IRS Installment Agreements — MD, DC & VA

An installment agreement is a formal arrangement with the IRS (or state tax authority) to pay your debt over time. Once in place, it halts levies, garnishments, and other enforced collection — as long as you stay current on payments.

Not all installment agreements are the same. The IRS offers several types:

• Guaranteed Installment Agreement — available if you owe $10,000 or less and meet specific criteria
• Streamlined Installment Agreement — available for balances up to $50,000, requires no financial disclosure
• Non-Streamlined Agreement — for larger balances, requires full financial disclosure and negotiation
• Partial Pay Installment Agreement (PPIA) — monthly payments lower than required to pay off the full balance; remaining debt may expire at the Collection Statute Expiration Date

For larger balances, the IRS will require you to complete a Collection Information Statement (Form 433-A or 433-B) to justify the payment amount. What you include — and how it's presented — directly affects the payment amount the IRS will accept.

State installment agreements: Maryland, Virginia, and DC all have their own installment programs with different rules. Maryland's Comptroller has streamlined options but also moves quickly to the Central Collection Unit for unresolved balances. Virginia and DC have similar programs. We handle state and federal simultaneously.

Penalties and interest continue to accrue on an installment agreement, but the rate slows once you're in compliance. In some cases, penalty abatement can reduce the underlying balance before the payment plan is set.