Tax Lien Lawyers in El Paso County

In El Paso County, Colorado, a "lien" is a security interest placed on a piece of property, normally land or a house, to secure the payment of a debt. It typically gives a creditor the right to take ownership of any equity that exists in the property, to secure the payment of the debt. If the owner sells the property, the creditor may also be entitled to the proceeds of the sale, up to the amount owed. It can also give the holder of the lien a higher priority status, giving them an advantage over competing creditors, if the debtor files bankruptcy.

A "tax lien," then, is a lien held by the government to collect a tax-related debt from a private entity, such as a person or corporation in El Paso County, Colorado.

However, like any other debt-collection method, a tax lien is worthless if the debtor has no considerable property on which a lien can be imposed. To get around this limitation, most tax liens in El Paso County, Colorado apply to after-acquired property (property obtained after the lien was created). Most other liens only apply to certain pieces of property, or property that the debtor owned at the time the lien went into effect.

Tax Lien Procedure in El Paso County, Colorado

In El Paso County, Colorado, the procedure for imposing a tax lien is relatively simple. First, the IRS makes a determination that a person is delinquent in their tax obligation.

Then, the taxpayer is sent a letter with a "notice and demand," which informs the taxpayer that the IRS has determined that they owe back taxes, and that they have a short period of time (normally 10 days) to pay them without incurring a penalty.

If the back taxes are not paid before the deadline is up, the lien will normally take effect immediately, with no further action by the IRS or Colorado tax agency, giving them all the rights in your property that the law authorizes.

However, in El Paso County, Colorado, and anywhere else in America, a tax lien only lasts for 10 years, and then it automatically expires. If the IRS fails to exercise the substantial rights that it has under a tax lien within that period of time, it is assumed that they never intend to do so, and the lien will cease to exist. This ensures that valuable property is only kept out of the economy for a certain period of time.

How Can a El Paso County, Colorado Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

If you are notified by the government that you owe back taxes in Colorado, and that they are going to pursue a tax lien to collect their money, things can get very convoluted, extremely quickly.

Accordingly, if you think that any piece of property you own might become subject to a tax lien in El Paso County, Colorado, you should not hesitate to seek the advice of a qualified tax attorney immediately.