When you find yourself in the confusing and stressful situation of owing state or IRS back taxes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the technical jargon and complicated legalese that’s tossed in your direction. Those tax attorneys or accountants say they can help when you owe back taxes, but what does that really mean? Here we explain, in plain English, some of the various back taxes solutions that may be available to you. Helping you understand your options, this information can prove to be a valuable tool when the time comes to discuss paying back taxes with your lawyer!

Offers in Compromise

An offer in compromise can be a major back tax relief. That’s because this agreement between a taxpayer and the tax authorities ultimately resolves your back taxes for less than you actually owe. But remember, an offer in compromise isn’t a silver bullet that works for everyone. An offer in compromise is only for tax situations in which:

• There is doubt regarding your responsibility for the outstanding taxes.
• There is doubt regarding your ability to ever pay the total tax owed due to the size of your back taxes in relationship to your assets and income.
• There is evidence that collecting the full amount of owed back taxes would create hardship or be otherwise unfair.

Innocent Spouse Relief

In situations where you filed your taxes jointly with your spouse, it’s possible for one partner to get saddled with the full amount of back taxes, interest, and penalties. However, the IRS accepts that sometimes it isn’t fair to hold one spouse responsible for the total tax debt of both. That’s why they created innocent spouse relief. This IRS back taxes settlement option offers three different variations:

• Classic innocent spouse relief: One party is absolved of all responsibility for the taxes owed.
• Separation of liability: The tax liabilities are split between the spouses according to how much each is responsible for.
• IRS equitable relief: Some back taxes relief is provided even when you do not qualify for the previous two types of innocent spouse relief.

Installment Agreements

Paying your taxes in full as soon as possible is always the most affordable solution for resolving your back taxes situation, but if that is not a possibility due to the size of your debt, there is another option. Called an installment agreement, this payment plan allows you to stretch your back taxes payments out over time to make them more manageable. Keep in mind that setting up an installment agreement with the state or IRS tax authorities won’t necessarily stop interest and penalties on your back taxes owed, so make sure you ask how a payment plan will affect the total amount you’ll have to pay.

Remember, not every one of the aforementioned back tax help strategies is appropriate for every tax situation, and this boiled-down explanation does not constitute legal advice. Make sure you consult with a qualified tax attorney in your area to determine the most appropriate way to settle your specific back taxes problems.

The air inside your home may not be nearly as clean as you think! With indoor air up to 70% more polluted than outdoor air, you need to combat low air quality with carpet cleaning, air duct cleaning, and mold remediation.

More and more modern homes suffer so-called “sick building syndrome” and indoor pollution. As heating and cooling systems have gradually replaced fans and open windows and improved building materials and methods have eliminated gaps, leaks, and drafts, our homes essentially become closed environments. Without proper ventilation, small amounts of indoor contamination and pollution gradually become concentrated, affecting the health and safety of your home environment. According to the EPA (Environmental Protections Agency), your indoor air is up to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.

The good news is that you can combat indoor pollution in a number of ways. For starters, just open up those windows! When the temperature outside is pleasant, forgo the heat or AC: circulating fresh outdoor air through your home can help dilute the concentrations of pollutants in your indoor air, lowering their impact on your family and health. However, your best bet is to increase ventilation and eliminate inside contaminants with professional cleaning services.

There are a variety of sources of indoor air pollution, from household cleaning products and humidity to building materials and heating fuel. However, there are generally only a few places these pollutants can lurk. Carpeting and furniture are prime culprits—while vacuuming removes dirt and debris from the surface of your carpet, environmental contaminants like dust, pollen, and bacteria are still embedded deep within your carpet fibers. Routine carpet cleaning can help eliminate this gunk and grime, washing it away with a thorough hot-water extraction system.

But perhaps the most overlooked contributor to poor interior air quality is actually your heating and cooling system. Your furnace and AC themselves tend to be low-grade emitters of pollution, but it’s actually your ductwork that’s most to blame! Over time airborne particles like bacteria, dust, and other pollutants build up inside your ducts: when you turn on the furnace or air conditioner, it blows air through the dirty ducts, circulating these contaminants directly into your home. Professional duct cleaning is the best way to eliminate these pollutants and dramatically increase your indoor air quality. Air duct cleaning simple scours and vacuums out the debris in your ducts, ensuring that your HVAC system is circulating clean air.

One final note on interior air quality; if your home has a mold problem, clean it up! With varying degrees of toxicity, not all molds are deadly, but they do all contribute to degraded air quality. From musty smells to visible staining, mold problems are usually pretty obvious. If you’re unsure whether your home is suffering from mold, contact your local mold remediation specialists. They’ll be able to inspect and test for mold, as well as clean up the problem. Remember, mold removal is a job for the professionals—for safety, containment, and complete clean-up, you need trained experts. All mold really needs to grow is moisture, so if your home is too humid or has suffered from a flood, you probably have mold. Keep in mind that water damage restoration following a flooding incident can help prevent mold growth, so be proactive if you’ve had a water event in your home.

The average American spends between 60% and 90% of their time inside. That puts YOU at risk from low-quality indoor air. Take control of the situation increasing ventilation and deep-cleaning your home to remove trapped contaminants. A variety of professionals from carpet cleaners to mold remediation companies can help. learn more about interior air pollution at www.EPA.gov and contact your local cleaning specialists to help make your indoor air cleaner and your home a healthier, safer place to live and breathe!