When faced with a mountain of unpaid tax debt, your best bet is to work with the IRS in order to prevent the execution of a federal tax lien. Here are some tips that will help you work out terms that will be amicable to both you and the government, and get you back on track.First, get some professional help. The fact of the matter is that the Internal Revenue Service has well trained tax experts working for them. You will need some professional assistance yourself, especially when looking at huge sums of money. Professional tax attorneys will know how to provide you with the best options to avoid the implementation of a federal tax lien. In many cases, they can help you work out a payment plan with the IRS that will allow you to make monthly payments voluntarily, rather than go through garnishing of your wages.Next, be completely honest about your financial status. Nothing will derail the willingness of the IRS to work with you like trying to hide assets or not providing full disclosure about your current sources of income. Don't waste time thinking you can hold back details about that part time job so that you can still have a little extra spending money while paying off your tax debt. As tempting as it may be to hold something back, you will do much better in the long run to lay everything on the table. If you are not, negotiations are likely to cease, and a federal tax lien imposed immediately.Last, realize that you did not get into this situation without making some poor choices. There is an excellent chance that if you are currently undergoing debt counseling that the IRS will consider that fact and be more amiable to working with you without a federal tax lien being imposed. Not only will you be able to avoid the federal tax lien, but also you will be positioning yourself to avoid making the same mistakes a second time.