A federal tax lien is valid for 10 years and 30 days from the date of assessment, unless prior to expiration of this period of limitations, the lien is properly refilled within the time allowed by law.
You can apply to have the lien withdrawn by using Form 12277, Application for Withdrawal of Filed Form 668(Y), Notice of Federal Tax Lien (Internal Revenue Code Section 6323(j). A “discharge” removes the lien from specific property.
There is a difference between a lien release and a lien withdrawal. A lien is released when the tax debt has been satisfied. A lien withdrawal removes the effects of a publicly recorded Notice of Federal Tax Lien (NFTL) when taxes are still owed.
If the debt is $10,000 or more (up from $5,000 before the IRS Fresh Start program), then the IRS will file a federal tax lien as early as ten days after you receive your notice.
Complete Form 14135, Application for Certificate of Discharge of Federal Tax Lien attached with this publication.
There is a difference between a lien release and a lien withdrawal. A lien is released when the tax debt has been satisfied. A lien withdrawal removes the effects of a publicly recorded Notice of Federal Tax Lien (NFTL) when taxes are still owed.
If you don't report income that you should have reported, and it's more than 25% of the gross income shown on the return, or it's attributable to foreign financial assets and is more than $5,000, the time to assess tax is from the date you filed the return.
How Can a Taxpayer Request a Discharge of an IRS Tax Lien? You need to submit form 14135, Application for Certificate of Discharge of Property from Federal Tax Lien at least 45 days before the sale or settlement meeting. Publication 783 provides the instructions for completing form 14135.
For a copy of the recorded certificate, you must contact the recording office where the Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien was filed. If the federal tax lien has not been released within 30 days of satisfying your tax liability, you can request a Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien.
Proper handling of the notice of lien is extremely important. Generally the IRS can pursue collection of a tax liability up to 10 years from the date it was assessed. A Notice of Federal Tax Lien may be filed any time within that 10-year period.