The IRS has filed a NFTL for unpaid tax balances. Paying the tax balance in full can stop other collection actions. The NFTL is a public record that can affect your property and assets.

For more information, refer to Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process.

How did I get here?

When you don’t pay your taxes, the IRS can file a public document with the local and/or state authorities. When the NFTL is filed, it alerts creditors you owe the government. 

The NFTL secures the priority of the government’s claim to your current and future property and assets until the balance is paid in full. While NFTLs no longer appear on credit reports, they may still affect your ability to get credit if a potential creditor uses other resources, such as public records, to discover the NFTL.

• If your taxes are paid, the time to collect has ended, or you post a bond to full pay the taxes, and the NFTL is causing you harm, then you can request a Certificate of Release of the Federal Tax Lien. See Release Certificate of Release of the Federal Tax Lien for more information.of the NFTL 
• If your taxes aren’t paid, and a recorded NFTL is harming you, then you can apply for the withdrawal of a filed NFTL. See Applying for Withdrawal of a Filed Notice of Federal Tax LienWithdrawal of the NFTL for more information. 
• You can apply for a Certificate of Discharge when you are trying to sell specific property like your house, a boat, or other property, and the NFTL is holding up the sale. The discharge will remove the NFTL from the property so it can be sold. See Discharge Applying for a Certificate of Discharge of Property from the Federal Tax Lien for more information. of the NFTL 
• You can apply for a Certificate of Subordination when you want to move a bank or financing company ahead of the IRS’ NFTL priority. Subordination is used when you want to refinance your mortgage, or you want to factor your businesses accounts receivables. See Applying for a Certificate of Subordination of the Federal Tax Lien.Subordination of the NFTL 
• You can apply for a Certificate of Non-Attachment when you’rer named on a NFTL, but you don’t owe the tax. This happens when you have the same or similar name of another taxpayer who owes. A spouse may also be named on a NFTL, but they don’t owe the tax. The certificate of non-attachment let’s third parties know you don’t owe the tax. See How to Apply for a Certificate of Non-Attachment of the Federal Tax Lien for more information.