As a lender, Big Rig Lending sees a wide variety of credit scores, and a wide variety of credit issues that impact a person's credit score. Some good. Some bad. A couple of those bad items that we frequently encounter are judgments and liens.

These "credit score killers" arise from a variety of situations and circumstances, but nonetheless, do have a serious impact on a person's credit score. Whether it is payroll tax liens or property tax liens or income tax liens, they all are negative, and they can kill a person's credit score.

One of the things that Big Rig Lending sees on a regular basis is poor credit scores that are impacted by small dollar state tax liens — liens less than $1,500. These kind of liens remain on your credit report for long periods of time, sometimes indefinitely, and they do have a negative impact on your credit score. Sometimes that impact is disproportionate.  Small dollar liens can a big negative impact.

So you be asking, what are some things I can do to resolve these issues?

• First, most government entities, including the IRS, have programs where individuals or businesses that owe back taxes can negotiate either payment plans or a discounted lump sum payment to get the lien released. This does require some legwork on the part of a taxpayer, but this legwork can reap big rewards. Tax liens can sometimes be settled for cents on the dollar. If you have tax lien issues, contact the taxing authority to see what their process is for negotiating tax lien repayment.

• Second, once you have determined what your options are (repayment over time or discounted lump sum payment), get in writing an agreement from the government agency to remove the issue from your credit report upon receipt of the negotiated payment.

• Finally, if you are short on funds to be able to settle these tax liens, contact Big Rig Lending. We might be able to help. We lend on the equity you have in your truck.  We loan to owner operators for insurance, repairs, working capital needs, current tax bills, and can help with prior tax obligations. Big Rig Lending may be able to help you remove some of these Credit Score Killers on your credit report.

 As always, please consult your tax advisor on situations like this.