What the IRS says: “The IRS has filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien and you have 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing about it.” Here’s what it actually means, your deadline, and exactly how to respond.
The lien is already public record when this letter arrives — it attaches to everything you own and torpedoes financing. The 30-day CDP window lets you contest the filing or negotiate discharge, subordination or withdrawal (withdrawal is realistic with a direct-debit IA under $25k).
Notice family: Collection & Balance Due — The IRS says you owe money and is escalating toward liens and levies. Each notice in the chain is more serious than the last — and each one still has an off-ramp: pay, arrange payments, or dispute in writing before the deadline.
30 days — to request a CDP hearing on the lien filing.
Counted in calendar days from the notice date. The exact respond-by date printed on your notice always controls — check page 1.
File Form 12153 within 30 days if the lien was improper or premature
Under $25k: convert to a direct-debit IA and request lien WITHDRAWAL (Form 12277) after 3 payments
Selling or refinancing: request discharge (14135) or subordination (14134) — both are routine
Pay off in full: the lien releases within 30 days automatically
The response depends on the goal: 12153 to contest, 12277 to withdraw after compliance, 14134/14135 to transact around it. Each is a short form plus a letter making the case.
Describe the notice and your side of it — use placeholders, never your SSN or account numbers (the letter keeps [YOUR NAME]-style fields so you fill in the real details privately before mailing). A mail-ready draft with an enclosure checklist comes back in ~20 seconds.
Your IRS response letter draft will appear here.
The IRS has filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien and you have 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing about it. In practice: The lien is already public record when this letter arrives — it attaches to everything you own and torpedoes financing. The 30-day CDP window lets you contest the filing or negotiate discharge, subordination or withdrawal (withdrawal is realistic with a direct-debit IA under $25k).
You generally have 30 days — to request a CDP hearing on the lien filing. The respond-by date printed on your own notice always controls.
The response depends on the goal: 12153 to contest, 12277 to withdraw after compliance, 14134/14135 to transact around it. Each is a short form plus a letter making the case.