Tax Lien Lawyers in Batesburg Leesville

In Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina, a "lien" is defined as a property right that's granted to a creditor against a piece of property owned by a debtor, for the purpose of collecting on the debt if the debtor is unwilling or unable to pay. A lien allows its owner to exercise some control over the property that is the subject of the lien. This includes the right to force a sale of the property, and to seize the resulting revenue, and priority access to the property ahead of other creditors.

As you might have gathered, a "tax lien" is simply a lien placed on property by the IRS or Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina tax authorities, to collect taxes that the property-owner has failed to pay.

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

Tax Lien Procedure in Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina

The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina is usually fairly simple. The first step is for the IRS or local tax agency to determine that a person actually owes back taxes, and that it is worth the effort to impose a lien.

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 (usually 10 days) to pay them without incurring a penalty.

If that time period expires, and the debtor still hasn't paid, the South Carolina tax lien will go into effect automatically, with no further action required.

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 Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina 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 Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

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

Accordingly, if you think that any piece of property you own might become subject to a tax lien in Batesburg Leesville, South Carolina, you should not hesitate to seek the advice of a competent tax attorney immediately.