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Taxpayers may be stressed out when they owe back taxes to the Federal government and are not able to write a check to pay off the balance.  Having a tax bill is intimidating and the IRS has a reputation of being an evil, monolithic empire staffed by heartless, harsh workers who exist to make taxpayer's lives dismal.  The good news is the reality is much gentler.
While Congress has been belittled for a lack of action on many issues over the past few years it did taxpayers some favors by telling the IRS to put in place some tax relief programs to assist citizens with legitimate problems repaying their tax bills.  However most of these relief programs have received very little press coverage and the majority of people who owe back taxes are unaware of the options attainable to them.
The most common blunder made by people who have a tax bill is ignoring the IRS and wishing that they will vanish.  Believe me, this never works.  The IRS has a clear mandate from Congress; collect the taxes to be paid by individuals and businesses.  Just because somebody doesn't reply to a request for information and facts or a tax bill doesn't mean that the IRS will stop looking to collect.  Just by acknowledging that you received the letter from the IRS can help any future contacts from being automatically confrontational.
Getting a letter from the IRS won't guarantee that what the IRS is claiming is accurate.  Recent reviews by independent groups reveal that the IRS has erroneous details or has generated an improper decision in close to 20% of the demands for taxes due sent out.  Study the letter carefully and find out what the IRS demand is based upon.  You normally have up to 60 days to reply to 1st or 2nd requests for information so be comprehensive in your reply.  If you have paperwork to dispute an IRS contention, offer these documents and your response in a straightforward, even style.  Avoid being defensive or rude, blaming the IRS of incompetence won't make things any easier for you.
If you owe taxes, there are options available to you to assist you pay them in regular installments.  Do not assume that a payment plan is immediately created, you will need to work with the IRS to determine what you can afford and how long the payment schedule ought to be.  Don't forget that interest will also be accruing while you're negotiating with the IRS and during your repayment time period.  It's vital that you maintain the planned payments and keep all payments up-to-date, being in default on your tax repayment plan removes all flexibility in working with the IRS.
An alternative option for tax relief is tax reduction.  With cases of personal disaster or crisis the IRS may actually reduce the amount of the principal owed.  This process demands a lot of proof of disaster and how the event or events caused personal and financial damage.  This can require you to engage a tax professional who can assist you to file the right paperwork needed to have the IRS consider your application to lessen your tax bill.  Nevertheless, if your tax balance is significant the cost of a tax lawyer can be far less than the amount of tax relief that you end up obtaining.
While there are no guarantees of relief when you are dealing with the IRS, some simple principles do apply that should help your case.  Reply promptly, be considerate and honest, have correct records and make certain that you honor every one of the promises that you make.  Tax relief can be done but the course of action demands persistence and honesty.