Tax Lien Lawyers in Ellisville

In Ellisville, Missouri, a "lien" is a type of property right, which is created by a court to acquire payment of a lawful debt. Generally, 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 also put them "first in line" compared to other creditors, if the debtor files for bankruptcy.

A tax lien, then, is simply a lien that is established for the particular purpose of collecting taxes from a delinquent tax payer in Ellisville, Missouri.

Of course, a tax lien in Ellisville, Missouri isn't worth much more than the paper it's printed on if the debtor doesn't own any property of value, on which a lien could be placed. Nonetheless, a tax lien applies to property that the taxpayer obtains even after the lien is created. Obviously, this makes it quite a bit easier for the government to collect its taxes.

Tax Lien Procedure in Ellisville, Missouri

The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Ellisville, Missouri is usually fairly simple. The initial step is for the IRS or local tax agency to decide that a person actually owes back taxes, and that it is worth the effort to impose a lien.

At this point, they will send the taxpayer a written notice stating that they owe a certain amount of money in back taxes, and that they have a small window of time (often 10 days or less) to pay it.

If the deadline passes without payment, most tax liens in Missouri take effect automatically, giving the tax collectors all of the options in your property that any other lien holder would have.

But, under federal law, there are limits to how tax liens can be enforced in Ellisville, Missouri, and elsewhere. Generally, 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 Ellisville, Missouri Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

If you receive notice from the federal government, or the government of Missouri that a tax lien has been imposed on your property, some pretty complicated legal issues are necessarily involved.

Therefore, it's important that you hire a tax attorney in Ellisville, Missouri to ensure that whatever legal rights you have in this situation are defended. Your attorney will also be able to advise you on how to best deal with the situation.