IRS awards new contracts to private collection agencies

September 22, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has awarded new contracts to three private-sector collection agencies for collection of overdue tax debts. The new contracts begin Thursday following today’s expiration of the old contracts; taxpayers may be contacted by one of three groups.

Beginning Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, taxpayers with unpaid tax bills may be contacted by one of the following three agencies:

Three agencies

Notification by IRS and the private collection agencies
The IRS will always notify a taxpayer before transferring their account to a private collection agency (PCA).

  • First, the IRS will send a letter to the taxpayer and their tax representative informing them that their account was assigned to a PCA and giving the name and contact information for the PCA. This mailing will include a copy of Publication 4518, What You Can Expect When the IRS Assigns Your Account to a Private Collection Agency (.pdf).
  • Following IRS notification, the PCA will send its own letter to the taxpayer and their representative confirming the account transfer. To protect the taxpayer’s privacy and security, both the IRS letter and the PCA’s letter will contain information that will help taxpayers identify the tax amount owed and assure taxpayers that future collection agency calls they may receive are legitimate.

How it works
The private collectors will identify themselves as contractors collecting taxes on behalf of the IRS. Employees of these collection agencies must follow the provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and like IRS employees, must be courteous and must respect taxpayer rights.

Private firms are not authorized to take enforcement actions against taxpayers. Only IRS employees can take these actions, such as filing a notice of Federal Tax Lien or issuing a levy.

Payment options
The private firms are authorized to discuss payment options, including setting up payment agreements with taxpayers. But as with cases assigned to IRS employees, any tax payment must be made directly to the IRS. A payment should never be sent to the private firm or anyone besides the IRS or the U.S. Treasury. Checks should only be made payable to the United States Treasury. To find out more about available payment options, visit IRS.gov/Payments.

More information
The IRS established the Private Debt Collection program in 2016, as authorized under federal law, and contracted with several agencies to collect certain unpaid tax debts on the government’s behalf. To learn more about the private debt collection program, visit the Private Debt Collection page on IRS.gov. Additional information can be found at the following links:

Please feel free to contact Tax On Wheels, LLC for assistance if you find yourself owing money to the IRS or any state taxing authority; we can be reached at 803 732-4288.