Waco Tax Debt Lawyer
A Waco Tax Debt Lawyer Who Has Sat on the Other Side of the Table
Owing the IRS more than you can pay does not stay quiet for long. A letter turns into a phone call, a phone call turns into a smaller paycheck, and a smaller paycheck turns into a missed rent payment or truck note somewhere in McLennan County.
If you are going through this right now, you need someone who already knows how the IRS builds its case.
David B. Coffin spent years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division before becoming a Waco tax debt lawyer who now helps individuals and business owners push back against the same agency he once represented in federal court.
He is also a licensed CPA and an adjunct professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, where he teaches Federal Tax Practice and Procedure. David Coffin PLLC built its practice on cases like this one, and the next step is simply a conversation about what your IRS file actually says. Let’s talk!
| LICENSED IN TEXAS SINCE 1999 | CPA & FORMER DOJ TRIAL ATTORNEY | SUPER LAWYERS RATED 2019-2026 |
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Facing IRS Challenges? Get the Representation You Deserve!
IRS Tax Debt Problems We Help Waco Taxpayers Resolve
Every tax debt case looks a little different by the time it lands on our desk. We regularly help Waco and McLennan County clients with unpaid back taxes that keep growing with penalties and interest, active wage garnishments or bank levies, and unfiled tax returns going back several years.
We also handle Trust Fund Recovery Penalty exposure for business owners and corporate officers, offers in compromise and installment agreements, and federal tax debts that need to be sorted out inside a bankruptcy filing. If your situation does not fit neatly into one of these categories, that is normal.
Tax debt rarely shows up as a single, clean problem, and the right strategy usually depends on which stage of IRS collection you are already in.
What an Unresolved IRS Tax Debt Actually Costs You
The IRS has real tools it can use without ever filing a lawsuit against you: wage garnishment, a levy on your bank account, or a federal tax lien attached to your home or business. If you own a business and payroll taxes go unpaid, the exposure gets worse.
Under federal law, any person required to collect, account for, and pay over payroll taxes who willfully fails to do so can be held personally liable for a penalty equal to the full amount of the unpaid trust fund tax. Those are the income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes the business held back from employees’ paychecks.
That penalty, known as the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty, follows the individual, not just the business, so a company closing its doors does not close the case. There is a limit on how long the IRS can chase a debt, though.
Generally, the IRS may collect taxes due by levy or court proceeding only if the levy is made or the proceeding begun within 10 years after the tax is assessed. That deadline can be paused by an appeal, a bankruptcy filing, or a pending installment agreement, so knowing your real number matters more than guessing at it.
How Our Waco Tax Debt Attorney Builds Your IRS Defense
Before anything gets negotiated, we can pull your actual IRS transcripts and calculate your real collection deadline instead of relying on what a notice claims. From there, our Waco tax lawyer may review whether you are a good fit for an installment agreement, an offer in compromise, or, for business owners, a defense against personal Trust Fund Recovery Penalty liability.
Because he spent years litigating federal tax cases for the government in courts across Texas, he has argued these same rules from the other side and understands which arguments the IRS actually takes seriously.
If a case cannot be resolved administratively, David is admitted before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas, including the Western District, which covers Waco. That tax litigation background is not something every tax debt attorney in the area can point to, and it changes how the IRS responds once a case gets that far.
Local Courthouse and IRS Office Details for Waco Taxpayers
Waco sits inside the Western District of Texas, and the Waco Division of the federal court is located at the United States Courthouse, 800 Franklin Avenue, Waco, TX 76701. This building houses the federal district court and the Waco office of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which hear some tax cases. But many IRS disputes go to the U.S. Tax Court instead, which is based in Washington, D.C., and holds trials in set cities.
Local taxpayers who need in-person IRS help, such as account questions or payment arrangements, can also visit the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center at 6801 Sanger Avenue, Suite 1000, Waco, TX 76710, though a visit there resolves account questions, not the legal exposure behind a large tax debt.
Knowing which office or court actually has authority over your specific problem saves time, and it is usually the first thing worth sorting out before you respond to any notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
The IRS sent a notice about levying my wages or bank account. How fast do I need to act?
Once a Final Notice of Intent to Levy goes out, you generally have 30 days to request a hearing) before the IRS can act. Waiting past that window narrows your options significantly, so this is not a notice to set aside.
Can the IRS actually take money straight out of my paycheck?
Yes. The IRS does not need a court order first, and it can continue taking a portion of every paycheck until the debt is resolved, an agreement is reached, or the collection period runs out.
What happens if my business can’t pay its payroll taxes?
The IRS can assess the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty against anyone who had the power to decide which bills got paid and who willfully chose not to pay the withheld payroll taxes. That can include owners, officers, or employees, and it makes them personally liable even if the business closes.
Is there a real time limit on how long the IRS can collect back taxes?
Generally, yes, the IRS has 10 years from the date a tax is assessed to collect it, though certain actions like bankruptcy filings or pending agreements can pause that clock.
What is an offer in compromise, and do I actually qualify?
It is a settlement that lets you resolve a tax debt for less than the full amount owed, but the IRS most often approves it when your income, assets, and expenses show you cannot pay the full balance. It can also accept an offer if there is real doubt that you owe the tax, or if paying in full would cause serious hardship or be unfair.
Does Waco have a local IRS office I can visit in person?
Yes, the Taxpayer Assistance Center on Sanger Avenue handles account questions and payment issues by appointment, but it will not negotiate a settlement or resolve a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty case on your behalf.
Talk to a Waco Tax Debt Lawyer Before the IRS Takes the Next Step
Tax debt rarely gets smaller by waiting, and every notice you set aside brings the IRS one step closer to garnishing your paycheck or freezing your account. David B. Coffin built his practice around understanding exactly how the IRS moves, because he used to argue these cases from inside the Department of Justice.
If you are dealing with back taxes, a levy, or Trust Fund Recovery Penalty exposure in the Waco area, contact us today to talk through what your file actually shows and what can still be done about it.
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