<prompt> Human: This post is not meant to brag but to be of use and hope for people who may be in a similar situation as me. If you feel burdened by your circumstances, you can change your life around! I wont go into too many specifics about my past but, basically, I accumulated lots of IRS debt that I was unable to pay off primarily because I was hired as a 1099- Independent Contractor and therefore had to pay my own taxes at once vs. having them automatically deducted from every paycheck as a W2 employee would. However, when the tax bill came, the money to pay wasnt there, since it was not taken out directly with each paycheck. This happened throughout my 20s and I have learned my lesson since. Not only do I need to pay more individual taxes as a 1099 vs. W2 but I also had to pay for my own health insurance and forget about retirement benefits. Oh, and when I was laid off no unemployment either. So, this ends my side rant about the b.s. that is the 1099 employee. I was living paycheck to paycheck already, and most of my money was going toward rent, food, and basic living expenses, much less to save 20 towards taxes. But in the end, I rest responsibility 100 with myself for getting into the situation I was in. Here is the breakdown of the unpaid taxes by year including penalties and interest as of the end of 2014:2006: 2,328.592009: 2,219.622010: 4,511.352011: 13,039.692012: 4,2062013: 843.85Total owed: 27,149.10I also had a federal lien placed on my property the only property I own is an 11 year old car. Because of this, I was getting mailers left and right from tax lawyers who promised me to wipe off my debt for pennies on the dollar if I would just hire them for a 1,000 retainer. I even had one lawyer who said that it couldnt be done, that I was young and healthy and the IRS would never work with somebody like me.But it can be done without the need for lawyers. Here is what I did:IRS form 656 Offer In CompromiseThis is the form you need to start with. This is for individual as well as business debt. I dont know the whole logistics about business OIC because I filed for individual. You will need to use the OIC Pre- qualifier tool to determine your eligibility first off. It will ask you several simple questions. This doesnt mean that you will automatically be approved, however. It just gets your foot in the game. You must have ALL tax years returns filed! Make sure every year has been filed and is on record with the IRS!What helped me get approved was that my income has been very limited for the past few years. Im talking 15,000 or less every year. Yes, if I made 50,000 a year and tried to get my debt settled, Im sure they would laugh in my face. So if you owe a lot to the IRS and have no assets and little income, you have a huge advantage. I have been looking for full time work this whole time, realizing that the city I live in and the college degree I earned did not mesh well and there was not much opportunity for me. I am currently going back to school for a computer science degree and excited for a career in IT next year! I also sent in a signed letter by my therapist, who I had been seeing for a couple of years due to anxiety and depression a lot of it caused by tax and debt burdens! so any type of medical documentation you can append will help your case as well. I also started budgeting better and taking care of my debts and paid my taxes on time in 2014. I made less than 15,000 so it wasnt much, but I think this may have helped persuade them in their decision, as I am really turning things around and acting in good faith.I sent off my form 656 paperwork on June 22, 2015 and received the approval and response on Dec. 1, 2015. Let them do their thing, they will get back to you. I offered them 325 with help from the pre- qualifier tool to settle my outstanding debt and they accepted!! The tax lien is being removed from my records and I do not need to worry any more about my bank accounts being garnished! I can now start my life fresh while learning my lesson to never get myself into debt like that again!note that if you ever fall behind again in the future, they will rescind the offer and you will owe all the back taxes plus penalties and interest for all those years. Dont fall back into the trap!My acceptance letter from IRSYes I realize that I am going to receive a lot of negativity about being a deadbeat. I accept responsibility for my life which I believe is the first step to transformation. But I also believe in second chances and I am truly grateful to the IRS for unleashing me from this burden. I hope that this post inspires others in a similar situation to take charge of their own fate and to realize that a debt free life is within your control!  <response>: This really a poor PSA for anyone on PF.You didnt pay your taxes and because you are dirt broke and have nothing they didnt go after you. 