Navigating through tax debt with the IRS can lead to a collections process. The tax experts at Optima Tax Relief review what you can expect from the IRS’ efforts to collect on your outstanding tax debt.

Each tax season, millions of Americans look forward to the day they receive their much anticipated refund check from the IRS. But for just as many taxpayers, the end of tax season simply marks the beginning of a very different kind of journey – navigating their way through the IRS collection process. The tax experts at Optima Tax Relief reviews the IRS’ collection process so that taxpayers can understand what to expect along the way to rectifying their outstanding tax debt with the IRS.

When does the IRS’s Collection Process Begin?

For all taxpayers who do not pay their total due tax balance in full when their return is filed, the IRS will mail you an invoice that confirms the total amount owed. This document is the official start of the collection process, or the IRS’ attempts to collect any and all outstanding debt from the delinquent taxpayer. The collection process is not deemed over until the balance is either paid or the debt expires.

Do I have to pay interest or additional fees on top of what I already owe?

The straight answer is yes. Your unpaid balance is subject to daily compounding interest, as well as monthly late payment penalties. These can certainly add up quickly, and make rectifying your IRS even more difficult as the total amount due continues to rise. That’s why it is always prudent to pay off your tax debt to the IRS as quickly and expeditiously as possible, in order to mitigate the total amount due from rising.

What if I can’t pay it all in full?

The most important thing you can do is to be proactive. Contact the IRS to see if you can qualify for any of the tools they offer to help manage taxpayer outstanding debt. The IRS may offer you the option of an installment agreement, and even offer you additional incentives for enabling features such as autopay or direct debt to manage your monthly payments.

The IRS may even work with you to establish a partial payment agreement or an offer in compromise (OIC), as well as alternative arrangements for households that qualify.

What if I just ignore the debt?

The IRS can implement some very serious consequences as part of their debt collection process. These include but are not limited to:

• Filing a Notice of Federal Tax Lien
• Serving a Notice of Levy
• Seizure of assets such as wages, bank accounts, social security benefits, and retirement income.
• Seizure of property
• Seizure of tax refunds to offset the outstanding debt

For more information about making payments, online payment agreements, and offers in compromise, visit the IRS’ Payments page.

Guest Author: Darren Wilson

You spend about 35% of your life at work. So, what kind of workplace do you intend to spend this percentage of your life? One thing is for sure, no matter what the rage is in office space these days, such as the open floor plan and minimalist designs, desks will never be taken out of the picture. Desks come in different sizes, types, and designs to meet different office needs. Because of the advancement in furniture construction, choosing a desk for your workplace just became a lot easier.

How Are Desks Important in the Job Industry?

As an employer or business owner, you cannot control all the factors that determine the happiness of your employees, but you can control the kind of work environment they can thrive in. One of the effective ways to boost productivity is to create a workspace that is conducive to their happiness, and the office furniture is a good way to start.

The desk is one place wherein people spend most of their office hours. It is a platform that houses your computer, phone, gadgets, office supplies, and many others that are essential in running a business, as well as items that show an employee’s personality.

When people at the office are more comfortable, it helps them enjoy staying at their desks. So, take into consideration how the office furniture is going to make the employees feel when selecting new items for them. After all, the average employee in the U.S. will spend 1,896 hours of their year on it.

A Boost of Colour

Those working on untidy and cluttered spaces are likely to feel overwhelmed and stressed because of the mess. On the other hand, boring workspace causes inefficiency. Bland areas with dull colours can contribute to the decrease in happiness and productivity in the office. Therefore, it is essential to have a tidy and well-organized work area with bright coloured items and furniture to increase the positive effects in your office.

Communal Work Desks

You will need a communal work desk in the office, no matter what type of business you are running. This desk will be the designated space for staff meetings, transacting business with clients, and brainstorming among co-workers. With this, you are going to need larger desks to accommodate larger groups. Weekly huddles are important because the issues that are normally left on the back-burner will get the chance of resolution. It can also increase the camaraderie between workers.

Some offices decide to use the communal work desk as an alternative to the individual work desk. If you also want to go this route, think carefully about how important collaboration is in your office and how a few communal workspaces could help employee productivity.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Desk

• Desk Size

You will want a desk that can simultaneously hold everything that you use multiple times every day, including your computer, while providing enough room for you to work.

• Technology requirements

Do you need a desk that comes with built-in openings to store multiple cords? Where do you want these openings, on the sides, on the top, or both? The placement of the computer and other electronics are essential too. Consider power outlet conditions as well as safety precautions.

• Drawer space

Storage is also an important aspect of desk selection. An office desk that has too many drawers tends to look busy and cluttered. On the other hand, the one that has too few or no drawers at all may be impractical and useless.

In general, desks are designed to adapt to your office needs. A spacious desk surface that has the right storage space can help you in many aspects. Several shallow drawers are perfect for storing smaller objects that could easily get lost in a sea of other items. It is easier to maintain, as well. Larger drawers are for storing larger items like files and folders. A desk with a combination of both sized drawers is ideal for keeping things tidy.

Desks are meant to be an employee’s home away from home. They would place pictures of their friends and family on it, personalise it with several aesthetics, and they would sometimes eat food on it. Comfort and solitude is its best quality.

Consider for a second your sensitive business records, expensive machinery, and hard-earned cash. How would you feel if you lost everything, and there’s no way to get them back? What about your staff and customers? Are they safe on your work premises? If your answer is no or you have doubts concerning your existing business security measures, it is time you revisit the subject.

Everything in your business needs safeguarding. From the devices that you use to the lives present, you are responsible for all of them. Hence, you should invest in the right business safety and security measures. Of course, you have to adopt relevant modern-day practices. Here are five smart ways you can boost your business protection this year.

1. Life insurance

As a business owner, you need life insurance for several reasons. For one, your family can claim your death benefits (monetary compensation) if you die. They can use the payout to support themselves financially, pay existing debts, or cater to the burial expenses.

Two, life insurance is necessary for signing a buy-sell agreement. Such an arrangement allows your business partners to buy your shares if you die, and the compensation either goes to your family or benefits the business. The situation could also be the reverse if it is your business partner who dies. In this case, you could buy his or her shares.

Also, you could opt for key person insurance where the insurance company pays the death benefits to the business when you die, and the money covers losses and expenses associated with your death.

2. Data security

Cybercriminals are becoming more rampant, and they are a constant threat to the survival and success of your business. For this reason, your sensitive data needs to be secure at all times. Some top data security tips you can employ are:

• Use strong, hard-to-guess passwords for all your devices
• Erase all hard drives that you want to dispose of before doing it
• Invest in the right provider for spam protection and antivirus solutions
• Install a premium quality firewall (hardware or software-based)
• Encrypt all your wireless networks
• Update your security programs
• Delete all business files from the cloud

3. Alarm system

The alarm system technology has improved a lot in recent years. These systems can sense imminent danger, decide about it, and act. They have the intelligence that humans lack, and this makes them exceptional. Modern alarm systems can detect motions and classify them as a possible threat before launching a response.

We have so many alarm system companies that you can approach for the installation. They can advise you on what solutions suits your business and what to do when there is a security threat. You, however, need to communicate your security needs clearly so that the installation can be customized to suit your business.

4. Security cameras

Security cameras play two critical roles in a physical business setting – investigation and prevention. The footages that you capture are vital when it comes to inspecting a possible crime or an accident that happened in your business premise. They are usually the first thing that detectives ask for when leading an investigation.

Additionally, live images can help you deter a possible attack from happening. By monitoring the footage, it is easy to contact the police. Knowing that most attackers, invaders, and spies are aware of security cameras, it may be worthwhile to consider hidden options. They allow you to monitor your business undetected.

5. Visitors’ Management Policy

More often than not, threats are from unauthorized persons who access sensitive places like the office, CCTV control area, and the document center. For this reason, you should have a strict management policy for all visitors who come to your establishment.

For a start, visitors should sign in and out at the gate or the reception. They also need to have a badge on them when visiting the offices. To ensure that your visitors’ management policy is observed, you should educate your employees about it.

Closing Thought

Security and safety are vital to the survival and growth of your business. Sometimes you have to spend money to protect your business, and at other times you only need to change a few things. Observe our ideas above to see what is implementable in your workplace.

Direct marketing is a type of marketing that delivers physically to the prospect’s mailbox. It is usually used for advertising purposes. For say, postcards, flyers or even promotional catalogs are some common examples of direct mail marketing. The whole idea derives the concept of the door to door communication. To let people be aware of the business in a very non-aggregating way. And also by these little flyers and catalogs, you get to know about many markets around you.

But since in this modern world of technology, the work of just papers is getting outdated. People are now more active on social media than on the regular social front, which has led the digital marketing strategies stronger and forward. But still, in this busy growing generation, direct mail marketing still works. On an everyday basis, we still find people distributing flyers and advertisements. Direct mail printing services has its own plus points, from the consumer point of view;

Less Competition

Since in this phase, digital marketing has taken over the other marketing strategies present now. In another way, it can be advantageous in other aspects. Very few traditional markets have been still using direct mail marketing. One of the best services is what direct mail marketing Cleveland provides. And as a pro, though this strategy, they are getting proper attention. As the flyers are colorful with attractive and captivating fonts. Which, in a way, attract people and drives their attention thoroughly.

Bigger Reach

If we see statically, direct mail marketing has the potential to grow larger. As it reaches to people directly, without any filter. Digital media also has more extensive coverage, but it has the reach of seen or not seen situations. But in the case of direct mail, for sure, the advertisement is seen and reacted immediately. This physical reach of advertisement is something assured and promising. Since with the limited deals and exciting offers, it becomes even more catchy and irresistible.

Less Expensive

When it comes to marketing, the budget can be a topic of debate. As it can get over the board. Through this marketing strategy, expensive cuts down to the lowest. The beneficial quality of this scheme is, it makes two things profitable at the same time. Printing advertisements are less expensive than putting up hoardings and even digital marketing. As the requirement is very minimal. The paper for such an advertisement is very thin in order to save money. So it is a mode which requires fewer expenses. For startups is the best way to promote on a larger scale. As internet access won’t be possible for 100% of the population.

Saves Time

It definitely saves uptime. As for this busy world, people usually prefer things handy. If the advertisement is written and mentioned in every single detail, then it is something people will admire. During busy hours people tend to be focused on one thing. Through a written flyer, we can acknowledge it peacefully and act on it. it is better to reach in mass. As it is a very efficient and less time-consuming and traditional way of promoting.

Direct mail printing services are efficient and reach many at once. It saves time and lets the consumer be informed in their own time. It is one of the effective ways of marketing. As the dealing gets face to face and for the consumer is getting easier to be demonstrated upfront. All the queries can be known at the time, on the spot. And the marketing receives a good response as the consumer reacts efficiently and quickly. So it’s a perfect way for the new markets to set up in the market and the only tradition still operated by some.