Tax Lien Lawyers in Rockdale

In Rockdale, Texas, a "lien" is specified as a property right that's authorized 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 permits 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.

A tax lien, then, is simply a lien that is formed for the particular purpose of collecting taxes from a delinquent tax payer in Rockdale, Texas.

Tax liens in Rockdale, Texas are ineffective if the taxpayer doesn't have any property to place the lien on. However, basically any property, including that which the taxpayer acquires after the lien goes into effect, can be affected by a tax lien.

Tax Lien Procedure in Rockdale, Texas

The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Rockdale, Texas is typically fairly simple. The initial step is for the IRS or local tax agency to decide that a person truly 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 particular amount of money in back taxes, and that they have a small window of time (frequently 10 days or less) to pay it.

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

Nonetheless, 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 Rockdale, Texas 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 keep potentially-valuable property from being encumbered forever. Essentially, it creates a measure of certainty for both parties.

How Can a Rockdale, Texas Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

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

Thus, it should go without saying that if you are facing the prospect of your home or vehicle being slapped with a tax lien, you need to pursue the advice of a reliable tax lawyer in Rockdale, Texas as soon as you can.