What if I can't afford to pay my tax bill?

One of my good friends likens doing her taxes to playing the slot machines. She puts her financial information into her tax software, presses "Calculate" and hopes for the best. Sometimes she gets a refund; sometimes she owes. Despite my best efforts to get her to do some tax planning, she seems content to stick to her own methods.

She's not alone. Many taxpayers charge blindly into tax season not knowing whether they'll receive a refund or owe Uncle Sam. Without any tax planning, owing a big chunk of money to the government can catch many taxpayers by surprise -- and in some cases, it's such a big surprise that they can't afford to foot the bill. What do you do if you find that you owe taxes come tax time but don't have the ability to pay? Here are a few tips: