by Vickie Gross

Created on: December 20, 2009

If you are an individual who is having trouble paying your tax bill due to recent lay offs, unemployment, credit debts, or other significant decreases to your income, then you are not alone.

Individuals and families in the U.S. have been hit hard by job losses, incredibly higher costs of living, plus the lowered-taxed paycheck which will most likely catch a great many more taxpayers off guard when the blunt of their full taxes come due at the end of this 2009 tax year.

It has been said, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger. Certainly, starvation and depression was not a consideration in that wayward statement. The good news is, you do not have to be depressed and you do not have to starve to death just to try to make ends meet. The U.S. government does provide many resources to individuals and families who have been hit hardest by this deeply disturbing and current recession.

If you have been struggling to maintain your finances responsibly, only to find yourself facing an "amount you owe" on your federal tax form, then chances are that you have resources available to you that you have not yet discovered.

Here are some things you can do to make sure that you have done all you can in order to do what is right by yourself and the U.S. government.

1.) Get a separate opinion on your tax records, even if you have already filed:

Tax laws are constantly evolving and changing, even up to the tax filing deadline date in rare cases. If there are certain credits or omissions that were not applied to your taxes when you originally filed them, then you can reclaim that credit by re-filing a corrected tax form called the 1040X, which provides for amendments as well as filing time extensions.

2.) Call the IRS:

The IRS is your main source for up to date tax help. Let them know what is going on with your tax or payment situation. If you have experienced certain extenuating circumstances beyond your control, there are certain tax relief benefits that the IRS can usually help you find to offset or even eliminate your tax liability. No matter the situation, the IRS can walk with you through your 1040 to help you to know where and how to correct changes and possibly even find other credits that you or your accountant may have missed or misplaced in the figures. In such re-filing cases the IRS will usually place a hold on any amounts owed until you are able to send in a corrected 1040X. For individuals, the IRS tax helpline is 1-800-829-1040.

3.) Choose

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