IRS Final Notice of Intent to Levy (LT11 or Letter 1058): What to Do in the Next 30 Days
An envelope from the IRS that says "Final Notice" hits differently. It should. An LT11 or Letter 1058, the IRS final notice of intent to levy, is the last formal warning before the IRS can start taking money from your bank account or your paycheck.
The good news? This same letter gives you a right most people never use. Here's what to do with the next 30 days.
What an LT11 or Letter 1058 Actually Means
Both letters are the IRS's Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing. Different form numbers, same message. The IRS puts it plainly on its LT11 and Letter 1058 page: it intends to seize your property or rights to property, and you need to contact it immediately.
If you already got a CP504 notice and set it aside, this is the next step.
What the IRS Can Take After a Final Notice of Intent to Levy
If the deadline passes and nothing happens, the IRS can issue a levy on:
Your wages. Wage levies are continuous, so they hit every paycheck until the debt is resolved.
Your bank accounts. The bank holds the funds for 21 days, then sends them to the IRS.
Business and personal assets, including your car or your home.
Social Security benefits and state tax refunds.
The IRS may also file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien, which is public and can hurt your credit.
Your 30-Day Action Plan
Find the date printed on the notice. Your 30 days run from that date, not from the day you opened the envelope.
Request a hearing with Form 12153. Filing Form 12153 on time puts your case in front of the IRS Independent Office of Appeals. According to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, collection action usually stops until the hearing ends.
Confirm what you really owe. Check your balance in your IRS Online Account. Penalties and interest keep growing, and mistakes happen.
Choose your way out. At the hearing you can dispute the balance or propose an alternative: an IRS payment plan, an offer in compromise, or hardship status if you truly can't pay right now.
Missed the 30 Days?
You still have options, just fewer. You can ask for an equivalent hearing within one year of the notice date, using the same Form 12153. The catch: in most cases you can't take the Appeals decision to Tax Court.
Money already leaving your paycheck? Read how to stop an IRS wage garnishment.
Related reading: What Happens If You Owe the IRS and Can't Pay?
Don't Answer This Letter Alone
A Final Notice is not the time to guess. The form is short, but what goes in it decides whether you keep control of your case.
At Tax Solution Pro Advisor, Thuy Nguyen, JD, CPA, and her team bring 24+ years of experience to IRS problems. We file the hearing request, talk to the IRS for you and work toward a resolution you can actually live with. We serve Sugar Land, Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.
The clock started on the date printed on that letter. Call us today at 346-447-6305 or book your IRS case review.
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