The IRS notice you got before Labor Day is now a week old

I meant to send this from Mexico last Frida.

Liz and I had just crossed the border. First time I had really been back in about 30 years.

We stopped in Playas de Tijuana, found a coffee shop, and watched Bella's college volleyball game from a laptop. Then we drove south along the coast to Puerto Nuevo.

The next morning we had a business meeting, one of the reasons we made the trip. That afternoon, Valle de Guadalupe wine country.

Somewhere in there, a tech issue ate the email.

So you are getting it now. From my desk in Redlands. Thursday morning. Holiday weekend in the rearview.

Which makes the point better than I could have made it from Mexico.

The Thursday before Labor Day, our office got a run of calls. People opening the mailbox and finding a letter from The Collector right before a three-day weekend.

Nothing says "enjoy your time off" quite like an envelope from the Internal Revenue Service.

My advice that day was simple.

Don't panic. Don't ignore it. Put it somewhere safe. Have a good meal. Have a glass of wine. Deal with it Tuesday.

Tuesday came and went.

If that letter is still sitting on the counter, here is what happened while you were not looking at it:

• The response window on most IRS notices is 30 days. About a week of it is gone.

• Some of those letters are the last one before a bank levy or wage garnishment. The IRS does not send a reminder.

• The letter you can appeal today has a deadline. Miss it and the appeal rights go with it.

• Penalties and interest did not take the weekend off. They never do.

The people who called us that Thursday already know exactly what their letter says and what the IRS wants.

The people who set it on the counter are still guessing.

A notice does not become a serious problem because it arrived on a Friday.

It becomes a serious problem when Friday turns into the following Thursday.

That's today.

Go to TaxDebtTriage.com and tell me what the letter says. Or call 909-570-1103 and read it to us over the phone.

Either way, do it before the weekend. Not after.

To your survival.

Carlos "Back from Mexico" Samaniego
TaxDebtConsultant.com 

P.S. Thirty years is a long time to stay away from a place. I'm glad I went back. Your IRS notice will not give you thirty years. It will not give you thirty days. Send it over today.