Owing the IRS additional taxes is not something most people plan on, but it can happen to anyone.
The most common way to know if you owe the IRS or not would be to start with your tax return.
If you are one of the millions of self-preparers who uses a tax preparation software, the program will tell you whether you will get a refund or end up owing taxes. If you use a tax professional to file your taxes, they will let you know if a refund is in your future or if you will be required to pay the taxing agency.
After your tax return is submitted, it will be reviewed and processed by the IRS. The IRS computer system looks at the return and updates your account with the information provided. Sometimes the system flags your tax return for further review, and this will trigger a notice being mailed to you. The notice will let you know if the IRS thinks you owe them money based on the information provided.
Use the IRS Online Account Tool to Check if You Owe Taxes
If you haven’t received a notice, but think you might owe the IRS, you can also utilize their Online Account Tool, which is one of many tools that the IRS has added over the years to help taxpayers better understand their information. The online account tool allows you to:
- Look up tax records
- Determine whether or not you owe taxes – and view any amounts you possibly owe
- Find out information regarding tax filing
- Set up an online payment agreement and/or pay your taxes online
- Review the past 18 months of payment history
- View key tax return information for the most recent return you filed
To access the online account tool, you will need to register by visiting
Secure Access, which is the IRS’ two-factor authentication process. This helps protect your identity and your personal information. If you’ve already logged into Secure Access, you can use the same username and password as before.
What to do if you Owe Money to the IRS
In the event that you receive a notice or you do owe money to the IRS, TaxAudit provides quality
audit defense and
tax debt relief services to taxpayers all over the country. Many people who owe money to the IRS or a state tax authority qualify for some sort of tax debt relief. That relief comes in different forms like preventing wage garnishment and helping you set up payment plans. Some people may benefit from a tax debt settlement, or you may qualify for Innocent Spouse Relief or Penalty Abatement. There are lots of different solutions out there, and our tax relief specialists will help you navigate the tax laws and regulations to find a solution that works for you.
If you’ve received a notice from the IRS or a state tax authority – TaxAudit can help determine if the notice is correct or not. If the notice is correct, our tax professionals will help you through the process and let you know what the best course of action will be. If the notice is not correct, we will let you know what documentation we will need and will respond to the IRS for you. In every case, one of our main goals is to help educate you as a taxpayer to make sure you avoid owing the IRS in the future.