Tax Lien Lawyers in Snohomish County

A "lien" in Snohomish County, Washington is a type of security interest that one person or entity has in someone else's property. Usually, a lien is created by a court, to secure payment of a debt. A lien gives its holder many rights in the property that is subject to it, including the right to seize the proceeds if the property is sold, and priority access to the property, in front of other creditors.

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 Snohomish County, Washington can arise to secure the payment of any federal or state tax, including income tax, estate tax, or gift tax.

Of course, a tax lien in Snohomish County, Washington 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. However, a tax lien applies to property that the taxpayer obtains even after the lien is created. Evidently, this makes it quite a bit easier for the government to collect its taxes.

Tax Lien Procedure in Snohomish County, Washington

The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Snohomish County, Washington 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 Washington take effect automatically, giving the tax collectors all of the rights in your property that any other lien holder would have.

However, if the federal government does not seek to enforce a tax lien in Snohomish County, Washington within 10 years of imposing it, federal law dictates that the lien automatically expires. This is effectively a statute of limitations on a tax lien, meant to encourage the federal government to collect its taxes in a reasonable period of time, and ensure that property is not encumbered by a lien forever.

How Can a Snohomish County, Washington Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

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

Accordingly, it's important that you retain a tax attorney in Snohomish County, Washington to ensure that whatever legal rights you have in this situation are protected. Your attorney will also be able to advise you on how to best deal with the situation.