How to come clean with the IRS?

April 27, 2009 5:13 PM

How to handle IRS problems (failure to file, lost records, possible debt, interest and penalties) following several years of mental illness, unemployment, homelessness and physical disability). I want to clear up the mess, apply for social security, and wipe the slate clean. I have no money for lawyers, accountants, or the types who advertise on the radio. What would be the best way to sort this out. I admit I am afraid and fear that too brutal an encounter would send me underground again.
posted by anonymous to Law & Government (5 answers total)

I had some dealings with the Taxpayer Advocate Service, and they were really helpful. I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing that they help with: I got help from them because the IRS lost some paperwork and wouldn't give me my refund. I think they're mostly there for situations where you've tried to sort things out with the IRS and have failed. But they do link to a network of low income clinics, which looks like it might be up your alley.
posted by craichead at 5:38 PM on April 27, 2009

Seconding the praise for the Taxpayer Advocate Service as a place to start. If they are not the right organization to help you, they can give you recommendations and leads.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:44 PM on April 27, 2009

My accountant is an enrolled agent. I had some missed years of filing due to issues with depression, she got everything back on track.
posted by kellyblah at 5:44 PM on April 27, 2009

You desperately need a lawyer. Find your state on this list and call one of the big umbrella organizations, or call the local bar association and ask for a referral to a legal clinic for low or no income people. In particular, there are specific legal aid groups that deal with homelessness and physical disability.

If you're in Philadelphia or Eastern Pennsylvania, these people are comprehensive umbrella group with deep resources who can help you hook up, for free, with a lawyer that usually runs a couple hundred bucks an hour.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:45 PM on April 27, 2009

You sound like the perfect candidate for representation by a legal aid attorney who handles SSI applications and appeals. My email is in my profile, please feel free to contact me and I will help you walk through that part of your problem.
posted by The Straightener at 6:06 PM on April 27, 2009 [2 favorites]