IRS Levy & Wage Garnishment Help
Protect your paycheck and bank accounts
An IRS levy lets the government take money or property to pay a tax debt, including funds in your bank account, part of every paycheck, or payments owed to your business. Our Enrolled Agents review your notice, contact the IRS on your behalf, and pursue the fastest legitimate path to a release. Our team brings more than 55 years of combined experience to these cases.
Enrolled Agents IRS-certified
All 50 states Nationwide
55+ years Team experience
What is an IRS levy?
An IRS levy is a legal seizure of your property to satisfy a tax debt. A lien is the government's legal claim against your property; a levy actually takes it. The IRS can levy bank accounts, wages, retirement accounts, Social Security payments, accounts receivable, and other assets.
Before levying, the IRS generally must assess the tax and send a bill, give you time to pay, and send a Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing (Letter LT11 or Letter 1058) at least 30 days in advance. A CP504 notice often comes first and signals that enforcement is close. Source: IRS Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process.
Timing matters
A bank must hold levied funds for 21 days before sending them to the IRS, and a Final Notice gives you 30 days to request a hearing. Once you authorize us, we contact the IRS the same day to confirm what has been issued and what can still be done.
Can the IRS release a levy?
21 days
How long a bank holds
levied funds before sending them to the IRS
Yes. The IRS is required to release a levy if it determines that:
• the amount you owe is paid, or the collection period ended before the levy was issued;
• you enter into an installment agreement whose terms don't allow the levy to continue;
• the levy creates an economic hardship, meaning it prevents you from meeting basic, reasonable living expenses;
• releasing the levy will help you pay your taxes; or
• the property is worth more than the amount owed and releasing the levy won't hinder collection.
A release doesn't erase the balance. Unless the debt is resolved, the IRS can issue a new levy. Source: IRS, How do I get a levy released?
KEY DEADLINES IN A LEVY CASE
Three deadlines that shape your options
21 days
Bank hold period
30 days
To request a hearing
1 year
Equivalent hearing
IRS Publication 594
After a Final Notice of Intent to Levy, you have 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing on IRS Form 12153. A bank must hold levied funds for 21 days before sending them to the IRS. If the 30-day window passes, an equivalent hearing is still available for up to one year, with fewer protections.
Bank levy vs. wage garnishment
The two most common levies affect your money in different ways:
Bank levy
A one-time seizure of the funds in your account on the day the bank receives the levy. The bank holds the money for 21 days before sending it to the IRS, which is the window to get the levy released or the funds returned. Deposits made after the levy date aren't covered, though the IRS can issue another levy.
Wage garnishment (wage levy)
A continuous levy. Your employer sends part of every paycheck to the IRS until the levy is released. A portion of your pay is exempt based on your filing status and number of dependents (see IRS Publication 1494), and everything above that amount goes to the IRS.
How we handle a levy case
1. Review and verify. With your authorization (IRS Form 2848), we pull your IRS transcripts and confirm balances, the notices issued, unfiled years, and collection statute dates.
2. Contact the IRS and pursue release. We present the facts that support a release, such as a payment arrangement, a hardship, or a pending resolution, and coordinate with your employer or bank when needed.
3. Resolve the underlying debt. A release without a resolution lasts only until the next levy, so we set up the arrangement that fits your finances.
What to have ready: the levy notice or your most recent IRS letters (CP504, LT11, Letter 1058, Form 668-W or 668-A), recent pay stubs and bank statements, a rough list of monthly expenses, and which tax years you have and haven't filed. Most states can also levy wages and bank accounts for unpaid state taxes, and we handle both IRS and state levies.
Which resolution fits your situation?
A payment plan the IRS accepts is one of the most common grounds for a levy release. An installment agreement built around your real cash flow is often the fastest path.
If you qualify, an Offer in Compromise can settle the balance for less than the full amount, and the IRS generally doesn't levy while an offer is under review.
If penalties have inflated your balance, penalty abatement can reduce the total. If a federal tax lien is blocking a loan or a sale, see our lien resolution services.
IRS levy questions
Common questions about bank levies and wage garnishments.
How long does a bank levy hold last? The bank holds levied funds for 21 days before sending them to the IRS. The window exists so errors can be fixed or the levy released when there's a qualifying reason.
Can the IRS take my whole paycheck? No. Part of your wages is exempt based on your filing status and number of dependents, and the IRS publishes the exempt amounts in Publication 1494. The exempt amount is often well below a household's actual living costs, which is why hardship and payment-plan options matter.
Can the IRS levy without warning? In most cases the IRS must send a Final Notice of Intent to Levy at least 30 days in advance. There are limited exceptions, such as levies on state tax refunds and certain jeopardy situations.
Will a payment plan stop a levy? The IRS generally can't levy while a request for an installment agreement is pending or while an agreement is in effect, and an installment agreement is one of the grounds for releasing an existing levy. The plan has to be one you can actually keep.
Can a levy be released because of financial hardship? Yes. If a levy prevents an individual from paying basic, reasonable living expenses, the IRS is required to release it. The hardship has to be documented with your income and expenses.