Stop collection action
Wage garnishment & levy release
This is the emergency. If the IRS is taking your paycheck or has frozen your account, the clock matters more than anything else on this site.
An IRS wage levy — most people call it garnishment — instructs your employer to send a large share of your pay directly to the IRS, and it keeps going every pay period until it's released. A bank levy works differently: it freezes the funds in your account on a given day, and after a holding period the bank sends them over. That holding period is short, and it is the window in which action can still make a difference.
Neither of these arrives without warning. The IRS is required to issue notice of its intent to levy and of your right to a hearing, and that notice is the moment when the situation is easiest to solve. Once a levy is live, a release generally requires giving the IRS a reason to stop: an installment agreement, a demonstration of hardship, proof the levy was issued in error, or a collection due process appeal filed within the deadline.
What we do first is stabilize things — establish representation, contact the assigned collector or the automated collection line, and put a resolution in front of them that makes the levy unnecessary. Then we deal with what caused it. A release that isn't followed by an actual resolution usually just buys a few months before the same thing happens again, so we treat the release as the beginning of the case rather than the end of it.
How we handle it
The sequence we follow.
Get representation on file
Authorization lets us speak to the IRS on your behalf today rather than waiting on mail.
Request the release
We contact the assigned collector with grounds for release — hardship, an agreement in progress, or procedural error.
Put a resolution in place
A release holds only when the underlying balance has a plan attached, so we build one immediately.
Protect the appeal rights
Where a deadline is live, we preserve your hearing rights before they lapse.
About speed
Releases are frequently obtainable, and sometimes quickly — but no one can promise a specific timeline, and the bank-levy window is genuinely short. Anyone guaranteeing an outcome before they've seen your notices isn't being straight with you. What we can promise is that we treat these as urgent and tell you the same day what's realistic.
FAQ
Wage garnishment & levy release: common questions
How fast can a wage garnishment be stopped?
Often within days once representation is in place and there's a credible resolution to present, though it depends on your circumstances and IRS workload. Bank levies are more time-critical because of the short holding period before funds transfer.
How much of my paycheck can the IRS take?
More than most people expect. Unlike most creditors, the IRS leaves you an exempt amount based on your filing status and dependents and can take the rest. The practical answer for many people is that a large share of the check is gone until the levy is released.
Can I get levied money back?
Sometimes, particularly where the levy caused hardship or was issued in error, but recovery is much harder than prevention. This is why the holding window on a bank levy matters so much.
Will this happen again after a release?
Only if the underlying balance is left unresolved. A release paired with an installment agreement, hardship status, or a settlement is what actually ends the cycle.
Related
Often looked at alongside this.
Installment Agreements
A payment plan is the most common way tax debt gets resolved — and the amount you end up paying each month is far more negotiable than most people realize.
Learn moreCurrently Not Collectible
When paying anything toward a tax balance would leave you unable to cover necessities, the IRS can shelve collection entirely.
Learn moreTax Lien Help
A lien doesn't take anything from you directly.
Learn moreFind out where you actually stand.
We'll pull your transcripts, tell you what's realistic, and give you a straight answer about whether this is the right path for you.