Tax Lien Lawyers in Prince Georges County

In Prince Georges County, Maryland, a "lien" is a type of property right, which is created by a court to obtain payment of a lawful debt. Typically, a valid lien gives its holder the right to seize the property subject to it, or at least some of the property's equity, to satisfy the debt. If the owner sells a piece of property that's subject to a lien, the creditor who owns the lien may be entitled to the proceeds, up to the amount you owe them. It can further put them "first in line" compared to other creditors, if the debtor files for bankruptcy.

In Prince Georges County, Maryland, a "tax lien" is simply a lien imposed by the government to compile back taxes from a person or corporation, when other methods for collecting have failed.

However, a tax lien in Prince Georges County, Maryland will be ineffective if the debtor doesn't own any valuable property to encumber with a lien. As with any debt, the creditor can't collect if the debtor doesn't have any assets. However, a tax lien can be applied to property that the taxpayer acquires after the lien goes into effect.

Tax Lien Procedure in Prince Georges County, Maryland

In Prince Georges County, Maryland, the process for creating a tax lien is fairly uncomplicated. First, the tax authorities determine that a taxpayer really owes taxes that they haven't paid (that they're delinquent in their taxes).

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 Maryland tax agency, giving them all the rights in your property that the law authorizes.

But, under federal law, there are limits to how tax liens can be enforced in Prince Georges County, Maryland, and elsewhere. Typically, the IRS has 10 years to try and enforce a tax lien. If no effort is made to enforce a tax lien for 10 years, the lien is automatically lifted, and the lien holder loses all rights in it. This rule exists to ensure that the government collects its taxes in a reasonable time period, and it prevents valuable property (which could otherwise be contributing to the economy by being bought and sold) is not laded with a lien for an indefinite period of time.

How Can a Prince Georges County, Maryland Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

If you end up having a tax lien imposed on your property in Maryland, you will probably have to deal with some fairly hard legal issues, which might be confusing to a layperson.

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