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Estimate Whether IRS Hardship Relief May Apply
If you owe tax debt to the Internal Revenue Service and cannot afford to pay without sacrificing basic living needs, you may qualify for Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status, also called Currently-Non-Collectible or uncollectible status.
CNC is an official IRS hardship classification used when a taxpayer’s financial information shows no ability to pay without causing serious economic hardship. Many taxpayers never hear about this option because it is not advertised and is not granted automatically.
This page and calculator help you evaluate whether hardship relief may apply to your situation before you speak with a tax professional or take the next step.
Use the calculator to understand where you stand before collections continue or escalate.
When the IRS determines that you can pay—even if your real-world budget shows otherwise—collection actions may continue. These can include bank levies on checking or savings accounts, wage garnishments that reduce take-home pay, repeated collection notices, pressure to enter unaffordable payment arrangements, and the filing or enforcement of federal tax liens against real or personal property. Unless financial hardship is properly established using IRS rules and documentation, collections typically do not stop on their own.
Currently Not Collectible status is an IRS account classification used when financial information shows that paying tax debt would prevent a taxpayer from meeting basic living needs.
This calculator mirrors how the IRS evaluates hardship using its internal financial review process. It compares your monthly income and necessary living expenses against IRS Collection Financial Standards, similar to what the IRS reviews on:
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If your results suggest hardship may apply, timing matters.
When the CNC status is properly established:
Based on your inputs, the calculator may indicate whether one or more IRS relief options could apply:
CNC status may apply when paying the IRS would cause genuine financial hardship, including situations involving:
CNC generally does not apply if:
Most CNC requests are denied, not because hardship does not exist, but because it is not documented correctly.
Many taxpayers seek help only after collections have already escalated. At that point:
If your results show meaningful wage garnishment exposure, delaying action usually benefits the IRS — not you.
Understanding your numbers early helps you make informed decisions before each paycheck is affected.
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