Your best bet is to contact your town or city tax assessor and try to work out some sort of arrangement to pay the back taxes. Ideally, you should contact those that you owe money to before you get behind in payments. Creditors (including municipal tax officials) are generally a lot more willing to make concessions before you are late with payments. However, in your situation, you have nothing to lose. Another option for assistance is the HOPE NOW Alliance, which includes a number of organizations that provide credit counseling, debt management, and foreclosure prevention counseling services. To find a HOPE NOW credit counselor in your area, see www.hopenow.com. Another national resource with local connections is the 211 organization. Either call the number "211," or go to www.211.org. Individuals calling 211 are able to speak to a trained information and referral specialist to find out about specific community resources in their area. We would like your feedback on this Personal Finance Frequently Asked Question.

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