeper in a hole.

“At the end of the day, you have a gigantic problem,” Smith said. “You really need to face the music, ask how you got into this problem and don’t do it next year.”

That might mean claiming fewer allowances on your W-4 so more tax is withheld from your paycheck – and so you are less likely to owe in the spring. Or if you are self-employed, you might need to boost your quarterly estimated payments so you do not have to write another big check when filing your return.

Working with an enrolled agent or certified public accountant might also help you identify moves you can make during the year to lower your tax bill.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "What to do when you can’t pay your tax bill."