CHICAGO, IL – The IRS collected $104.1 billion through enforcement activities in fiscal year 2023, according to the IRS Data Book FY2023. A figure that reflects a sustained ramp-up in collections after years of reduced capacity. Liens, levies, and garnishments are moving faster than many taxpayers expect. Windy City Tax Relief, a Chicago-based CPA firm founded in 2011, says the pattern it sees most often isn’t people who ignored their debt. It’s people who waited too long because they didn’t know their options before the IRS moved first.
Key Facts: The IRS issued more than 1.8 million notices of federal tax lien in FY2023, per the IRS Data Book FY2023 IRS enforcement revenue reached $104.1 billion in FY2023. Up significantly from the enforcement dip during 2020-2021 (IRS Data Book FY2023) The IRS Substitute for Return (SFR) process allows the IRS to file a return on your behalf. Nearly always at the highest possible tax liability, with no deductions applied Windy City Tax Relief offers a money-back guarantee: if they don’t save clients more than their fees, they refund 100% The firm works with individuals and businesses owing between $10,000 and $500,000+, offering free consultations Resolution tools including Currently Not Collectible status, penalty abatement, innocent spouse relief, and IRS installment agreements are time-sensitive. Some close permanently once collections begin
The IRS is not slowing down. After the enforcement slowdown of 2020 and 2021, collection activity has rebuilt steadily. And the IRS Data Book FY2023 makes clear that liens and levies are being issued at volume again. What that means practically: if you have unfiled returns or outstanding tax debt, the window between “the IRS is aware of you” and “the IRS has already acted” is shorter than most people assume.
The core problem, says Windy City Tax Relief founder and CPA John P. Jones, isn’t that resolution tools don’t exist. They do. Currently Not Collectible status can pause collections entirely for qualifying taxpayers. Penalty abatement can reduce what you owe. IRS payment plans can be negotiated on terms that reflect what you can actually afford. The SFR reversal process lets taxpayers replace an IRS-filed return with an accurate one. Often dramatically reducing the liability. But these aren’t options you can exercise after a levy has cleared your bank account. They require direct, structured negotiation with the IRS before that happens.
Consider a typical scenario: a self-employed contractor in Illinois hasn’t filed for two years. The IRS has already filed Substitute for Returns on their behalf. Taking the highest possible income figures and applying zero deductions. The resulting liability is three times what an accurate return would show. At that point, the contractor isn’t just dealing with a tax bill. They’re dealing with a fabricated tax bill that already has penalties and interest compounding on top of it. A qualified tax resolution professional can file the accurate returns, challenge the SFR assessments, and in many cases bring the liability down substantially. But only while the IRS is still in the negotiation phase. Once enforcement tools are active, the process gets harder and the costs get higher.
Not every tax problem resolves the same way, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being straight with you. Currently Not Collectible status, for example, doesn’t eliminate debt. It pauses collection while a taxpayer’s financial situation is reassessed. Innocent spouse relief only applies to specific circumstances involving joint returns. These are real tools with real eligibility requirements, and outcomes depend on the facts of each case. What’s consistent: the earlier qualified representation starts, the more options remain on the table.
Executive Quotes
John P. Jones, CPA, Founder, Windy City Tax Relief:
“The IRS Data Book isn’t subtle. Enforcement is back, liens, levies, garnishments, and the volume is significant. What we see in practice is that most people with tax debt don’t call us because they’re ignoring the problem. They call because they’ve been trying to manage it on their own and the IRS kept moving. By the time a levy is issued, you’ve already lost several of the tools that would have helped most. The debt doesn’t wait, and neither does the IRS.”
“People assume the IRS will negotiate with them directly the way they’d negotiate with a vendor or a bank. It doesn’t work that way. The IRS is your creditor, and it has collection powers no other creditor has. It can take your wages, freeze your accounts, and file a lien against your property without a court order. What changes the outcome isn’t goodwill or a payment you sent in. It’s knowing which resolution program you qualify for and filing the right paperwork before the collection clock runs out. That’s what we do.”
About Windy City Tax Relief
Windy City Tax Relief is a Chicago-based tax resolution firm founded in 2011 by CPA John P. Jones. The firm works directly with the IRS on behalf of individuals and businesses in Illinois. And across the U.S.. Who owe between $10,000 and $500,000 or more in tax debt, including cases involving unfiled returns, IRS penalties, liens, and levies. Windy City Tax Relief backs its work with a 100% money-back guarantee: if they don’t save clients more than their fees, the fee is refunded.
Media ContactCompany Name: Windy City Tax ReliefContact Person: John JonesEmail: Send EmailCity: ChicagoState: ILCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://windycitytaxrelief.com/
