My IRS nightmares

Perhaps somebody on here can give me some advice......Back in August 2004, due to my husband losing his job, we were forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  At that time we provided our attorney with copies of income tax returns dating back to 2000.  At that time, we were on a payment plan to repay taxes from 2000 (roughly $1300.) We had just filed 2003 taxes and only owed a few hundred dollars.  Most of this underpayment of taxes was due to extra jobs my husband worked as a police officer.  Anyway, we were told not to pay the IRS anything as the debt from 2000 and 2003 would probably be discharged.  Bankruptcy was discharged in January 2005.  We never received any correspondence from the IRS letting us know that we owed anything from those years.  We ASSUMED that it had been discharged.  We took another hickey in 2004 (they year we filed BK) as my husband had to cash-in his retirement since we lost our house and had to find a place to live...that check was in the amount of $25,000.  Though we did have income taxes taken out when we received the check, I guess it threw us into another income tax bracket and that year we owed a little over $3000.   When I filed my 2005 taxes last year, we were due a refund of over $4000 as my husband still is not working from the severe depression of losing his job and I am the sole breadwinner for the family.  Long story short, the IRS took the $4000 I owed and spread it out over the the taxes that we previous owed for 2000, 2003 and a little of 2004.  Their method of dividing the tax refund was odd as instead of wiping out the oldest debt first, they wiped out the 2000 debt but left a couple hundred of the 2003 and took a little off the 2004 debt.  UGH!!! 

After numerous phone calls to the IRS in May to determine what the heck was going on with the refund as I expected to get back a little of the 4000., they advised me it was tied up in the bankruptcy division.  I talked to 3 different ladies at the IRS and all of them were extremely rude to me, no matter how polite I was to them.

Here comes the worst part.....yesterday I get 4 certified letters from the IRS, 2 addressed to me and 2 to my husband...informing us of intent to levy due to unpaid taxes.  I called the IRS yesterday and once again explained the situation that we were unaware that we owed money from years prior to the bankruptcy and that I had also submitted a request to work out a repayment plan.  The IRS rep, another rude woman, got snippy with me when I was trying to explain to her the reason why I could not get a loan to repay the tax today.  She promptly told me, "No is a sufficient answer....I don't need to know the reason why."  When I told her that since my husband is not working and I have the only income, I could maybe eek out $50 per month.  She said, "Oh...that's not enough.  That won't work at all."  She also said, "You don't want the IRS to put a levy on your property (which I don't own anything for them to garnish, other than my wages.  She then tells me she needs to transfer me to another department to work out a special circumstances repayment plan.  Of course, I was on hold for 20 minutes and nobody came to the phone; then we were disconnected.  I've been trying to reach the attorney that handled my bankruptcy to ask his advice and see what to do about the IRS.....That IRS customer service rep made me feel like a criminal and she spoke to me in a threatening tone.  They wait 2-1/2 years, never bother to send a notice to say that we still owed for the prior years and now they're making my life miserable for an amount of less than $4000.  Oh, and I told the lady that I had filed an extension for 2006 taxes but now had all my paperwork and would be working on them this weekend.  I further stated that I felt pretty sure that I would be getting another large refund since I'm the only one working.  I swear, I don't think the ding-dong heard a word I said.  Truly amazing they come after my pittance when there are rich people out there that owe 10 times what I do.  What really scares me is my parents just gave me a 2001 Toyota Camry that is easily worth $7000 or $8000 dollars.  I really need that car and now I'm afraid to get it titled in my name for fear they will take my transportation!!!  Not to mention what they could do to my bank account....and I have 2 teenagers I'm trying to raise.  Maybe this will force my husband to get off his rump and do something besides odd and end cash jobs that don't pay anything.  I had major depression a few years ago and I know it is bad but he kept telling me to get over back then.....I'm trying to turn the other cheek, but I can't do this alone either.

Has anybody out there been through anything like this that can give me some advice.  Sorry for rambling!!

• My IRS nightmares - Frustrated
  • heaven should be closed to most IRS agents - Snow Bunny
  • request an abatement - sm
  • Try calling back about a payment agreement. - I have actually found the IRS easy to
  • They will be relentless, been there - Sherri
    • Never, ever ever - Sherri - again
  • IRS payments - Extext User
    • never say never - DumDum
      • Lucky you! - Student loan
  • IRS - clk
  • Ugh . . . - Mimi
  • Don't know if this will help, but....sm - me too
    • Chapter 13 vs 7 - Patti
      • I feel your pain - MT4eight
        • They let you set up a plan? - Frustrated
          • IRS info again - Extext User
          • I don't know about now, but they used to have local field offices. sm - searching
          • I talked to this really nice guy - MT4eight

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