X
Our office puts your health first. Due to the recent Coronavirus outbreak, we would like to assure all our clients we are doing everything in our power to keep our communities safe and healthy. We are following all CDC precautions to minimize risks at our in-office appointments, as well as offering phone and video appointments. We want you to feel safe here at the Sodowsky Law Firm

Call Us (703) 436-1176

Sodowsky Law Firm, PC
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Overview
    • IRS Problem Resolution
      • Liens and Levies
      • Offers in Compromise
      • Installment Agreements
      • IRS Audits
      • Unfiled Tax Returns
      • Wage Garnishment
      • Innocent Spouse Relief
      • IRS Notice of Deficiency
      • Understanding IRS Form 12277
      • Tax Fraud
    • Tax Issues and Controversies
      • Small-Business Tax Penalties
      • Employment Tax Challenges
  • About Us
    • Elden Sodowsky
    • Heidi Haynes
  • Library
    • Articles
    • Blog
    • Books
    • FAQ
    • Resources
    • Scholarship
    • Videos
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
Sodowsky Law Firm, PC
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Overview
    • IRS Problem Resolution
      • Liens and Levies
      • Offers in Compromise
      • Installment Agreements
      • IRS Audits
      • Unfiled Tax Returns
      • Wage Garnishment
      • Innocent Spouse Relief
      • IRS Notice of Deficiency
      • Understanding IRS Form 12277
      • Tax Fraud
    • Tax Issues and Controversies
      • Small-Business Tax Penalties
      • Employment Tax Challenges
  • About Us
    • Elden Sodowsky
    • Heidi Haynes
  • Library
    • Articles
    • Blog
    • Books
    • FAQ
    • Resources
    • Scholarship
    • Videos
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us

IRS Debt and Your Passport

January 31, 2017 by sodowskylaw

IRS Debt and Your Passport

As we wrote in our February, 2016, newsletter, a new passport-related law was quietly added to the “FAST” Act (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act) signed by President Obama on December 4, 2015. This law gives the IRS a powerful tool in collecting taxes by controlling the issuance, renewal and revocation of your passport.

The IRS recently posted an update on its website. The taxing authority has officially given notice that their action may start any time now:
“The IRS has not yet started certifying tax debt to the State Department. Certifications to the State Department will begin in early 2017…”
And, now that we are in January 2017, how should we interpret this posting?

While it has taken some time for the IRS and the State Department to figure out how the passport revocation process will work, the process will certainly start sometime soon.

Here is how the process works. Under the new Code Section 7345, the IRS is authorized to certify a “seriously delinquent” tax debt to the State Department. After receiving certification from the IRS, the State Department generally will not issue or renew a passport to the delinquent taxpayer. If the taxpayer already has a passport, the State Department may revoke it. Taxpayers will be provided various notices as the process moves forward, so they will be given an opportunity to resolve their tax balances.

Do you fall into the category of having “seriously delinquent tax debt?” If you have unpaid federal tax debt totaling more than $50,000 (including interest and penalties), then you are in the category and may be subject to this passport action.

If you or anyone you know is in the “seriously delinquent” category, now is the time to resolve the issue before the IRS starts certifying the debt to the State Department. Contact the Sodowsky Law Firm at 703.968.8000 to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss options for dealing with the problem.

  • CONTACT US
    Interested in more information?
    Call us at 703.436.1176 or fill out this quick form and we will contact you within 1 business day
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

9.2Elden Ray Sodowsky

Copyright © 2021 Sodowsky Law Firm, PC. All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Sitemap

Alexandria | Arlington | Centreville | Dale City | Reston

  • Facebook Account Sodowsky Law Firm
  • Youtube Account Sodowsky Law Firm
Optimized Attorney
Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset