Every year the IRS publishes something called the Data Book, a few hundred pages of tables most taxpayers will never open, covering everything from how many returns got processed to how many bank accounts got levied. It sounds like the last thing you’d want to read before bed, and honestly, it is. But buried in those tables is a pretty honest look at how aggressive the IRS was last year, and what’s likely coming if you owe them money. So, we read it for you.

The Big Number: Collections Jumped 13.6% in a Single Year

In fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 through September 2024), the IRS brought in $77.6 billion in net collections from unpaid taxes, a 13.6% jump over the year before. That’s not pocket change, and it’s not an accident. It reflects an agency that, after a few quieter pandemic years, is back to actively chasing balances due.

Let’s break down the three tools doing most of that work: installment agreements, liens, and levies.

Installment Agreements: The IRS’s Go-To Tool

An installment agreement is simply a monthly payment plan with the IRS. You owe a balance, you can’t pay it all at once, so you agree to chip away at it over time instead.

In FY 2024, installment agreements brought in more than $16 billion, up 12% from the year before. And the trend only sped up from there: by FY 2025, the IRS reported establishing 3.16 million new installment agreements in a single year, ending the year with nearly 4.87 million agreements active, and collecting $17.88 billion through them.

What that tells us: the IRS would much rather set you up on a payment plan than chase you down with a lien or a levy. If you owe and haven’t called them, you’re leaving the easiest option on the table.

Tax Liens: The IRS Staking Its Claim

A federal tax lien isn’t the IRS taking anything from you directly, it’s the IRS filing a public notice that says, essentially, “this person owes us, and we have a legal claim against their property until they pay.” It attaches to pretty much everything you own: your house, your car, your business assets, even property you acquire after the lien is filed.

Liens don’t grab your attention the way a levy does, but they quietly follow you around, showing up on title searches, complicating refinancing, and making it harder to sell property until the balance is resolved. In FY 2024, the IRS filed roughly 197,000 tax liens, up from about 179,000 the year before. That’s the kind of year-over-year jump that tells you enforcement activity is trending back up, not down.

Levies: When the IRS Actually Takes the Money

Levy is the one people actually fear, and for good reasons. Levies are when the IRS directly seizes funds. That can mean emptying a bank account, garnishing wages straight from your paycheck, or taking a state refund. In FY 2025, the IRS issued more than 500,000 levies. That figure covers levies requested through both the Automated Collection System and Field Collection programs. It’s broader than wage garnishments alone, but the takeaway is the same: levies are still relatively rare compared to installment agreements, and they’re generally the last step, not the first.

The IRS doesn’t jump straight to a levy. By the time one hits, you’ve typically already received multiple notices, including a Final Notice of Intent to Levy, giving you a real window to act before it happens.

What This Means If You Owe

• The numbers confirm the IRS prefers installment agreements over enforced collection, they set up millions of them every year, and they collect billions through them
• Liens are filed quietly and often, and they attach to property even if you never hear a knock on the door
• Levies remain the exception, not the rule, and they almost always come after notices you’ve had a chance to respond to
• Overall enforcement activity is trending up year over year, which makes ignoring a balance a riskier bet than it used to be

The Real Takeaway

None of these numbers are meant to scare you, they’re meant to show you where you actually stand. The IRS’ own data says the agency would rather work out a payment plan with you than chase your bank account. The fastest way to stay on the “installment agreement” side of these statistics instead of the “lien or levy” side is simple: don’t go quiet. Respond to notices and get ahead of a balance before it escalates.

We Can Help You Stay Off These Statistics

If you’ve got a balance due and you’re not sure whether a letter in your mailbox is routine or a warning sign, we can take a look and tell you exactly where you stand and get you set up with whichever option better suits your situation.

Give us a call at 844-TAXES88 (844-829-3788) or reach out through the email in our site footer. Let’s keep you out of the levy column.