Delayed, stranded, and a nor'easter on the way

We made it to Boston.

Barely.

The flight got delayed. Because of the delay, our rental car got canceled. And now there's a nor'easter getting ready to hit the area.

This was supposed to be the easy part. Liz and I flew out to see our daughter Bella at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. It's Family Day, and this weekend we watch her play volleyball at MIT. We came for the fall colors and the cool air. I also have a couple of client meetings while we're here, since we have an office on the East Coast.

So far New England has given us delays, cancellations, and a storm warning.

It's the start of an interesting week.

One thing before I go further.

If the IRS or CaliClaw is already pulling money from your paycheck or your bank account, stop reading. Call 909-570-1103. This email is not for emergencies. That phone is.

Here's what the storm taught me this morning. 

Nobody here is surprised by a nor'easter. They see it coming days out. They get the warning. And the people who come through it fine are the ones who moved while the sky was still clear.

The IRS works the same way.

The Collector almost never shows up without warning. The notices come first. One letter. Then another. Then the one with "Final" in the title. Each one is a forecast.

Most people treat those letters the way I treated mine for eight years. I didn't open them. I told myself I'd deal with it later.

Later never came. CaliClaw did. Then The Collector.

The warning was never the problem. Ignoring it was.

Here's what the forecast looks like right now: 

• Didn't file? The failure-to-file penalty runs 5% of the unpaid tax per month, up to 25%.

• Filed but didn't pay? Another 0.5% per month, also up to 25%.

• Interest rides on top of both, compounding daily.

• Extended your 2025 return? October 15 is the final deadline. That's 21 days from today. There is no second extension.

Our week already went sideways. Flights, cars, weather. None of it was in the plan.

Yours will too. Life doesn't clear a path so you can finally deal with the IRS. It never has. There will always be a delay, a cancellation, a storm coming in.

That's why you move before the storm. Not after it hits.

You don't have to fix everything this week. You just have to stop pretending the forecast isn't there.

The rest is my job.

If you want to see exactly where you stand, start here: TaxDebtTriage.com 

If you already know you need help, skip the survey:
Call 909-570-1103 (we answer 24/7)
Or book directly at CallTaxEA.com 

The phone gets answered whether I'm in Redlands or waiting out a nor'easter in New England.

To your survival,

Carlos "Nor'easter" Samaniego, EA
The Tax Debt Detective™

P.S. Bella chose the Coast Guard. Their motto is Semper Paratus. Always ready. Those are the people who head out when everyone else is taking cover from a storm like this one. The Collector lives by the same motto. Be ready before he is:TaxDebtTriage.com or 909-570-1103.