I'll tell you the secret. Or at least what has worked for me and others.

There is nothing in the law that says you have to report anything to the IRS. They are technically a foreign entity (District of Columbia).

Most people prepay their taxes by having it withheld from their paycheck. There is nothing in the law that says it has to be done this way. You can tell your HR department that you wish to handle your taxes on your own and to not withhold from your check. They might look at you sideways but it's your right.

Where people get into hot water is when they continue to report their income and decide not to pay what they "owe".

The moment you submit that filing is the moment you become liable. If you lie about how much you made in order to pay less taxes, you are liable, because you contracted with them and did so dishonestly. If you try to argue with what they calculated based on what you reported, then you are being belligerent and a court may hold you in contempt.

I've never heard of a case where someone got their door busted down for not reporting their income.

I really wish people would understand this because if we all just demanded an end to tax withholding, the government's funds would immediately dry up. They wouldn't make it to next week, let alone next year.

Disclaimer: Not a lawyer, not tax advice, YMMV.

I'll tell you the secret. Or at least what has worked for me and others.

There is nothing in the law that says you have to report anything to the IRS. They are technically a foreign entity (District of Columbia).

Most people prepay their taxes by having it withheld from their paycheck. There is nothing in the law that says it has to be done this way. You can tell your HR department that you wish to handle your taxes on your own and to not withhold from your check. They might look at you sideways but it's your right.

Where people get into hot water is when they continue to report their income and decide not to pay what they "owe".

The moment you submit that filing is the moment you become liable. If you lie about how much you made in order to pay less taxes, you are liable, because you contracted with them and did so dishonestly. If you try to argue with what they calculated based on what you reported, then you are being belligerent and a court may hold you in contempt.

I've never heard of a case where someone got their door busted down for not reporting their income.

I really wish people would understand this because if we all just demanded an end to tax withholding, the government's funds would immediately dry up. They wouldn't make it to next week, let alone next year.