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Catalog Number 71232U www.irs.gov
Form
433-H (Rev. 4-2020)
Instructions for Form 433-H, Installment Agreement Request
and Collection Information Statement
What is the purpose of Form 433-H?
Form 433-H, Installment Agreement Request and
Collection Information Statement, is used by wage earners
to provide current financial information and request an
installment agreement, allowing the Service to determine
how best to satisfy outstanding tax liabilities.
However, before requesting an installment agreement,
you should consider other payment options, which
may be less costly, such as getting a bank loan or
using available credit on a credit card.
You must file all required returns that have not been filed.
Your request for an installment agreement will be denied if
all required tax returns have not been filed.
Use Form 433-H if you earn wages and are requesting an
installment agreement and either:
• You cannot pay your outstanding liability within 72
months, or
• Your outstanding liability exceeds $50,000.
Do not use Form 433-H if:
• Your outstanding liability is $50,000 or less and you
can pay within 72 months. Instead, use Form 9465,
Installment Agreement Request. See the tip below.
• You are self-employed. Instead, use Form 433-D,
Installment Agreement.
• You operate a business. Instead, use Form 433-D,
Installment Agreement.
TIP
If you can pay your outstanding liability within 120
days, there is no user fee for this type of
agreement, and you may be able to establish an
Online Payment Agreement (OPA). To apply online,
go to http://www irs.gov, and enter “Online Payment
Agreement" in the "Search" box.
TIP
If you owe $50,000 or less in combined tax,
penalties and interest and filed all required returns,
you may be able to establish an installment
agreement online. Go to IRS.gov to pay online. You
may owe a lower user fee if you establish your
agreement through the OPA application.
A large down payment to reduce your liability to $50,000
or less may streamline the installment agreement process,
pay your balance faster and reduce the amount of
penalties and interest charged.
Bankruptcy or offer-in-compromise. If you are in
bankruptcy or we have accepted your offer-in-
compromise, do not file this form. Instead, call
1-800-829-1040 to get the number of your local IRS
Insolvency function for bankruptcy or Technical Support
function for offer-incompromise.
Please retain a copy of your completed form and
supporting documentation. After we review your
completed form, we may contact you for additional
information. For example, we may ask you to send
supporting documentation of your current income or
substantiation of your stated expenditures.
Instructions
Part 1 – Installment Agreement Request
We will usually let you know within 30 days after we
receive your request whether it is approved or denied.
However, if this request is for tax due on a return you filed
after March 31, it may take us longer than 30 days to
reply.
We will review the financial information provided in
Sections A through G, determine your ability to pay and
compare it with the monthly payment amount you
proposed in Part 1, Line 6. We will contact you if we have
questions or believe you can pay your liability more
quickly.
If your request is approved, we will send you a notice
detailing the terms of your agreement and requesting a
fee of $225 ($107 if you make your payments by direct
debit).
Low income taxpayer. You are a low-income taxpayer if
your adjusted gross income meets the low-income
threshold (at or below 250% of the federal poverty
guidelines, as determined for the most recent year for
which information is available). You may qualify to pay a
reduced fee of $43 if your income is below a certain level.
The IRS will let you know whether you have low income
taxpayer status. If you agree to establish a direct debit
installment agreement (DDIA), you will not be charged a
user fee.
If the IRS does not say you qualify for low-income
taxpayer status, you can request reconsideration by using
Form 13844, Application For Reduced User Fee For
Installment Agreements. The user fee for low income
taxpayers is $43, which may be waived or reimbursed if
certain conditions are met. See the instructions for line 8c.
for details.
You will also be charged interest and may be charged a
late payment penalty on any tax not paid by its due date,
even if your request to pay in installments is granted.
Interest and any applicable penalties will be charged until
the balance is paid in full. To limit interest and penalty
charges, file your return on time and pay as much of the
tax as possible with your return (or notice).
By approving your request, we agree to let you pay the tax
you owe in monthly installments instead of immediately
paying the amount in full. In return, you agree to make
your monthly payments on time. You agree to provide
updated financial information when requested.
You also agree to meet all your future tax obligations. This
means that you must have enough withholding or
estimated tax payments so that your tax obligation for
future years is paid in full when payment is due. And you
agree to timely file your return.