Your first step should be to check your credit reports for tax liens (or any other unverifiable public records like a bankruptcy or judgment). You can acquire your three-bureau credit reports once a year for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. In the case that you do find a tax lien (or any incorrect item), you can dispute this with the bureaus either on your own or through a reputable credit repair service. Disputing and removing a tax lien will not get rid of it completely. You are still liable for any unpaid debt, so you will ideally want to pay off the lien. If you are unable to pay your taxes on time and in full, set up a payment plan with the IRS to ensure that a tax lien will not appear on your credit report in the future.