Include 2018 Income Taxes in a Chapter 13 Case Filed in 2019

 Posted on January 21, 2019 in Income Taxes

Do you expect to owe income taxes for the 2018 tax year? Starting January 1, 2019 you can wrap that tax into a new Chapter 13 payment plan.

Have you been considering filing bankruptcy and now also expect to owe income taxes for 2018? If so, the start of 2019 gives you more reason to file a Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts” case.

Why? Because filing in 2019 allows you to include 2018 income taxes into your payment plan. That gives you major advantages:

1. Saves you money on your payment of the 2018 tax
2. Gives you some very valuable flexibility
3. Stops tax collections and a tax lien on the 2018 tax

1. Save Money

Wrapping your 2018 income tax debt into a Chapter 13 payment plan usually allows you to pay no more interest and penalties on that tax. The savings can be much more than you think.

You’ll have to pay the 2018 base income tax itself in full, but usually not the interest or penalties. The base tax itself is a “priority” debt that you have to pay. But almost always no interest or penalties accrue on that tax (as long as you finish the case successfully).

This especially helpful because practically speaking you’d probably not pay that 2018 tax for quite a while:

• If you don’t file bankruptcy your other financial pressures would likely prevent you from paying that tax quickly. You might even be tempted to put off filing the tax return, thereby aggravating the problem. The interest and penalties would accrue fast.
• If you do file a Chapter 13 case in your payment plan you’d most likely pay other even higher priority debts ahead of the 2018 tax. There’s a good chance that tax wouldn’t get paid until near the end of your 3-to-5-year plan. A huge amount of interest and penalties would accrue in the meantime.

2. Valuable Flexibility

Wrapping your 2015 taxes into a Chapter 13 payment plan gives you tremendous flexibility in paying the tax. This can be a real game changer, especially when you have other financial obligations that can’t wait. Chapter 13 allows you to delay paying your 2018 tax debt until you can afford doing so AFTER paying, for example:

• home mortgage arrearage to save your home
• unpaid real property taxes, which usually accrue interest at a high rate
• vehicle loan arrearage or “cramdown” payments to keep your vehicle
• child or spousal support arrearage
• other years’ income taxes, including protecting a home or other possession from previously recorded liens

3. Stop Future Tax Collection Including Liens

An important benefit of waiting until 2019 to include the 2018 income tax debt is to stop its aggressive collection. Filing a Chapter 13 case prevents the IRS and/or state from taking just about any collection actions on that tax. This protection against collection stays in effect throughout the years of the case (as long as you fulfill your obligations). Not having to worry about collection of this debt is a huge emotional and practical benefit.

It’s especially nice not have to worry about getting hit with a tax lien. Tax liens are dangerous for a number of reasons. They put your precious assets at risk, thereby giving the IRS/state tremendous leverage. Chapter 13 prevents tax liens while giving you the means to pay off the tax on a relatively flexible budget.