How to Fill Out the FIS Form (433-F): Sections, Standards, and Filing

To fill out Form 433-F, the IRS Collection Information Statement, you list your household’s accounts and digital assets, real estate and vehicles, credit cards, income, and monthly living expenses on a two-page form, then submit it to the IRS office or revenue officer handling your case. The figures you enter need to match what the IRS can see from W-2s, 1099s, bank reports, and credit bureau data, and your monthly expenses need to line up with the agency’s published spending caps. The form drives what collection option you end up with: an installment agreement, Currently Not Collectible status, or a path toward an offer in compromise.

Make Sure 433-F Is the Form You Should Use

The IRS has three collection information statements, and using the wrong one delays your case.

Form 433-F is the streamlined version for wage earners and self-employed individuals. The IRS typically requests it when you owe more than $50,000 and want an installment agreement, when the payment you propose is below the minimum the IRS calculates, or when the agency is considering placing your account in Currently Not Collectible status.¹²

Form 433-A is the longer version for individuals. A specific variant, Form 433-A (OIC), is required for an offer in compromise, and the full 433-A is required to evaluate collection alternatives at a Collection Due Process hearing.³⁴ Form 433-B is for business tax liabilities and covers items like accounts receivable and inventory.⁵

If a revenue officer or IRS notice tells you which form to use, use that one. Otherwise 433-F is the safe starting point for individuals, and the IRS can ask you to upgrade to 433-A if it needs more detail. One boundary worth naming: for a straightforward streamlined installment agreement submitted through the Online Payment Agreement tool, the IRS generally waives the financial statement altogether, so you may not need to file 433-F at all.¹

What to Have in Front of You

The IRS cross-references your entries against third-party data it already holds, so pull the underlying records first. Blanks and rounded guesses are what trigger follow-up requests.

For income, get recent pay stubs showing gross pay per pay period along with federal, state, and local withholding.⁶ If you are self-employed, have your most recent profit-and-loss statement or Schedule C ready. Pull documentation for any non-wage income too: Social Security, pensions, rental income, alimony, unemployment, interest, and dividends.

For accounts, gather current statements for every checking, savings, and money market account, including online and mobile accounts like PayPal, plus balances for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, and retirement accounts such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and Keogh plans.⁷

For digital assets, note the type of currency, the wallet or exchange, the associated email address, and the current U.S. dollar value. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, non-fungible tokens, and smart contracts all fall under the digital assets section.⁶⁷

For property and vehicles, you need the current market value, remaining loan balance, monthly payment, and purchase year. Form 433-F computes equity as current value minus balance owed.⁶

For expenses, collect recent bills for rent or mortgage, utilities, car payments, insurance, and medical costs. The IRS will compare what you claim against its allowable expense standards, so actual receipts and statements protect you if a figure is questioned.

Working Through the Sections

Personal Information

Enter your name, address, county of residence, Social Security number or ITIN, and phone numbers, plus your spouse’s information if you are married. The form asks for household dependents split into those under 65 and those 65 and older. That count is not incidental. The IRS uses it to set the National Standards allowance for your household.⁶

Section A: Accounts, Investments, and Digital Assets

List every personal bank account with institution name, account number, type, and current balance, then do the same for investment accounts. If you hold cryptocurrency or other digital assets, complete the digital assets subsection with wallet details and the dollar value as of the date you fill out the form.⁶

Sections B and C: Real Estate and Other Assets

Section B covers real property. Enter the description and location, monthly payment, current fair market value, and remaining loan balance for each property, and mark whether it is your primary residence. The form calculates equity by subtracting what you owe from the value. Section C uses the same value-minus-balance approach for other assets carrying loans, such as vehicles and boats.⁶

Section D: Credit Cards

List each card with its type, credit limit, current balance, and minimum monthly payment.

Sections F and G: Income

Section F is employment income: employer name and address, pay frequency, gross pay per period, and taxes withheld. Section G is all other household income, including alimony, child support, net self-employment income, rental income, unemployment, pensions, Social Security, and interest or dividends.⁶

Section H: Monthly Living Expenses

Expenses are broken into categories the IRS recognizes: food and personal care, transportation, housing and utilities, medical expenses, and other items such as court-ordered payments and child care. What you write here is compared to the IRS’s allowable expense standards, and that comparison is where the payment amount actually gets set.

How the IRS Measures Your Expenses

The IRS does not accept whatever monthly expenses you write down. It applies Collection Financial Standards, which cap what it considers necessary spending. Knowing the caps before you fill in Section H keeps you from reporting numbers that will be reduced on the spot.

National Standards

National Standards cover food, housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care, and a miscellaneous category. The IRS allows these amounts by household size without asking what you actually spend. For 2025–2026, the monthly totals are:

One person: $839
Two persons: $1,481
Three persons: $1,753
Four persons: $2,129

Add $394 per month for each additional person beyond four. These figures remain in effect until the IRS publishes updated numbers, currently expected in June 2026. If your actual spending is below the standard, you still get the full allowance. If it is higher, you need documentation to justify the excess, and no deviation is permitted for the miscellaneous subcategory.⁸

Local Standards

Housing, utilities, and transportation allowances are set by county and region. The IRS derives housing figures from Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, broken down by county and household size. Transportation standards separate vehicle ownership costs (loan or lease payments) from operating costs (gas, insurance, maintenance) and vary by Census region. You are generally allowed the local standard or your actual payment, whichever is less.⁹

Other Necessary Expenses

Costs outside those standards, such as health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket medical expenses, court-ordered payments, child care, life insurance, current-year estimated taxes, and payments on secured debts, can be allowed if they pass the “necessary expense test”: the cost must be needed for the health and welfare of your family or for producing income. The IRS evaluates these case by case, and unusual amounts require documentation.⁹

Where to Send the Completed Form

Delivery depends on the context. If a revenue officer is assigned to your case, that officer tells you where to send it, usually by fax or mail to their office. If you received a notice requesting the form, follow the return instructions on the notice.

For installment agreements that can be handled online, the IRS website offers an Online Payment Agreement tool. Form 433-F itself directs taxpayers to apply at irs.gov by navigating to the payment options and selecting “Installment Agreement.”⁶

When mailing, use certified mail with a return receipt so the postmark serves as proof of timely submission. When faxing, keep the transmission confirmation. Those records protect you if the IRS later says it did not receive your paperwork.

What the IRS Does With Your Form

An IRS employee reviews your submission against W-2s, 1099s, bank information returns, and credit bureau data. Mismatches lead to a request for supporting documents: bank statements, pay stubs, lease agreements, or proof of specific expenses. After the review, the outcome usually falls into one of three categories.

The most common is an installment agreement. If your income exceeds your allowable expenses, the IRS calculates a monthly payment from the difference. A partial-payment installment agreement is possible when the calculated payment will not clear the full debt before the collection statute expires.¹

If your allowable expenses equal or exceed your income, the IRS may place your account in Currently Not Collectible status. The debt does not go away; penalties and interest keep running, and the IRS periodically re-checks your finances to see if anything has changed.²

If the numbers show the IRS cannot collect the full amount before the statute runs out, an offer in compromise may be on the table. That path is not handled through 433-F. It requires Form 433-A (OIC) or 433-B (OIC), additional documentation, and an application fee.³

Do Not Understate or Hide Anything

Understating income or omitting assets on a collection information statement is a federal crime. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, knowingly making a false statement on a document submitted to a federal agency carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine set under the sentencing guidelines.¹⁰ The statute reaches falsifying a material fact, making a fraudulent statement, and using a document known to contain false information. Because the IRS cross-checks your figures against employment records, bank data, and property filings, discrepancies surface quickly, and the agency is far less willing to extend favorable terms to someone who lied on the disclosure.

1
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 9465
2
Internal Revenue Service. Temporarily Delay the Collection Process
3
Internal Revenue Service. Offer in Compromise
4
Internal Revenue Service. Collection Due Process (CDP) FAQs
5
Internal Revenue Service. Collection Information Statement for Businesses
6
Internal Revenue Service. Collection Information Statement
7
Internal Revenue Service. Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals
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Internal Revenue Service. National Standards: Food, Clothing and Other Items
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Internal Revenue Service. 5.15.1 Financial Analysis Handbook
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally