09/15/2026
I thought this was going to be a really simple IRS case.
A client intended to make an online IRS payment of approximately $496, but an input error caused the payment amount to be entered as approximately $486,300.
That mistake resulted in a dishonored-payment penalty of roughly $10,000.
To me, it looked like a straightforward human error that should have been easy to explain and correct.
Instead, the case went on for about two years.
We appealed the decision and tried over and over again to get the issue addressed, while the client’s later tax refunds were being applied to the old balance.
At the recent IRS Nationwide Tax Forum, I was able to bring one stalled case to a case-resolution session, and I chose this one.
The person reviewing the matter understood the error within minutes and was able to communicate directly with the appropriate IRS personnel.
After about two years of trying to get the issue addressed, we finally had the case in front of someone who understood what had happened and could move it forward.
It was a good reminder that with the IRS, persistence and knowing which avenues to pursue can matter just as much as the underlying facts.
