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IRS Form 433-F: Collection Information Statement Explained

By the Tax Relief Answers editors · Sources checked November 3, 2026 · How we check

The short answer

Form 433-F, Collection Information Statement, is the financial statement the IRS uses to see how a wage earner or self-employed individual can pay a tax debt. The instructions printed on the form say exactly that, and the current revision is July 2024 (checked November 2026 on the irs.gov forms list). You normally send it because the IRS asked for it, for example before approving a payment plan or a temporary hardship delay. The form is free from irs.gov, and the IRS publishes a Spanish version, 433-F (SP).

Form 433-F at a glance

Who files it

Individuals: wage earners and self-employed people. IRS Publication 594 says that before approving an installment agreement, the IRS may ask you to complete a collection information statement (Form 433-F, 433-A or 433-B) and prove your financial status. The IRS page on temporarily delaying collection lists the same three forms for a Currently Not Collectible request. The Form 9465 instructions also say the IRS may ask for a Form 433-F after reviewing a payment plan request.

What the form covers

The form asks, section by section, for bank and investment accounts, digital assets, real estate, vehicles and other assets, credit cards and lines of credit, income, and monthly living expenses, some of which are compared with IRS allowable standards. We do not give line-by-line filling instructions. The instructions that start on page 3 of the PDF explain each section, and our Form 433-F checklist lists what to gather.

Where and how it is submitted

The form gives no single mailing address. You send it to the IRS office or employee that asked for it, usually by the method and address in the letter or call that requested it. The form says that if you are requesting an installment agreement, you should submit Form 9465 along with Form 433-F, and it asks you to keep a copy of the completed form and your documents. The IRS may then contact you for proof of income or expenses.

Steps

1. Read the IRS letter or note that asked for the form and its due date.
2. Download the current revision from irs.gov, in English or Spanish.
3. Gather statements for every account, asset, debt and income source the form lists.
4. Send it to the office that asked for it, with Form 9465 if you are requesting a payment plan on paper.
5. Keep a full copy and proof of when you sent it.

Common mistakes

• Sending Form 433-F when the IRS asked for Form 433-A, which is longer, or the other way around. Use the form named in the request.
• Leaving accounts off because they have no balance. The form says to list all accounts, even with no balance.
• Filling it out when you owe $50,000 or less and only want a simple payment plan. The Form 9465 instructions say a simple payment plan generally does not require a financial statement.

Form 433-F is the starting point for several IRS options: a payment plan, a partial payment installment agreement and Currently Not Collectible status. For an offer in compromise the IRS uses a different statement, Form 433-A (OIC), inside the Form 656-B booklet.

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