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Legal Aid Society

Need Help?
Call 212-577-3300

Consumer Debt & Taxes

We assist New Yorkers involved in tax disputes and consumer issues such as credit cards, auto loans, medical and student loan debt.

How To Get Help

Those seeking assistance with consumer issues should call 718-286-2450 on Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

For assistance with tax disputes, please call 212-426-3013 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Note: you will be asked to leave a message with a return phone number.

Important Things To Know

Legal Aid is compiling the most up to date information and resources for clients during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

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Having debt problems? Understanding your rights can help you deal with your debts and stop debt collectors from harassing you.

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Get the information you need to accurately file your annual taxes and respond to requests from the IRS or NYS Tax Department.

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Know Your Rights

What You Need to Know About Legal Structures for Small Business

Businesses must be organized in accordance with accepted legal structures.   There are four basic types of legal structures for small businesses in New York State:

  • Sole proprietorship
  • Partnership (general or limited)
  • Corporation
  • Limited liability company.

If you don’t choose one of these specific types of organization, by law your business will be presumed to be a sole proprietorship if there is one owner, or a general partnership if there is more than one owner.

It is strongly recommended that when choosing the type of structure for your business, you consult with a lawyer, insurance broker and accountant about the advantages, disadvantages, and tax consequences of the structure you are considering.

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What You Need to Know About Starting a Business or Non-Profit

Information for individuals considering starting a business or non-profit and a summary of the legal issues you may face.

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What You Need to Know About Medicaid and Fair Hearings

Medicaid is a comprehensive health insurance program for low-income people of all ages. Medicaid covers a variety of health services including home care, nursing home, dental, vision, crisis intervention, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient services, opioid treatment (including medication-assisted treatment), and residential treatment.

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What You Need to Know About Debt

Having debt problems? Understanding your rights can help you deal with your debts and stop debt collectors from harassing you.

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What You Need to Know About Your Rights as a Low-Income Tax Payer

Get the information you need to accurately file your annual taxes and respond to requests from the IRS or NYSDTF. If you need additional assistance, call our Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic at 212-426-3013

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Terms You Might Hear

The justice system can be overwhelming. Get familiar with some legal terms and acronyms you might hear like appeal, adjournment, petition, jurisdiction, deposition, and affidavit.

See All Terms
  • Adjournment – A temporary postponement of a case until a specified future time.
  • Appeal – When either a plaintiff or defendant (sometimes both) asks a higher court to consider a lower court judge's decision.
  • Attorney – A person admitted to practice law and authorized to perform criminal and civil legal functions on behalf of clients.
  • Clerk – An official or employee of the court who maintains the files of each case, and issues routine documents.
  • Creditor – An individual to whom an obligation is owed because he or she has given something of value in exchange.
  • DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. An American immigration policy that protects eligible immigrant youth who came to the U.S. when they were children from deportation and allows access to work permit.
  • Delinquency – An offense or misdemeanor; a misdeed; A debt or other financial obligation on which payment is overdue.
  • Evidence – A form of proof or probative matter legally presented at the trial of an issue by the acts of the parties and through witnesses, records, documents, concrete objects, etc., for the purpose of inducing belief in the minds of the court or the jury.
  • Foster Care – A system in which a child lives with and is cared for by people who are not the child's parents for a period of time.
  • Insolvent – A person whose estate is not sufficient to pay their debts.
  • Landlord – A lessor of real property; the owner or possessor of an estate in land or a rental property, who, in an exchange for rent, leases it to another individual known as the tenant.
  • Lawyer – Someone whose job is to give advice to people about the law and speak for them in court.
  • Levy – A seizure; the obtaining of money by legal process through seizure and sale of property.
  • Liability – An obligation to do, to eventually do, or to refrain from doing something; money owed; or according to law one's responsibility for his/her conduct; or one's responsibility for causing an injury.
  • Lien – A claim on specific property for payment of a debt.
  • Maintenance – Repair and upkeep in housing. OR Money or other financial support awarded to a spouse in a divorce action for his or her separate support. Also called spousal support or alimony.
  • Managed Care Plan – Managed care plans are a type of health insurance. They have contracts with health care providers and medical facilities to provide care for members at reduced costs.
  • Medicaid – A health insurance program for low-income and individuals with disabilities. Jointly paid for by the federal and state government.
  • Medicare – A federal health insurance program for people over 65, receiving Social Security Disability, or with end-stage renal disease.
  • Mortgage – A legal document by which the owner (i.e., the buyer) transfers to the lender an interest in real estate to secure the repayment of a debt, evidenced by a mortgage note.
  • Party – Person having a direct interest in a legal matter, transaction or proceeding.
  • Repossess – To take something back from a person who is buying it over a period of time because they cannot continue to pay for it.
  • Social Security – A federal program that provides income, health insurance, and other benefits.
  • Summons – A plaintiff's written notice delivered to the parties being sued, that they must respond to within a specific time.
  • TPS – Temporary Protective Status. Offers temporary legal status to certain immigrants in the United States who cannot return to their home country due to ongoing armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary reasons.
  • Warrant – An official document approved by an authority (normally a judge) which gives the police permission to do certain things.

Last Updated: 19 September 2019

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