When you owe money on your federal taxes, one of the common collection actions taken is IRS tax garnishment, typically on your wages or salary. Wage garnishment can leave a person with very little money on which to live. If you already live paycheck to paycheck, then you cannot afford to have the IRS take a large chunk of your earnings as a way to collect what you owe.
Unlike many creditors, the IRS has no maximum amount of money they can take when garnishing your wages. Instead, they have an amount calculated for which you are exempt from paying. This is the amount they believe you need to live, based upon your filing status and deductions. Once they have calculated how much you need per month to live, based upon a tax table calculation, they will take the rest of your paycheck and apply it towards your tax debt.