Bankruptcy updated 6/30/10

Taxes are generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Most rules have exceptions, and the exception for discharging taxes in bankruptcy is:

  1. Income taxes;
  2. Where the income tax return has been filed by the due date as extended, not to exceed 6 months * (an IRS "substitute for return" does not count);
  3. The return due date (e.g., April 15 of the following year) was more than 3 years before the date the bankruptcy petition is filed;
  4. If the return is filed late, it was filed more than 2 years before filing of the bankruptcy petition;
  5. The tax was "assessed" more than 240 days prior to filing of the bankruptcy petition (this applies where there is a later assessment after the return is filed, e.g., through an audit);
  6. There is no fraud involved in filing the return; and
  7. Some other minor conditions.

Taxes other than income taxes, such as sales taxes, employment taxes (forms 940 and 941), and the trust fund recovery penalty (personal liability of persons in charge for a corporation's or other entity's failure to pay employment taxes), cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.

The National Bankruptcy Forum is a consumer bankruptcy site, with bankruptcy attorneys all over the country contributing posts on various topics. You'll see posts on automatic stays, cars and bankruptcy, marriage and bankruptcy, protecting your property, tax issues, and much more. new 1/14/10

Due date

Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") §§ 6072(a) and 6081(a) operate together to require that individual taxpayers must file an income tax return before April 15 of the year following the taxable year or within a period of time granted by an extension not to exceed six months (effectively denominating a late filed return an unfiled return). Thus, a late filed return cannot qualify as a return for determination of dischargeability.

While this appears insurmountable, a debtor confronted with a late filed return may still receive a discharge of the underlying tax debt under the “safe harbor” provision in § 6020(a), specifically mentioned in the “dangling paragraph” of amended § 523(a). The untimely filing taxpayer can disclose all the information necessary for the preparation of the return to the IRS, the “Secretary” may prepare the return, and, if signed by the taxpayer, it may be received by the “Secretary” as a timely return.

Date of bankruptcy filing

The timing of filing the bankruptcy petition is very important as to which tax years may be discharged. Filing a bankruptcy petition too early can prevent taxes from being discharged.

Statute of limitations suspended

Filing bankruptcy extends the normal 10 year statute of limitations on collections for the time the bankruptcy is pending plus 6 months, including if the bankruptcy is dismissed and no discharge is granted.

Tax lien NOT discharged

Discharge of liability for the tax does NOT extinguish the tax lien.

A general discharge in an individual's 2004 Chapter 7 bankruptcy case did not relieve him of his 1994-1998 federal income tax debt because the taxes remained assessable after his bankruptcy case was filed. the IRS issued a notice of deficiency, taxpayer filed a Tax Court petition, but filed the bankruptcy petition prior to trial in Tax Court. The 5th Circuit remanded the case to the bankruptcy court to determine whether the proposed tax penalties were nondischargeable. In the Matter of Charles R. Hosack Debtor. Charles R. Hosack, 2007-1 USTC ¶50,474 (5th Cir. 07-10828, May 2, 2008). Unpublished opinion affirming in part, remanding in part, per curiam , a DC Texas decision. new 5/21/08

Tax lien without filed notice of tax lien continues to apply to excluded property (retirement plan) after bankruptcy discharge new 6/30/10

The Tax Court in Vance L. Wadleigh v. Commissioner, U.S. Tax Court, CCH Dec. 58,243, 134 T.C. No. 14, (Jun. 15, 2010), found that the § 6321 tax lien continued in effect against taxpayer's pension excluded from his chapter 7 bankruptcy estate.

On August 18, 2005, petitioner and his wife, filed a voluntary chapter 7 bankruptcy petition, claiming his fully vested interest in the Honeywell Pension Plan as exempt. The pension was not yet in payout status and did not contain a lump-sum or similar option that would have permitted petitioner to withdraw funds from the pension before reaching retirement age. Petitioner received a discharge on December 8, 2005, including the 2001 Federal income tax liability. Petitioner's right to receive a $1,242.13 monthly pension payments matured on November 1, 2007.

The Tax Court found that a § 6321 lien arises by operation of law and continues until the liability is satisfied or becomes unenforceable by lapse of time. A § 6321 lien attached to all of petitioner's property, including his pension income, notwithstanding that the pension had not yet entered payout status. That lien is not valid against a purchaser, holder of a security interest, mechanic's lienor, or judgment lien creditor until a notice of federal tax lien ('NFTL") has been filed, and the IRS never filed a valid NFTL with respect to petitioner's 2001 Federal income tax liability, sohad only a § 6321 lien with respect to petitioner's 2001 tax liability.

Exempt and excluded property

“[A] bankruptcy discharge extinguishes only one mode of enforcing a claim—namely, an action against the debtor in personam—while leaving intact another—namely, an action against the debtor in rem.” Johnson v. Home State Bank, 501 U.S. 78, 84 (1991); Iannone v. Commissioner, 122 T.C. 287, 292-293 (2004). .... Title 11 U.S.C. § 522 allows a debtor to exempt from his bankruptcy estate a personal residence, a car, certain property used in a trade or business, retirement funds, and certain other assets, to ensure that the debtor has at least some property with which to make a fresh start. .... Exempt property initially is part of the debtor's bankruptcy estate, see Taylor v. Freeland & Kronz, 503 U.S. 638, 642 (1992), but is removed from the bankruptcy estate (and is therefore unavailable to satisfy creditors' claims) for the benefit of the debtor as a result of the debtor's exemption, Pasquina v. Cunningham, 513 F.3d 318, 323 (1st Cir. 2008). Property that is exempt from the bankruptcy estate pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 522 is not available to satisfy prepetition debts during or after the bankruptcy, except debts secured by liens that are not avoided in the bankruptcy and § 6321 liens with respect to which an NFTL has been filed. 11 U.S.C. § 522(c). .... Unlike exempt property, which is part of a debtor's bankruptcy estate but is unavailable to satisfy creditors' claims, excluded property never becomes part of the bankruptcy estate and is therefore never subject to the bankruptcy trustee's or the debtor's power to avoid the § 6321 lien, thus, if a § 6321 lien on excluded property has not expired or become unenforceable under § 6322, it survives the bankruptcy.

The Tax Court found that the administrative record was insufficient to enable it to properly evaluate whether the Appeals Office abused its discretion in determining that a levy on petitioner's pension income could proceed, and remanded the case to enable the parties to clarify and supplement the administrative record as appropriate.

Lien stripping

An IRS tax lien may be subject to "lien stripping" (liens reduced to the property value) in Chapter 11. The Supreme Court had held that a tax lien on real property could not be stripped down in Chapter 7 liquidation case. The Bankruptcy Court in Johnson v. IRS, Bktcy Ct PA, 101 AFTR 2d 2008-1798, held the IRS lien against Chapter 11 debtor's residence was null and void pursuant to 11 USC 506 because other priority liens pre-dating the IRS lien collectively exceeded residence's fair market value (FMV), so there was no equity in residence to which IRS lien could attach. The Bankruptcy Court held that in the Chapter 11 reorganization context, lien stripping is “ingrained” and crucial to achieving the Bankruptcy Code's rehabilitation and fresh start goals, and there was nothing inherent in an IRS lien allowing it to be treated differently from any other lien so as to be exempt from lien stripping. new 5/8/08

Marshalling

The IRS was denied dismissal of the Chapter 7 trustee's marshaling request to compel the IRS to levy and sell the residence for which taxpayer had claimed homestead exemption before other assets. The trustee was barred from selling the residence due to homestead exemption, so marshalling would preserve other bankruptcy estate assets for unsecured creditors without prejudicing the IRS. In Re: Szwyd, Bktcy Ct MA, 101 AFTR 2d ¶2008-789. new 5/20/08