Tax relief/Levies, garnishment and liens
Wage garnishment, bank levies and tax liens, handled fast.
When the IRS takes your paycheck, freezes your bank account or files a lien against your property, time matters more than anything else. A California licensed CPA acts immediately to stop the damage and builds the resolution that makes the relief permanent. Fixed fee, agreed before the work begins.
CPACertified Public Accountant
CaliforniaLicensed CPA
15+ yearsExperience
NationwideFully virtual
Know what you are facing
A levy is the IRS taking your property. A lien is the IRS securing its claim against it. Both are serious, both follow rules, and both can be undone when the right resolution is put in place.
Wage levy
Often called a garnishment. Your employer must send most of each paycheck to the IRS, leaving you only an exempt amount based on your filing status and dependents. It continues every pay period until the IRS releases it.
Bank levy
The IRS seizes the funds in your account on the day the levy arrives. Your bank must hold that money for 21 days before sending it on, and that is the window to get the levy released.
Other levies
Social Security benefits, retirement accounts, state tax refunds, and payments owed to you by customers or clients can all be levied.
Federal tax lien
A lien is a legal claim against everything you own, recorded publicly with your county or state. It no longer appears on consumer credit reports, but it shows up in title searches and lender reviews, and it can stall a refinance, a home sale or a business loan.
The deadlines that protect you
The IRS must warn you before most levies. The Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing, usually sent as letter LT11, Letter 1058 or notice CP90, gives you 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing.
Inside 30 days
A timely hearing request generally stops the levy while your case is heard by the IRS Independent Office of Appeals, and preserves your right to take the matter to Tax Court.
After 30 days
You can still request an equivalent hearing within a year of the notice, but without the same protection against levy or the same right to go to court.
After a lien is filed
The IRS sends Letter 3172, which carries its own hearing deadline. It is the best opportunity to challenge the lien or propose an alternative.
If a levy is already in place
It can still be released. The IRS must release a levy when it creates economic hardship, when you enter an installment agreement, or when the debt is otherwise resolved.
How levies and liens are removed
Stopping collection is the first step. Keeping it stopped, and clearing your record, is the goal.
Levy release
A levy comes off once the IRS agrees to an alternative: an installment agreement, currently not collectible status, an offer in compromise, or proof of hardship. On an active wage levy, speed decides how many paychecks you lose.
Lien release
The IRS must release a lien within 30 days after the balance is paid in full or can no longer legally be collected.
Lien withdrawal
Withdrawal goes further and removes the public notice as though it had never been filed. It is available in specific situations, including many direct debit installment agreements on balances of $25,000 or less.
Discharge and subordination
If you need to sell or refinance a property with a lien on it, the IRS can release that property from the lien or place its claim behind a new lender, so the transaction can close.
How Kim Accounting & Advisory handles it
One CPA works your case from the first call to the final resolution. Here is what that looks like for levies, garnishment and liens.
- 1
Stop the immediate harm
We file a power of attorney, contact the IRS on your behalf and, where a hearing deadline is still open, protect your appeal rights. For active levies, we move for release immediately.
- 2
Find the right resolution
We pull your transcripts, verify the balance and collection deadlines, and determine which option you qualify for, because a levy only stays released when a resolution is in place underneath it.
- 3
Clear the record
Once the resolution is in place, we pursue release or withdrawal of the lien and make sure the levy does not come back.
Received a levy notice or garnishment order?Do not wait for the next paycheck. Bring the notice to a short call and we will tell you where you stand.
Find out where you standCommon questions
Straight answers to what people ask us most about levies, garnishment and liens.
How fast can a wage garnishment be stopped?
Often within days once an acceptable resolution is proposed and the IRS agrees, although timing depends on the case and on whether a revenue officer is assigned. Having your financial information ready is what makes speed possible, and that is where we start.
Can the IRS take my entire paycheck?
Not all of it, but it can take most of it. The amount you keep is based on the standard deduction and your number of dependents, which for many people leaves far less than they need to live on.
Can the IRS levy my bank account more than once?
Yes. A bank levy captures only what is in the account on the day it arrives, so the IRS can issue another. A resolution is what stops the cycle.
Will paying the balance clear the lien from public record?
Payment leads to a lien release, but the release is recorded too, so the history remains. A withdrawal removes the notice itself, and it is worth pursuing whenever you qualify.
What clients say
“I’d like to start by expressing my appreciation for Jason’s patience and thoroughness. My situation was quite complicated, but he guided me through every step of the process with clarity and care! What stood out most was his willingness to offer thoughtful advice, and if he didn’t have an immediate answer, he took the time to research and ensure he provided the best possible guidance. He consistently went above and beyond to assist me, and I highly recommend his services!”
Anibal Ruelas
Verified by Trustindex. Every review above is reproduced word for word.
Often part of the same problem
IRS problems rarely arrive one at a time. These are the issues that most often come up alongside a levy or lien.
Get the levy lifted and the lien handled
At Kim Accounting & Advisory, levy cases move to the front of the line. Jason Kim contacts the IRS on your behalf, works to stop the collection action and puts a lasting resolution in place, for a fixed fee agreed before the work begins.
- Bring the levy notice or garnishment order you received
- Learn what it takes to stop it, and how quickly
- Leave with a plan to keep it from coming back
Free consultation
One conversation with a licensed CPA. No obligation and no pressure. If we are not the right fit, you will still leave with a clear next step.
Find out where you standServing clients nationwide, fully virtual.