As a former tax preparer, one of my major roles was helping dissolve the fears new clients showed up with – and the biggest was fear of the IRS.

Here are 3 things you need to know to delete that once & for all…

1️⃣ You’re not going to jail.

The fear of getting in trouble for doing something wrong with the IRS is common. It’s also vague and daunting for many.

The truth is whether you’re behind or you haven’t been keeping great records so you may have made mistakes – honestly almost whatever the case may be – the consequences you may face are monetary (not criminal). AKA, you may end up paying them more money. That’s it.

I say almost because there are rare exceptions. But to put you at ease, I like to use the example of Al Capone – a big deal criminal that they couldn’t get on criminal charges, so they got him on tax evasion instead. If you are not Al Capone criminal status, you should be fine.

2️⃣ The IRS is disorganized AF.

Holy wow are they disorganized. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, they are tragically behind the times, and they make mistakes ALL THE TIME. The point is they are not the scary well-oiled machine you may imagine them to be. If you knew the extent of their incompetence, your fear would turn to pity. Just imagine them barely holding it together, because that’s much closer to the truth than anything scary you can imagine.

3️⃣ They won’t put you on the spot.

​The IRS would never call you. If that happens, it’s a scam. Any issue they have will be addressed via snail mail. You will have plenty of time to consult your tax professional, sleep on it, and prepare a response. In most cases if you ask nicely, you can even have more time. So know any interaction you have with them will come with the spaciousness to chill.