Facing tens of thousands in owed back taxes, Texas man turned to 20/20 Tax Resolution and discovered the meaning of sweet redemption
Situation:
John Mohan lived his life on the edge – but without ever realizing it. An electrician by trade in the small Texas town of Alvin (located about 40 miles south of Houston), John worked as an independent contractor for many years and never bothered to file a tax return for any of his contracting income. It wasn’t a conscious decision to disregard a responsibility, but more of an oversight that over time became an “outta sight, outta mind” kind of habit. Similar to others in the construction industry, John worked a variety of jobs over the years, ranging from electrician to carpenter. But when John took a job with a larger company that withheld taxes from each paycheck, the Internal Revenue Service took notice.
“I received a letter saying that I owed $4,000,” John, 53, said. “So I assumed that’s all they wanted and I went in to the IRS to try and finance that $4,000. That’s when they said ‘Wait, that’s $4,000 for ONE year.’ They wanted immediate filings for the last six or seven years.”
The Problem:
Like so many in the construction industry, John hadn’t kept meticulous records of his past earnings. He couldn’t afford to hire an accountant to help him go back nearly a decade and determine all the revenue he had earned and how to file his back returns. He was, in his own language, “devastated.” And the IRS was breathing down his neck.
“I wanted to just quit my job,” he said. “The IRS was threatening to garnish my wages right off the bat. I’ve heard horror stories about people going through this and I just had no idea what I was going to do. I had no idea where to even begin with something like that.”
John left the IRS office that day feeling sad, depressed and “all alone.” He knew he could be facing an insurmountable amount of back taxes and penalties. Losing sleep and worried about his economic future, John owed nearly $45,000 in back taxes spanning multiple years.
The Solution:
In what could be called an amazing coincidence, John returned home from the IRS to find a letter in his mailbox from 20/20 Tax Resolution. He had never heard of the Colorado-based firm with more than two decades of experience helping people just like him. The letter arrived at the perfect time for John to take action.
“That really got the ball started,” John said. “Just contacting 20/20 really started to emotionally put me at ease.”
From the very onset of working together, 20/20 was able to remove the fear, worry and unrest John was constantly feeling about his tax situation. An aggressive IRS was sending John threatening letters and communicating ultimatums John wasn’t able to fully understand.
“They said don’t worry about it, just send the letters to us,” John said. “Every time I got a letter, I would pick up the phone immediately and call 20/20.”
That attention and compassionate assistance made a world of difference to John. He was able to better focus on his work and life – and remove the doubts and concerns from his mind. He was a bit concerned at the outset that 20/20 was located in Colorado while he lived in Texas. But those worries were quickly displaced by gratitude.
“I actually forgot about the whole situation a lot of times,” he said. “20/20 was just great. Those people are awesome. They even worked with me on creating a payment plan for the cost to resolve my situation.”
In the end, John received the greatest news of all: 20/20 was able to successfully negotiate an Offer in Compromise for John with a settlement of only $234! Although he’s still in the process of getting liens removed and he will need to stay on top of future tax obligations, John feels 20/20 helped him dodge a bullet that would have hampered his life for many, many years.
“I feel very blessed that I called 20/20,” John said. “I’d recommend anyone who has any tax problem at all to call 20/20. They are outstanding people.”