Joe S., Greenfield, Indiana -- Taxes Owed: $23,500 Result: $1,600 accepted offer in compromise
I was self-employed working as a sprinkler fitter in commercial construction. Business was always up and down and I never had enough discipline to set back money to pay my federal income taxes. The business eventually dried up after I had a major operation and was unable to handle the everyday rigors of the trade. But the tax debt kept following me around. I thought that I could deal with it myself. At first, I contacted the IRS and set up a pay agreement with them. But the agreement went on forever and with interest and penalties continuing to accrue, there was no way I was ever going to be able to pay them off. The biggest mistake I made was trying to handle the situation myself. Oh sure, the IRS would talk with me, gladly. I had no idea the options that were available to me. I finally recognized that I needed someone with experience to help me. I contacted American National Tax Relief by e-mail. I explained my situation and got a response back the next day. I faxed the documents which American National Tax Relief requested. After the initial review of the documents, I received another e-mail asking for additional documentation. Following receipt of those documents, my entire situation was reviewed and I was contacted regarding what my options were. American National Tax Relief prepared all the documents, I signed them and they handled all the negotiations. My Offer in Compromise was accepted and I am now IRS debt free. What a relief! American National Tax Relief really took the time to understand my situation. They are a very caring company with a positive approach and a common touch.
Allen D., Indianapolis, Indiana -- Taxes Owed: $267,925 Result: No liability
After years of woodworking and cabinet making, I started a company with some other individuals. We built custom cabinets and laminate tops to customer's specifications. My job was to visit the customer sites, estimate the jobs, build the cabinets and handle the maintenance of the woodshop, machines and order materials. I was not involved in the day to day financial affairs of the business, never wrote any checks or handled taxes of any kind for the business. We eventually brought in an outside consultant to assess the company's business plan. It was at that meeting that I first learned our company owed employment taxes. This was news to me. I thought everything was fine. I eventually received a letter from the IRS wherein it assessed a trust fund penalty for failure to pay over the employee's portion of the federal withholding tax. The notice advised that the IRS sought recovery of a trust fund penalty in the amount of $267,925.00. I was devastated, in complete shock and paralyzed with fear. There was no possible way for me to pay this debt and how was I going to explain the situation to my wife? We basically lived paycheck to paycheck and had a small house with not much equity at all. It was definitely the low point in my life when I sat down with my wife to a tell her what was going on. Like most people, we kept putting things off and when we finally did see an attorney, it turned out that we only had about three days left to file an appeal of the trust fund penalty assessment. We met with Attorney Greg Schmith at American National Tax Relief. He was very compassionate yet very straight forward in his assessment of our situation. Our procrastination had put us an even worse position as he had very little time to research the matter and formulate a plan. He worked all weekend on our problem and on Monday morning met with me to finalize the appeal documents and hand delivered them to the IRS. Our appeal was eventually heard and I was found not liable for any trust fund recovery penalty for any of the periods in question. Greg literally gave us our life back. You can not imagine the relief of having a $267,000.00 debt erased. My wife has always believed in angels. Now so do I.
John & Michelle M., Greenwood, Indiana -- Taxes Owed: $30,000 Result: $3,500 accepted offer in compromise
I remember when we started receiving the notices from the IRS. The envelopes would come three and four at a time because we owed four years back taxes. Our total tax debt was over $30,000.00 and the penalties and interest just kept adding up. I was not even clearing $30,000.00 a year and I needed every penny to pay the household bills and feed my family. About the time we thought all hope was lost, we scheduled an appointment to meet with Attorney Greg Schmith at American National Tax Relief. We were so nervous and embarrassed. We worked hard but had nothing to show for our efforts, and we were in no position to pay the IRS. In one hour, that meeting with Greg not only gave us hope, but changed our entire outlook on life. Greg is a great listener and he quickly summed up our situation. He assembled a list of items that we would need to bring in and explained how the entire procedure worked. We brought every item on the list back and left it in his hands. Greg took it from there and our Offer in Compromise was accepted. We ended up paying about ten cents on the dollar. Not only did American National Tax Relief solve our tax problem, their analysis of our situation showed us where the flaw in our business plan was. We were operating the business on an old, run down single hook wrecker. We were able to locate and make monthly payments toward the purchase of a newer flatbed wrecker which has allowed us to more than double our business. We sleep at night now and we are finally able to laugh and enjoy life again. We did not know if that day would ever come again, but it all started when we picked up the phone and scheduled that first appointment. Running and hoping that the problem will go away is clearly not the answer.
Michael & Cathy M., Fairland, Indiana -- Taxes Owed: $200,000 Result: $3,800 accepted offer in compromise
When our tax problems began, Mike was preparing to retire from Ford Motor Company. Cathy had been operating a small package delivery service, and had just received the results of an IRS Audit of the package delivery business. We had been preparing our own taxes and we made some errors in figuring the deductions we were entitled to take which resulted in us owing over $200,000.00 in taxes, including penalties and interest. What a time to be looking at retirement. We were lost and panic stricken. By some stroke of luck we happened to call and meet with Attorney Greg Schmith at American National Tax Relief. Our situation was complicated. Mike was an employee just retiring from Ford and Cathy's package business had incurred a huge tax debt that we could never possibly pay. We basically dumped everything we had on Greg and American National reviewed all our business records, statements and documents to try and figure out how the business was operating and whether we were even making any money. Our only income now was the package delivery business and it was not making the kind of money it would take to pay back the IRS. American National prepared and negotiated an Offer in Compromise. We ended up paying a total of $3,800.00 to the IRS who accepted the plan and allowed us to continue to operate our small business. We now know how to pay attention to our business and understand the detail that it takes to keep track of where we are at. American National Tax Relief literally gave us our life back.
Amy L – Greenwood, IN -- Taxes Owed: $135,000 Trust Fund Penalty
I worked as an accountant for a construction firm and found out they were not paying their payroll taxes to the IRS. I advised the officers at the place where they banked and tried to get the taxes paid. Instead of helping, the bank cut off all credit and the company closed. The IRS later interviewed me and found me to be liable for a trust fund penalty of $135,000.00 along with the company owners! I was making $35,000 per year and they were getting ready to levy me. I wrote the President of the United States and asked how this could be! I was directed to the Taxpayer Advocates Office who was sympathetic but could do nothing. My sister is a lawyer and she recommended I meet with Attorney Greg Schmith as he was recognized to be the best in dealing with the IRS. Boy was she right! Greg made me realize that my problem was real and should be dealt with as a business matter - head on. Greg picked up on everything and carried the ball on it all. He fought like a tiger for me, responded to all their demands and inquiries and explained and documented every detail. The IRS ended up accepting my Offer in Compromise for $6,000. It was the greatest single day of my life and I owe it all to Greg Schmith. He did what he said and what no one else could in the prior 6 years. American National Tax Relief got my life back for me and for the first time in years I can breathe again!
Chris K – South Bend, IN -- Taxes Owed: Owner of Insurance Agency Settles $108,000 IRS Debt for $16,335
I own an insurance agency with some employees and fell way behind on payroll taxes. I also owed personal income taxes and when the IRS came calling they wanted to put me out of business. The Revenue Officer did all she could to make things bad for me including tying up my business bank accounts. I had no where to turn and late one evening came across the website of American National Tax Relief. I met with Attorney Greg Schmith two days later. My life literally changed from the moment I met him. Greg explained where I was at and what my options were. We had a game plan by the time I left his office. He met with the local Revenue Officer and was able to get my bank accounts released so I could operate the business. The next thing I knew he had the case out of her hands and the offer was being reviewed by the Offer in Compromise Unit. My case was complex and they recommended re-filing to give me a chance to straighten some things out. Greg stayed on them and provided them mounds of paperwork to prove where I was at. My records were terrible but he figured them out and documented everything. I was making about $80,000 per year but with my family size and allowable expenses the IRS settled for $16,335. By that time my business was operating smoother and I had a much better idea of what to do to be successful. Greg changed how I do business and taught me to categorize and document expenses so I know where I am at every month. I just shake my head when I think about how one click of the computer brought me to American National Tax Relief and changed my life.
