Is there anyway to find out how much a person owes to the IRS without opening A can of worms.?

Question

They put a lean on a home 5 years ago but have not contacted the home owner, they found out about the lean when they went to refinance. The person that owes the IRS has died but there name was on the home, and were trying to see how much it is without having them start to take everything. So is there anyway to find out the amount owed without putting a spotlight on everything.
Thank You

Answer 1

You should not approach this problem without some professional. Go find a tax professional. You could have a very large problem or on the other hand just a small one that has not had any attention. The fact that the person that owes these taxes is deceased is a major issue that the IRS may not know. The other people on the title of this house should be very interested in fixing this problem. Depending on the condition of the deceases estate this could also be something that will take a great deal of work to resolve.

Answer 2

Since the owner of the home is deceased, the estate is responsible for the tax debt. The executor of the estate needs to contact the IRS in that capacity and work out the details. He or she will need proof of their status as executor, a copy of the court proceedings will suffice for that.

Once the executor of the estate has all of the details of the assets and liabilities of the estate they can settle the estate, including clearing the tax debt. If there are no other assets then the executor will have to sell the property to pay the tax debt. Anything that remains will then be divided according to the will. If there's no will, state law will determine how the remainder of the estate will be divided.

I'm curious how a deceased homeowner could refinance a home mortgage, though.

Answer 3

You cannot solve a massive problem like this with a Band-Aid approach. I believe it is like a time bomb waiting for a catalyst to explode. Perhaps the IRS will soon wake up and realize something is wrong. Maybe it will again become politically fashionable to bash immigrants. Or perhaps our leaders will see opportunities for revenue enhancements. If you’re like me, you don’t want to be anywhere nearby when it hits the fan. (I’m the type of person who gets arrested for jay walking).