The Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan provides the largest Child Tax Credit ever and historic relief to the most working families ever – and as of July 15th, most families are automatically receiving monthly payments of $250 or $300 per child without having to take any action. The Child Tax Credit will help all families succeed.

There are two hurdles in the offer in the compromise process: qualifying to apply and getting the IRS to accept your offer. The IRS has an online tool to help you determine if you might be eligible.

You must send the first payment with your application (in addition to the application fee). This money is nonrefundable, even if the IRS rejects your offer (the IRS will just apply it toward your tax bill).

You must meet income limits to be eligible for these credits. And you can’t claim both credits for the same student and the same expenses.

Securely access your IRS online account to view the total of your first, second and third Economic Impact Payment amounts under the Tax Records page. You can no longer use the Get My Payment application to check your payment status.

If your offer is rejected by the IRS, you must receive a written explanation from them. Two reasons are usually the reason that compromise offers are rejected by the IRS:

If the taxpayer feels that they are eligible, he/she completes a financial report on the form provided by Internal Revenue Service. Form 433-A is used by wage earners and self employed individuals. Form 433B is for offers involving all types of businesses. These financial statements include all assets, liabilities and disposable income.

Once you have completed that calculation, the IRS will ask for your available assets in addition to a year or two of your income over what it considers acceptable expenditures. Even if you have secured debt or expenses that exceed your assets, the IRS can demand you to pay.

Most eligible people already received their Economic Impact Payments. People who are missing stimulus payments should review the information on the Recovery Rebate Credit page to determine their eligibility to claim the credit for tax year 2020 or 2021.

Without sufficient evidence, the IRS will not accept any request for tax relief under the Fresh Start Initiative. Send as many supporting documents as possible when submitting a request. The best evidence to support the strict IRS Fresh Start Program requirements is documentation. Documentation you will need to include, but is not limited, doctor/medical reports, fire department reports and insurance claims. You also need student loan statements, student loan statements and death certificates from family members. A letter explaining your personal circumstances and the reasons you cannot pay your tax debt should be included with your Form 843. To be eligible for tax relief under the Fresh Start Program, all missing or unfiled tax returns must be filed. Your estimated tax payments must also be current and your withholdings must be accurate. All filings from the past six months must also be correct or current. Contacting a professional tax relief firm is the best way to avoid your request being denied. A tax relief company can assist you in filing a letter of appeal even if your request is denied by the IRS.

In 2012, the IRS expanded the Fresh Start Program to allow more taxpayers to apply for tax relief. The main change in the program is that if an IRS agent considers a taxpayer eligible for an Offer In Compromise, the IRS will now make it easier to calculate the taxpayer's future income. The program has not seen any significant changes since 2012. However, the IRS examiners have been able to qualify taxpayers for tax relief at a different rate in recent years. The Fresh Start Tax Program saw record-breaking numbers of qualified applicants in 2020. The increase in Fresh Start tax relief applications and IRS' leniency in approving cases was mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused financial hardship for millions of Americans. Many taxpayers will still be facing financial hardships in 2021. This includes students, parents, small-business owners, and parents. Experts in tax predict that the IRS Fresh Start Program eligibility will remain looser for a while, but it is unlikely that the IRS will relax its strict application requirements for an extended time. To determine if you are eligible for tax debt relief in 2020, check your eligibility for the 2021 IRS Fresh Start Initiative Program.

Hiring someone to help with your tax return? Be sure to seek reputable tax assistance. Be wary of preparers who promise a larger refund, base their fees on a percentage of the refund, or promise other too-good-to-be-true outcomes.