Michigan Tax Relief: Guide to Resolving MI Back Tax Problems

The Michigan Department of Treasury (DOT) is responsible for enforcing the tax laws in the state of Michigan for individuals and businesses. Like the IRS, DOT is committed to providing troubled taxpayers various ways to get back into compliance with the state of Michigan.

If you received a notice from the Michigan Department of Treasury stating that you owe back taxes or know you will not be able to pay taxes in full when you file, you need to be aware of what your options are. Below is some information on how the DOT collection process works and some of the options that are available to get into compliance with the Michigan tax laws, even if you cannot pay your taxes in full.

Michigan Tax Collections Process

Taxpayers who owe taxes to the state of Michigan have at least 125 days from the date that the initial letter is sent to when they will take collection actions. This does not mean that you are totally safe for these 125 days because they will continue to charge penalties and interest to the unpaid tax balance once it is assessed. Below is a graphic that is provided by the Michigan DOT on their collection process.

Michigan Installment Agreement

After you receive a bill for taxes due (Form 168 or Form 169) the Michigan Department of Treasury may consider you for an Installment Agreement if your financial situation meets their specific qualifications. All installment agreement requests are reviewed and if approved the DOT will decide on a minimum monthly payment amount that must be paid monthly and if denied, they will send instructions on how to proceed.

Applying for an Installment Agreement

• Agreements 24 months or less: It is required to fill out Form 990 (Michigan Department of Treasury Installment Agreement Form). Once the form has been completed you must mail it to the address that is on the front of the notice you received which stated the tax amount owed.
• Agreements over 24 months: It is required to fill out Form 990 as well as a collection information statement which lists your income, expenses, assets and liabilities. In order to obtain the collection information statement you must contact the Collection Division to request the form.

Contacting the Collection Division

Mail:
Collection Division
Michigan Department of Treasury
P.O. Box 30199
Lansing, MI 48909-7600

Phone: (517) 636-5265

Don’t Agree With a Bill? Appeal Information

If you received a bill for taxes that you do not agree with it is important that you get in contact with the Michigan DOT to support your claim. To do this you must respond to them with the following information:

• Write a letter that explains why the assessment is not correct and include documents that support your reasons that are given in your letter. In the letter, be sure to include your account number which is either your social security number or tax identification number.
• A copy of the notice you received from the Michigan Department of Treasury
• Mail the information to the address that you received on the tax bill.

Our Simple Tax Relief Process