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My mom needs to be in assisited living, but is currently living in independent living that she barely affords. Her taxes are outragous and she has no extra money to pay IRS.

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I'm sorry dag, I don't have the answer. It seems her income is high enough where she owes income tax. If that's the case wouldn't her income be too high for Medicaid as well? I would suggest consulting with an elder attorney who also specializes in financial/tax preparation and Medicaid planning. There must be a way to structure her income the right way.
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What taxes does she owe?  If property taxes, sell the property.  If income, she may have to liquidate part of her portfolio.
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Have you asked a tax preparer to double check to make sure she’s claiming everything she can? There are extra deductions for the elderly or if she’s been declared legally blind. Also I would suggest having the taxes withheld from the TRS and also shop around for medical insurance. I switched Mom to an advantage plan which was 0 premium a month, but you need to compare plans including drug coverage. I think that helping out with some med costs occasionally if she runs short of funds during the month would be easier than coming up with $1400 at once. Just a thought.
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Most pensions are taxable because taxes aren’t paid on that money until you start drawing your pension. Taxes aren’t paid on it while you are contributing to the pension.
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perhaps it’s time for mom to move somewhere more affordable?

You probably speak to whoever has been handling her taxes, hopefully it’s a CPA or tax professional. The IRS doesn’t mess around when it comes to taxes and they will garnish her income including her social security if she gets it. Does she have any assets that can be liquidated? Properties that can be sold? That way she can transition to AL and have the money to pay for it. AL will cost more than IL.0
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She can get on a payment plan w IRS ...there are a few that advertise to help taxpayers ...one I believe is called “Optimum Tax Relief” & you can google their contact information...hope this helps! Hugs 🤗
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She has no money for AL yet has mega IRS taxes to pay, this does not compute to me. What am I missing?
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dag1031 Jan 2020
Yes she paid 1400.00 last year, well actually I had to pay them. She has no extra money. She has no assets at all. No home or property taxes it’s all income from my Dads death Teacher retirement funds. She can barely pay her rent and medical insurance with little left over for anything else. She is 83 and had a stroke years ago and barely gets around. Her income consists of SS and Dads TRS. I thought about having TRS deduct taxes monthly, but that wouldn’t leave her much at all.
I hope this explains our situation better. I can’t keep paying her taxes and mine, it’s too much for me😳
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Do teachers have SS taken out? I can never remember.

If not, her pension is taxable? Which doesn't seem fair. As a township employee I paid into my government pension. I think police and teachers have the same pension. If Dad paid into his pension and paid taxes on that money then, she shouldn't have to now unless he had it deferred. I also think, when you make under a certain amount of money, you don't pay taxes on the whole amount. When my husband first retired I think the tax preparer said something about the first 15k was not taxable. At that time DH was getting 1500 in pension, 1500 in SS. I was getting 750 SS.
There is someone on this forum who knows more than I do.

Even if u set up payment plans, your Mom can't afford to pay her taxes. I think it may be a good to find a tax preparer with a CPA. May cost you, but I feel someone is not doing something right.
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This doesn’t add up. If her taxes are that high, she should have adequate income to pay taxes. Get a CPA todo her taxes or an elder care attorney who specializes in elder financial planning and taxes.
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worriedinCali Jan 2020
actually it makes a lot of sense because she’s in IL which she can barely afford. Her cost of living is high. So clearly she doesn’t have adequate income to pay her taxes and the high cost of living. OPs mom has no assets or anything. People who live beyond their means generally don’t have a few thousand in the bank to pay their taxes
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Don't pay her taxes. They are not your responsibility. What is the IRS going to do? Garnish her wages? She has no wages.

As of 2018, a senior can have an income of $13,600 NOT COUNTING Social Security before they have to pay income tax. I am sure that amount is higher now. Is her pension income more than that? It would have to be significantly more for her to owe $1400 in income tax. And if her income is that high, how is she having a hard time paying rent? If she's in a high cost of living area, perhaps she needs to move to someplace less expensive. There must be someplace in Illinois with affordable housing.
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worriedinCali Jan 2020
Her mother lives in independent living. Do you have any idea how expensive IL is? That’s why her mom is struggling financially.

My late MIL’s social security was roughly $19,000 a year. Her pension was roughly $27,000. Her monthly income was roughly $3900. That was for 2017. She owed taxes every year. $2300 is what she owed in federal taxes for 2017. Just for context. We obviously don’t know what OPs mother brings in but safe to say most of it goes toward her monthly rent at the AL.
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