Keystone Collections trying to screw me for taxes I don't even owe

Submitted by AdamFeigs t3_z3ljdy in Pennsylvania

I wish I weren't posting this on fucking Thanksgiving but here we are.

KCG first tried to collect tax from me maybe 9 months ago. It was complete nonsense as I didn't even live in the area that they were trying to collect for in the year they claimed it was delinquent. I uploaded paperwork and they said it was clear.

Then, several months later they tried to collect on a different year, one in which I had only lived in the area specified for 2 months. Again I fought it and was told that my reply would suffice. Now here I am a few months later opening mail on Thanksgiving to see that if the "owed taxes" which I've been "unresponsive" to aren't paid by the 30th that they will be contacting my employer to garnish my wages. Evidently my credit score also seemed to have randomly dropped 70 points 3 days ago. Welp, now I know why that happened.

Does anyone know how to deal with these pieces of shit criminals? I'm livid.

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glberns t1_ixmfrg2 wrote

Call me crazy, but if a government doesn't have the resources to collect a tax they shouldn't collect the tax.

Local income taxes are so dumb because local governments don't have the resources to collect them. So they hire these shady, private companies to do it for them.

Just fund local governments with sales and property taxes like the rest of the country.

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bikingwithscissors t1_ixmijl3 wrote

It never made any sense to me to have private companies contracted for inherently public services. It's a complete abuse of public trust.

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TheUltimateSalesman t1_ixmjdmd wrote

Generally, they sell the debts. And debt buyers love them because they can garnish wages.

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Insterstellar t1_ixmk0sl wrote

If a company gets most of its income from the government it is defacto a government agency. It differs from a normal agency in that there are more avenues for corruption. For example, it can put the money it gets from the government into the hands of shareholders / owners, or hire outgoing politicians / government officials into high ranking roles in exchange for shady deals.

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Jayman95 t1_ixmoj1a wrote

Privatization of government duties is a key aspect of neoliberalism(Dani Rodrik, economist at Harvard has written much on how there’s no such thing as a free market and liberalism always required a strong state and abuse of it to function, see “The Globalization Paradox”). The government absolutely has the ability to collect taxes, but when you’ve got a system entirely based on individualism and market competition, people are going to go into contracting to blow more tax money to enrich themselves instead of just abolishing private collections etc. and strengthening the IRS. Also, a strong IRS could and would go after tax dodgers and the wealthy more generally if they had the funding and resources. The system is just trying to form a technocratic feudal system (I mean for fucks sake just look at renting) and instead of making meaningful progress to combat this system and look for better alternatives you get an armada of people online ready to defend things because “that’s just the way it is;” “supply and demand are you a moron?” Like no, I’m just not brainwashed to support neoliberal capitalism 100%

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Gojira085 t1_ixn3jhs wrote

None of this makes sense. The amount of people who owe money is staggering. The IRS would have to employ an immense amount of people to do just that let alone chasing tax dodgers and the like. No government agency will ever realistically get that amount of money as there are more issues that a government faces past "collecting taxes". It has nothing to do with neo-liberalism. It has to do with numbers. They can't even hire enough people to just answer the phones. Increasing funding is not always gonna solve a solution when people don't even want to work for said agency in the first place. Throwing money at it is literally the neo-liberal solution to everything

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Jayman95 t1_ixn55wh wrote

As always everyone misses the point. It’s not just about money or throwing money which is not actually entirely neoliberal. After all neoliberalism is just as much a socio political theory as it is economic; the reason why people were more pro a union 70 years ago was because it made sense in a Keynesian framework. The issue is, private sectors usurp government authority. No one wants to work for the IRS because why make 70k as an accountant when you can make 200k for a company? And besides, you’re under the assumption that income tax is the only viable method of income for a state; clearly untrue since income taxes never even came into fruition until the 20th century. You can’t view the world the way you know it and not broaden understandings. Things can function in multiple ways but again we’re fed propaganda about how it is a MUST the irs must collect taxes entirely off the working class instead of reforming the tax code. It’s just as absurd to assume the government couldn’t when they clearly did decades ago just because the tax code has been fucked so hard to shift the burden onto the middle class. Taxation and income goes well beyond income tax. And really this Begs the question; if so many people owe taxes that the system can’t work in an efficient way, why should we retain it?

The political field of America isn’t changing because people love the system. It’s changing because it’s failing. People aren’t lazy; the systems inefficient

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doyouknowyourname t1_ixolz17 wrote

Well said! I must tell you, I really appreciated this reply. I know I have nothing to do with this, but you just said that so beautifully that it has to be acknowledged.

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ButtBlock t1_ixn1m7m wrote

When I lived in NYC there was just a 5 line section on the state income tax return form to calculate and add local income tax. The whole idea that some fucking company like Berkheimer gets a piece of the pie for no reason is really disgusting. I don’t know why PA is so obsessed with federating things soooo much with taxation.

For example, we have a nanny who we pay in PA. I have to pay: federal income tax, state income tax, local income tax (for both my taxes and our nanny’s withholding), local services tax, US and PA unemployment taxes, residency tax, school tax, real estate tax. And all of these taxes require me to have a separate account, often duplicate accounts at one provider.

It’s just fucking stupid. And Berkheimer already tried to hit me up for massive penalties for not filing a local income tax return prior to when we hired our nanny. It’s like, bro, my sole proprietorship wasn’t even registered with you idiots prior to 2021 but now you want money for 2020.

The only reason Berkheimer et cetera exist is because someone is politically connected and making a lot of money off of it. For example, when I had to pay my “residency” tax, it was 10 USD flat fee, but there was an unavoidable 3 USD “service charge.” Major bullshit my dudes! Need reform to put these companies where they belong, defunct and no where near PA taxpayers.

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Confident_End_3848 t1_ixmki5z wrote

I think the state designates which tax collection service municipalities use. When I lived in MD, there was no local tax. The state collected for state and local.

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Bobbyjohns t1_ixm9enp wrote

Did you file a return for that year? If not, do so.

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AdamFeigs OP t1_ixmbeoy wrote

Oh yea. Not only did we file but we have a tax preparer. All the more reason that this is total fucking nonsense.

I'm going to email him tomorrow and see if he has some ideas. Thought it would be bad form to do it on Thanksgiving.

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Gstamsharp t1_ixmoohi wrote

Your preparer is usually liable for errors and is insured to cover the risk. Contact them about this.

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Fine_With_It_All t1_ixns52b wrote

Are you sure about that? I thought the taxpayer is always ultimately responsible even if they have a preparer

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Gstamsharp t1_ixnsd0f wrote

At which point you'd sue the preparer for damages and forever ruin their reputation. Most would be happy to fix this and keep their names off of there public docket.

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Fine_With_It_All t1_ixnt6ms wrote

True. I was always warned to make sure we go over our taxes thoroughly, even though we have a preparer also because we’d still be liable.

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wfhfrat t1_ixqdkwj wrote

This is the right take. Taxpayer has the final responsibility in the accuracy of a return. To sue your preparer typically malpractice or negligence would need to be proven for recovery.

Apologies, originally replied to the comment above yours by mistake.

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ToxicPilot t1_ixmr112 wrote

Our issue was that our preparer put the wrong school code on our return. We had moved out of the county several years before we were billed for. Stupid.

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classy-mother-pupper t1_ixmurw1 wrote

Tax preparers aren’t mistake free. They messed up our taxes to the tune of $4,000 for state and $1,500 for local. Contact them and discuss this with somebody. I would even show up with the paperwork you submitted. They should take care of the issue.

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dizzle_1212 t1_ixplquc wrote

I pay $2000 to get my taxes done. They never ever mention keystone it’s usually 10 to at most 100 unless you miss it. See my above comments. Keystone is completely separate you have to send in that bill if not they will fuck u.

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heightsdrinker t1_ixmb85e wrote

Make sure you follow the FDCPA when disputing the false claim. You can learn more at consumerfinance.gov. While you are on the website, report Keystone Collections. The Feds love to keep track and fine collection agencies for their false debts. If you find that Keystone broke FDCPA laws, find a consumer protection attorney to potentially sue Keystone. The attorneys usually are free for string cases and you can claim up to $1000.

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pedantic_comments t1_ixme5n3 wrote

Send a certified letter with receipts. If you have an attorney relative or friend who will give you legal office letterhead with a firm’s name on it, that’ll help.

Demonstrate that the bill is an error and you will refer further attempts to defraud you to your attorney and pursue damages to the fullest extent possible due to their continued attempts to extort you. Citing some laws and federal oversight mentioned in this thread wouldn’t hurt.

I had Jordan Tax Services send me thousands in bills for taxes I’d already paid and they didn’t cease until I wrote them to basically say, “Here is proof you are wrong. Harass me with fraudulent bills at your financial peril.”

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Gojira085 t1_ixn2h81 wrote

Letterheads don't matter when it comes to taxes. He needs to send a letter, yes, buy he has to make sure he and his spouse (if filing joint) signature. It has to be shown both TP's are in agreement.

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el_goate t1_ixm9rqo wrote

Why the fuck does our county continue to use this shit company that repeatedly makes mistakes? I had a similar runaround with these clowns. Their website, looking like it was built in the 90s, does not instill confidence of competence and security.

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bikingwithscissors t1_ixmfnus wrote

When I first moved here, I legitimately thought they were a scam. A decade later, I know they, in fact, are a scam. They belong in federal prison. They basically commit mail fraud, and they've been ramping up their efforts for the last few years sending blanket letters claiming money owed which is not.

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Relax007 t1_ixmiot0 wrote

It took me SIX YEARS to sort out a situation exactly like this (lived in a college town for six months and they insisted on billing me every year after, including late feels for years). I even had a relative helping me. The relative was the TAX COLLECTOR for the town I actually lived in! At one point they couldn’t tell me what I owed and helpfully suggested I send a blank check and they’d take care of it!

Sucks, man. Hope you can get it worked out.

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fritolazee t1_ixn4y04 wrote

Send a blank check??? Wtf. How did you resolve it?

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Relax007 t1_ixnzgg2 wrote

It was so anticlimactic. Obviously, I didn’t send them a blank check. One year while I was once again calling them to tell them I hadn’t lived there in years, the woman said she’d taken care of it. I’d heard that before. So, I was being a little sarcastic and I said, “Ok, well I’m sure I’ll talk to you again next year.” And I never had to. It finally took.

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fritolazee t1_ixog7fw wrote

Well at least you won! You should put it on your resume.

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tw1164 t1_ixmf9wt wrote

Contact your PA state representative, they’ll help you quickly resolve this.

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Yinzerman1992 t1_ixm98u1 wrote

Same with me and keystone. They told me that I owed taxes from a municipality that I didn't live in. It was a neighboring municipality but we shared zip code.

Show them the previous transcript saying the paperwork is clear from earlier in the year and other times. Keep all records. Keep insisting it's the wrong town, place, etc. Document and produce evidence. Its gonna get old and tiring but it's really all you can do unless you get a lawyer which that's a whole other thing.

Technically under PA law there is no limit on how far back someone like keystone can go back to uncover and demand taxes. (link)

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South_Training_8470 t1_ixm7yhr wrote

Tax for what? Local taxes?

If you filed them, then show them your records

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PotatoPlank t1_ixp3eio wrote

I have a $300 bill for local taxes from them from 2014 they're trying to collect. I'll probably just end up paying it unfortunately. It's just a mess of factors that prevents proving I paid:

  1. The employer I worked with at the time is entirely defunct
  2. I was just getting back on my feet after being homeless. Housing was unstable and rapidly changing, so all of my documents are gone.
  3. I'm struggling to verify my IRS identity, but once I do, I'm hoping my Taxreturn is present.
  4. The tax software I used doesn't have my old returns saved...
  5. I have no idea where else I could find my W2 from.

Unfortunately just paying $300 is worth not having my credit fucked.

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dizzle_1212 t1_ixplxxp wrote

Yes this is what I’m telling OP. A missed $10 local tax can be 1000s and fuck your credit. It’s not really worth fighting them. It can be from where u lived or where you worked. It’s a random bill sent to you always watch out for it.

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PotatoPlank t1_ixq4pj3 wrote

Yeah, if you have documents proving them wrong it's worth fighting, but if you don't... It might be better paying

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insideshesahappygoth t1_ixmbze9 wrote

Berkheimer pulled this with me for like 5 years regarding school taxes for a county I didn’t live in…because I was living in a state 700 miles away the whole time. I provided all the documents they asked for multiple times and they still kept on about it.

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Chemical_Miracle_0 t1_ixmgvo1 wrote

They tried coming after me for thousands in school taxes which I didn't owe. Showed them I didn't owe but that didn't stop the collection letters. I just ignored them and eventually they stopped sending me letters. I guess they figured it out or realized I wasn't paying up and moved on. Fucking assholes.

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SurvivalHorrible t1_ixmfnt8 wrote

You can file dispute with the department of revenue. I had to because they are trying to charge me $32 late fee on .11 cents of interest.

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jamisonian123 t1_ixmq96u wrote

Yeah, I overpaid since they claimed they didn’t receive it. So I sent another payment and both payments magically disappeared out of my pay at the same. It took them NINE MONTHS to pay me back and it was over 1,300! They are the WORST

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ktp806 t1_ixmeqr6 wrote

Call your state legislator

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munkyxtc t1_ixn3u1d wrote

This company is fucking trash. They harassed the fuck out of me for unpaid per Capita and fees for a year where I didn't even live in the area. I never had per Capita taxes in my previous location and never heard of them before but apparently everyone should just magically know they exist.

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Unfetish t1_ixrth6q wrote

Yeah they called me years ago about some debt that wasn't mine. I just ignored it until it went away but the striking thing to me was that the woman who called on their behalf always sounded like she was literally laying in bed and could barely push the words out. The messages she left were pretty freaky. Talking to her was a complete waste of time.

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dherrmann t1_ixm9ag8 wrote

What township are they representing? I’d go to the township or school district for help.

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JazzFan1998 t1_ixmlnz1 wrote

If you search on this forum someone else posted a similar complaint. If you find that, you may get additional insight on how to handle this.

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pinkpolo t1_ixmr1cq wrote

I’ve had nothing but issues with them as well claiming my husband and I owe money. They’ve also pulled trying to collect for townships we don’t live in.

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JoshuaLChaimberlin t1_ixn34c4 wrote

They’re assholes. They did the same to me (tried to bill me a full years worth of taxes for a school district I lived in for 4 months, almost 2 years after the fact) and after going back and forth with them several times I thought it was resolved.

A few months later I’m waiting on final approval for a mortgage and I get a letter that they are going to garnish my wages in 14 days if I didn’t pay several hundred dollars. Never been more pissed off in my life to write a check but I was so scared of loosing my mortgage I didn’t have a choice.

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schwaapilz t1_ixnie72 wrote

Keystone collections are a bunch of shitbags and scammers. I've gone to war with them multiple times in the past. They will literally send you tax bills and collections notices, and threaten wage garnishment without a shred of proof as to your residency, and will essentially say "prove to us that you didn't live there, or pay up". I received several notices to this effect for different locales over the years - places I either never lived, or hadn't lived for over a decade. I sent them proof of residency for that time - they said it wasn't enough. I sent them my lease agreement for that time that showed I lived elsewhere AND the address change with the dates - they said not good enough. I contacted a lawyer and paid him $100 to basically proof my written letter, correct accordingly, and send with his letterhead. Finally that was good enough.

Then they contacted me the next year claiming a whole other residency and starting the process all over. This time, the lawyer sent a letter for free threatening a lawsuit for harassment and a bunch of other consumer reporting/credit/collection activity irregularities in their verbiage. Never heard from them ever again until I actually did owe taxes like 8 years later after moving.

All that is to say, contact an attorney ASAP. Nobody likes KCG, and they legitimately would be at risk of being sued if they didn't represent who they represent.

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Shift-Subject t1_ixmdkny wrote

It's almost like the government is a mafia.

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glberns t1_ixmfdpx wrote

These are private companies.

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Insterstellar t1_ixmkdxb wrote

The biggest mafia is when the government and private companies team up. When you hear the phrase "public-private partnership" watch you wallet.

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Shift-Subject t1_ixmfner wrote

Private companies that collect taxes on behalf of government. It's like saying the loan shark isn't reeeally mafia.

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Zealous_Otter t1_ixmz8xk wrote

Exact same thing happened to me last year just keep submitting your paperwork that proves you don’t owe and contact a tax attorney if necessary. They’ll prepare a response to them once they have you information and it’ll stop at that. It seems wild to me the government contracts out to them when they seem so inept at their sole responsibility

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Alias-Q t1_ixn4014 wrote

Contact a CPA, it might cost you some money but it is worth it to ensure you arnt robbed

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_ixn85lb wrote

Either r/legal or Legal Shield (lawyer services for $30/mo)

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CQU617 t1_ixnfcgb wrote

So these folks only have your PA and Fedeeal returns. It’s a bunch of shite.

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bunnicula9 t1_ixnknuc wrote

I had that issue. Fought it for over a year and eventually just paid it. It was under $10 but they were relentless no matter what I did. I didn’t even live in the state for the time period they were trying to collect for. 6 months later get a check in the mail refunding it.

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BasvoyD t1_ixo00c4 wrote

I don't know who they are and until 5 years ago they didn't exist

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Babymonster09 t1_ixohjh5 wrote

So wait a minute, what do these ppl collect? Im sort of new to the area and Ive been getting a bill from them every year and paying thinking I had to? but I file my taxes every year ? How many taxes we have to pay here other than the ones we file in Jan!? 😟

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rolinclover t1_ixoic7l wrote

Keystone SUCKS I send everything return receipt requested and certified mail No problems since

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SpetsnazBubbles t1_ixoonvj wrote

I've dealt with them in the past. Here's what you do: 1.) Keep any and all correspondence from them IN writing. 2.) Use this correspondence as evidence. Submit it to the Fair Trade Commision and file a complaint. Once youve done that comtact your state aty9rney general and they will file formal complaints on your behalf. 3.) Use your written correspondence to open up a dispute to prove the debt us fraudulent. You can do this through credit karma for free. 4.) Once you get a decision from credit karma keep a copy of it so if it pops up again it can be resolved.

They hounded me for years for a debt that I wasn't even legally obligated to pay (I was a minor when said debt occured it was my parents responsibility) that's the pr9cess I followed amd they never bothered me again.
Good luck!

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kdani17 t1_ixos5u7 wrote

They garnished my wages for $1500 for taxes I didn’t owe and it took me a year to get it back. Good luck.

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Vexed_Vixxen t1_ixoskel wrote

They have been trying to collect school taxes from me even though im unemployed, disabled, and I dont live in the area they are trying ro collect for...

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SwiftPistol t1_ixovhjj wrote

KCG are criminals. I have a binder filled with letters they send me regarding “local taxes I owe”. They have no formula rhyme or reason for how they calculate said taxes. I have to continually go through the process of uploading documents showing that I paid said taxes, including documents from them showing that they cleared the errors and I don’t owe. They are a complete shit show and scammers of sort in my option. My advice is keep a paper trail and call early in the morning to get them on the phone quickly when you do have to communicate. Good luck.

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That_Girl_Cray t1_ixpe3zz wrote

My cousin just went through some BS with them. They contacted her saying they're going to garnish her wages talking about she owed 17K. Accused her of not filing taxes since 2013!
When she absolutely did every year. She sent them her W2's , meanwhile they actually started garnishing her wages. Come to find out that they were wrong and she was paying Philadelphia taxes because she worked in Philly and now they have to return what they took from her and are taking their good 'ol time doing it. She said they're ignorant AF too.

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dizzle_1212 t1_ixpkwsp wrote

If you work in a certain area then changed that’s how they get you. Honestly just pay the $10 where u live or worked. Honestly don’t think you can win they will fuck you and that $10 will be $3000 in 3 years. Always always pay the keystone collections I have been raised that way and own a business. I tell my employees when I get the notice just pay it or you will be fucked in the future. Yes it sucks

Edit: I read through most of these comments and they don’t know what they are talking about. Keystone collections does the municipal tax where your business is located and sometimes where you live. I advise just to pay it shouldn’t be to much. If your dealing with 1000s and they say u haven’t paid in x years fight it

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jess32247 t1_ixr4rzy wrote

I need help with this exact issue. Got a notice in the mail saying I have 30 days to pay my delinquent taxes from 2021 from a borough I did not live in at the time. I lived in the neighboring borough but not the one they are claiming I did.

How do I deal with this? I see online they have a form I can submit my previous addresses too, is that it? Last time I dealt with Keystone they garnished my paychecks, I feel like one form is too easy. I honestly have no idea what to do. I don't even know how much I would owe.

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landkwindy t1_ixmipxe wrote

I have read on nextdoor that the issue is not with keystone collections but the issue is with the local school district. You have to get the local school district to realize the mistake they've made and then it will be cleared up with keystone collections. Wishing you the best of luck.

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pocketbookashtray t1_ixmkr81 wrote

Good advice. I suspected this right from the start of this thread. If the choice is between the government screwing up, or a private company screwing up, 99% of the time it’s the government screwing up.

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Plane_Vanilla_3879 t1_ixmhzuq wrote

Wait till the IRS shows up at your door fully armed.

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Top_File_8547 t1_ixmrekv wrote

This is just right wing lies. They are not hiring armed agents.

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SAR_and_Shitposts t1_ixmyfwg wrote

They are, but that part is usually part of any federal law enforcement job description. Not all people who work for the IRS are special agents, but all of their special agents are armed

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dizzle_1212 t1_ixpmgvg wrote

I mean he was making a joke. But all the people you have a problem with keystone collections here bitching. Now take that X100 they will fuck you one your actual taxes. I’m sorry but fuck you guys are screwed if you can’t handle the $10 tax. You guys are hilarious. I hope your putting your money under your mattress or they will get it

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