A lien is a claim laid by a creditor against your property until the debt is paid in full. Oft times the lien may be released upon an arrangement for payment. The IRS can place a federal tax lien upon your property, In order to do so, it must follow a specific process. Initially, it will issue a Notice of Demand for Payment. If this is ignored, refused or neglected for 10 days, the IRS will then issue a Notice of Federal Tax Lien. This effectively places a lien on your property. In other words, the IRS has a legal claim to your property. This will only end with a Release of Notice of Federal Tax Lien. The release is issued only after 1 of 2 things is occurs. The debtor reaches an agreement with the IRS guaranteeing payment or after 30 days past the date of payment, money is received. The notice of Federal Tax Lien is an aggressive measure. The lien can be withdrawn if the Notice of Federal Tax Lien was filed incorrectly e.g. not according to IRS procedure or filed prematurely. An installment agreement is also another effective easy to halt a federal lien.