Information for the 525,000 Secret Federal Workers that are Hiding in Plain Sight – IRS Notice LT36

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According to a recent batch of IRS Notice LT36, issued as recently as June 2025, there are approximately 525,000 federal employees, current or retired, who are noncompliant with respect to their federal tax obligations. Are you one of them?

Federal employees sometimes have a difficult burden; they are both representatives of the federal government and also taxpayers subject to tax laws. There is a special Internal Revenue Service (IRS) unit assigned to collect liabilities and resolve IRS collection cases involving Federal Employees; These can be your local postal worker, the person at the Social Security Administration office, or your family member who is honoring our country with military service, for example.

In typical government fashion, it does usually take a little bit of time for the IRS to identify and call out its own. But when it does happen, the IRS will notify the federal employee by issuing Notice LT36.

Notice LT36 is based on the Federal Employee/Retiree Delinquency Initiative (FERDI) program that was developed in 1993 by the IRS to promote federal tax compliance among current and retired federal employees. The program incorporates the purpose and intent of Office of Government Ethics regulation 5 C.F.R. 2635.809 which addresses the responsibility of federal employees to “satisfy in good faith their obligations as citizens, including all just financial obligations, especially those such as federal, state, or local taxes that are imposed by law.”

The most common recipients of Notice LT36 are taxpayers currently receiving a salary or pension from the federal government. This includes the following:

    • Civilian employees, including U.S. Postal Service
    • Civil service or Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) retirees
    • Active-duty military
    • Military retirees
    • National Guard/Reservists

It is common that federal employees with this pedigree and background are usually caught in a surprised situation of their tax liability. That is the purpose of IRS Notice LT36: to provide our federal employees and service members the opportunity to address their IRS tax problem. Once the notice is issued, the federal employee should take proactive steps to remedy their IRS tax liability.

Contribution By Farah Oweimer; Email: Farahoweimer@gmail.com

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Internal Revenue Service Notice CP49 – What Happened to My Tax Refund?

So, you prepared your tax return, you were a good taxpayer, gave the government an interest free loan, overpaid your taxes, and were due a refund, right? Wrong, if you received Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Notice CP49.

The IRS provides notice CP49 to a taxpayer when the often-needed tax refund that you are waiting on is applied to a tax debt owed to the IRS, regardless of whether you dispute that you owe the IRS. Sometimes the debt owed is known to a taxpayer, sometimes it comes as an unwelcome surprise.

The tax refund as noticed by IRS Notice CP49 and snatched by the IRS includes an assessed tax owed plus penalties and interest on a balance due. The idea behind why you would receive a notice from the IRS Notice CP49 is the total refund you were to receive from being a compliant taxpayer and filing your tax return unfortunately gets applied to the account to relieve your tax debt instead of paying your bills.

IRS Publication 594 explains the steps the IRS will take to collect the on an IRS tax debt owed. The first step is if you owe taxes, the IRS will send you a first attempted bill. The second step, if you do not pay your first attempted bill, they will notify you with a second attempted notice. Lastly, if you do not pay your final bill the collection process begins with the notice of CP49 notifying your that your expected refund will be intercepted. If you don’t believe that you owe a tax liability, this would be the time to take immediate action to investigate the discrepancy between your records and the IRS’ assessments against you.

Having an expected refund intercepted by the IRS can be both shocking and devastating depending on your financial circumstance. If the tax debt is known to you, then the IRS Notice CP49 is not shocking, but something that needs to be addressed by either contesting the assessment or engaging in IRS collection defenses. If the tax debt is not known to you, then the alleged assessment needs to be investigated for accuracy, because the IRS is not perfect and they too make mistakes.

If you received IRS Notice CP49, you will not likely be receiving your expected refund. However, understanding why you owe and addressing the balances due is what the MW Attorney, A Professional Legal Corporation assists taxpayers with and they offer a free consultation.

Contribution By Farah Oweimer; Email: Farahoweimer@gmail.com

The first step in taxing space starts tomorrow in Sacramento

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Have you ever thought about space travel? Or even being one of the first human colonists to Mars? If you have, you should also be prepared to pay a tax. Seriously. That’s right, with the developments in space exploration, the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) is preparing to develop a tax strategy for space travel and commerce.

Taxation strategy of the final frontier begins tomorrow in Sacramento during an interested parties meeting at the FTB’s mother ship. If you didn’t book your tax space voyage in time, you can still attend by phone by calling (877) 923-3149 at 10:00 a.m. Enter the participant pass code 2233420, followed by the # sign.

The official captain’s log for the meeting is to discuss possible regulatory efforts for the apportionment and allocation of income derived from space transportation activities, including the transportation of people or cargo into and from Space. I didn’t think it would be possible, but even the FTB can make this meeting sound boring.

According the news release issued by the FTB, during the upcoming initial meeting, FTB staff members will solicit input from industry and practitioners on issues that may arise in the application of a regulation on such space activities, including, but not limited to:

– How should space transportation activities be defined in a regulation?

– At what point should aircraft or space vehicles be considered as traveling into space?

– How should unsuccessful missions be treated?

– What apportionment factors should be used to apportion and allocate income from space transportation activities? How many apportionment factors should there be, and how should they be weighted? Launch factor, recovery factor, mileage factor, or some other factor?

– Should a regulatory effort address the potential for “nowhere income,” and if so, how should it be addressed?

– What issues might be encountered with combining space transportation activities with a taxpayer’s other trade or business activities?

– Should a regulatory effort distinguish between transporting cargo and people?

– Any other issues that industry believes FTB staff should consider.

Isn’t this exciting!? I do wonder however if a Foreign Bank and Financial Account Report (FBAR) will be required if life is found on Mars, and a human opens a bank account there? I suppose that’s a federal question and the July meeting, I further suppose, is limited California state tax matters.

Board of Equalization is not of fan of Denny’s in California’s central valley

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Have you been to one of the Denny’s operated by Abdul Halim? He operates three Denny’s restaurants located in Lathrop, Manteca, and Stockton. If you have a craving for a Moons Over My Hammy and live in the California’s central valley, you may soon be out of luck.

California’s Board of Equalization recently publicized its version of a perp walk. Abdul Halim, of Tracy, California will serve 10 years formal probation, perform 3,500 hours of community service, and pay $790,428 in restitution for pleading guilty to two felony and one misdemeanor count of sales tax evasion. The ordered restitution includes the sales tax, penalties, and interest owed to the BOE.

California’s Board of Equalization is charged with the duty of collecting and enforcing payment of California sales tax. BOE Investigators determined that Mr. Halim failed to pay nearly $525,000 in sales tax collected from Denny’s customers between 2007 and 2011.

If you need help fighting the BOE in California’s central valley or in the greater Sacramento area, call our law firm for a free consultation. We may be able to help save your business and keep you from being the next “perp” publicized by the BOE.

More than half of Stanislaus’ FTB non-filers live in Modesto

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The Franchise Tax Board is beginning its annual force filing season. Haven’t heard of force filing season? If you are one of the million plus people that the FTB is currently investigating, you will soon.

Force filing season is where a taxing government seeks to file an estimated tax return for you, when the government did not receive a tax return from you. The procedure is a profitable one. Last year the FTB collected more than $715 million through its force filing investigation and assessment efforts.

Since we’re now in tax season, the FTB knows that you should be thinking about your taxes. So, this is the time of year that the Franchise Tax Board notifies taxpayers that it didn’t receive a tax return from a particular tax payer and that it believes that a tax return should have been filed.

If you live in Stanislaus County, in Modesto particularly, you may need to contact a Modesto tax attorney in short time. Of the 6,696 Stanislaus taxpayers that the FTB is investigating, 3,570 of them live in Modesto. That’s more than half of the Stanislaus taxpayers that will likely need a Modesto tax attorney.

The first step in the force filing investigation is for the Franchise Tax Board to identify social security numbers where a tax return was not received by the tax return deadline. The FTB then compares those social security numbers to information provided by banks, employers, local governments, the IRS, and other third parties. If the Franchise Tax Board believes that you were required to file a California tax return, but did not do so, you will receive a tax return demand letter.

So if you are one of the 3,570 Modesto residents that recently received one of these tax demand letters, or one of the remaining 3,126 who live elsewhere in Stanislaus County, you have a potential tax debt looming. Our Modesto tax law firm may be able to help you. Speak directly to one of our Modesto tax attorneys by calling us at (209) 248-7157.

Frustrated with the California FTB?

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Are you frustrated with California’s Franchise Tax Board? The Sacramento tax collectors at the Franchise Tax Board must have frustrated, or possibly scared the poop out of someone recently with their collection efforts. For obvious reasons, in a story not widely publicized this week, someone recently took FTB tax relief to a lower level.

Earlier this week a package sent to the Sacramento FTB office containing a brown liquid with a strong odor required the Sacramento Metro Fire Department to be summoned. Franchise Tax Board personnel, possibly working to assess and collect taxes against the sender of the anonymous package, had to emerge from the bowels of their Sacramento taxing office as a level two hazmat emergency caused an evacuation. The cause … dog poop!

Based on the stress and sleepless nights caused by FTB tax audits and Franchise Tax Board tax collections, I’m surprised it was only dog poop that was sent. Apparently, you can order a variety of crap through the internet. Literally, ranging from elephant crap to cow dung.

Obviously, these types of tax relief tactics are not tax relief at all. They’re a useless waste of time and dangerous. The sender will also likely be in more trouble now than they would have been had they used actual tax law strategy to resolve a tax problem and build a collection defense. Using legitimate legal means to resolve a tax debt will often relieve the stress caused by the taxing agency whether it’s the FTB or the Internal Revenue Service.

New Modesto tax relief announced

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The City of Modesto recently announced details of a new tax relief and cash incentive program to lure businesses to downtown Modesto. The tax breaks apply variably to new businesses and existing businesses.

The new Modesto tax relief program will be available to businesses located on 10th Street between K Street and H Street; 11th Street between K Street and I Street; and J Street between 9th Street and McHenry Avenue.

New Modesto retail businesses will be eligible for a full refund of Modesto City mill taxes and local sales taxes for the first year of business. Existing Modesto retail businesses that extend their hours will be eligible for a refund of Modesto local sales tax only collected during the extended hours for one year.

The City of Modesto is also promoting cash incentives for job creation in the downtown Modesto area for both retail and non-retail businesses. Other incentives are available for new developments and physical improvements. Full details of Modesto’s business and development incentive program are available on the City of Modesto’s website.

With an overall improving economy it’s good to see local government risk a short-term loss in tax revenue for the long-term impact new businesses may bring. Hopefully for Modesto, the gamble pays off.

Best IRS phone scam – 844-271-8465

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I recently received an email from a tax client with a very serious tax problem that my tax law firm has been handling. My tax client was very concerned that the Internal Revenue Service left him a threating message on his home telephone number. The telephone number that my client was to call back to speak with the IRS was 844-271-8465. Since my client actually has a serious tax problem, and since he was smart enough to hire a tax attorney to fight for IRS tax relief, he rightfully contacted me. Based on the stage of his tax problem, he wouldn’t be receiving any calls from IRS collections.

I told him that it was likely a scam. He was adamant that it was not. He said that he called the number and it was definitely IRS collections and he hung up immediately. Out of curiosity I called the number. When calling, the number did sound like the IRS collection line to the untrained ear. The call started with a “welcome to the IRS” prompt. “Push one for a business issue, two for a personal issue” or something of the like. The recording sounded like it was actually recorded from a phone calling the Internal Revenue Service. Then, the phone went immediately to a person without me needing to push a button. Because I didn’t have to wait an hour or two to speak with anyone, this was a huge red flag that this was not an IRS number.

The person who answered my call had a very thick accent, didn’t introduce themselves or provide me with a federal identification number. The person who answered the phone instantly raised his voice and told me that I owed the IRS and I had to pay him. I found this laughable because I was calling from a blocked telephone number and I didn’t tell him who I was. I asked him for his name, identification number and what Internal Revenue Service collection unit he was in. He fumbled a bit and said, “um … you can call me ‘Jack’”. He also told me that he didn’t have to provide me with his identification number and again demanded a payment.

Based on the absurdity of this joker, I’m surprised that anyone would be duped by this scam. But, apparently some people are indeed being scammed. According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, they are aware of nearly 3,000 victims who have collectively paid over $14 million as a result of this type of IRS scam.

The IRS has been warning of such scams for the past couple years now. I think I have had a call or two myself, between other scams to update my computer, or lend money to a Nigerian prince. But this is the first scam that I’ve experienced where the voice prompts for the number imitates the actual Internal Revenue Service collection number voice prompt. I’m sure it’s been going on for a while as the IRS reports that the caller identification for these numbers also reveal that the number belongs to the Internal Revenue Service or other law enforcement.

These scammers may be scary and persuasive if you, like my tax client, actually have a legitimate IRS tax matter you are trying to resolve. However, if you know that you don’t have tax issues you should not be swayed by these scammer’s tactics. If you’re not sure if you have tax problems, this may be the time to confirm whether you have any lingering tax issues. Our tax attorneys are located in Modesto, California and Sacramento, California. We can help you determine if you have a real tax issue or help you get the tax relief appropriate for your situation. Please call us at (800) 454-7043 for your free consultation.

New taxpayer Bill of Rights offers no new protections

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This week the IRS adopted a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights”. Unfortunately, the IRS admitted that no new taxpayer rights or protections were created. The newly released taxpayer Bill of Rights simply organizes various policies from the tax code and groups them into 10 broad categories.

The thought is that highlighting these already existing protections will make them more visible and easier for taxpayers to understand.

Here are the 10 broad rights the IRS are going to publicize through this version of the taxpayer Bill of Rights:

  1. The Right to Be Informed
  2. The Right to Quality Service
  3. The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax
  4. The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard
  5. The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum
  6. The Right to Finality
  7. The Right to Privacy
  8. The Right to Confidentiality
  9. The Right to Retain Representation
  10. The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System

 While poking a little bit of fun at the IRS, I believe this version would be more accurate:

  1. The Right to Be Informed (so long as you still open mail sent to the address you lived at years ago);
  2. The Right to Quality Service (similar to any other poorly structured organization);
  3. The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax (plus the penalties and interest that we will charge you to tell you that we don’t think you paid the correct amount of tax);
  4. The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard (unless we disagree with your position);
  5. The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum (which is funded by the IRS);
  6. The Right to Finality (when you die);
  7. The Right to Privacy (unless you owe us money);
  8. The Right to Confidentiality (unless you owe us money);
  9. The Right to Retain Representation (which you will need);
  10. The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System (similar to the justice system).

The IRS plans on displaying their new Taxpayer Bill of Rights conspicuously throughout their offices. I’m debating whether I should post my version in our law firm’s offices.

Tax debt case is the next frontier for free speech regulation

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According to recent news reports, across the pond in Europe, the European Union’s highest court has ruled that people have the right to be forgotten, even on the internet. The case at issue stems from a tax debt once allegedly owed by Attorney Costeja González who wanted the world to forget an article published by La Vanguardia about tax collection efforts taken against him. The tax enforcement efforts included the seizure of his home and resulted in a 1998 Spanish news blurb that was 36 words long specifying that his home was being repossessed to pay off debts. His legal efforts to obtain anonymity have resulted in infamy.

Proof that a tax debt will follow you, the news blurb at issue was a google search result when completing a google search for Mr. González. Apparently microfiche no longer exists in Europe and google lost its battle that search results containing links to the article regarding Mr. González’s tax problems violated his right to privacy and that people have the right to be forgotten. Hopefully the floodgates have not been opened too far to extend to a complete shutdown of the internet. If it does, I’m not shocked to learn that a taxing authority was to blame.