Tax Lien Lawyers in Jefferson County

A "lien" in Jefferson County, Missouri is a property right that a person or entity has in property owned by someone else, created by law, for the purpose of enforcing a debt. A lien gives its holder several rights in the property of another person, including the right to seize the proceeds of a sale of the property, and, if the debtor files for bankruptcy, the right to go to the front of the line among other creditors, making it more likely that the lien holder will collect something.

A "tax lien" is simply a lien placed on a piece of property by the state or local government, to secure the payment of back taxes. A tax lien in Jefferson County, Missouri can arise to secure the payment of any federal or state tax, including income tax, estate tax, or gift tax.

Tax liens in Jefferson County, Missouri are ineffective if the taxpayer doesn't have any property to place the lien on. However, essentially any property, including that which the taxpayer obtains after the lien goes into effect, can be affected by a tax lien.

Tax Lien Procedure in Jefferson County, Missouri

The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Jefferson County, Missouri is normally fairly simple. The first step is for the IRS or local tax agency to determine that a person really 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 some amount of money in back taxes, and that they have a small window of time (commonly 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 rights in your property that any other lien holder would have.

However, there are limits to how and when a tax lien can be enforced, at least under federal law. The IRS has 10 years to enforce a tax lien in Jefferson County, Missouri or anywhere else in the U.S. If it never bothers to take action to seize property that's subject to a tax lien, the lien simply ceases to exist after 10 years. This rule is in place to ensure that the government does not sit on its rights, and to prevent potentially-valuable property from being encumbered indefinitely. Basically, it creates a measure of certainty for both parties.

How Can a Jefferson County, Missouri Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

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

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