Lauryn Hill Making Strides To Satisfy Massive Tax Debt

BY Zachary Horvath
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Lauryn Hill performs with The Fugees at RiverBeat Music Festival on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis. © Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Lauryn Hill has been up against some hefty debt thanks to the canceled reunion tour fiasco, but now things are trending up.

Lauryn Hill's financial situation is trending in the right direction thanks to a couple of developments. One of them is the singer entering a repayment plan to pay off her hefty tax debt. According to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, it totals nearly $900,000.

They filed two separate liens against Hill, with the first being over an unpaid debt totaling $133,246. Her second one is carrying the most financial weight as it sits at $758,912.02. As it stands, both are active.

TMZ was able to get in contact with one of the acclaimed artist's reps to explain the situation.

68th GRAMMY Awards - Show
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: Lauryn Hill performs onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

"Ms. Hill is complying with a repayment plan she entered into with the State of New Jersey to resolve state income tax liabilities incurred after cancellation of a tour, which greatly impacted the tour’s cash flow."

Lauryn Hill & Pras Michel Tour Lawsuit

2023 Roots Picnic
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 03: Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel of The Fugees perform during the 2023 Roots Picnic at The Mann on June 03, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images)

That leads us into the second development tying into this tax debt. On Wednesday, March 11, fellow Fugee Pras Michel decided to drop his lawsuit against her. He was accusing her groupmate of fraudulently canceling the Fugees 2023 reunion tour.

Michel and his attorney previously claimed, "Ms. Hill’s chronic tardiness was a hallmark of the tour, with shows routinely starting two or more hours late. Hill canceled the second half of the tour and, at the same time, financially penalized and defrauded Mr. Michel." Additionally, Pras accused Hill of trying to take 60 percent of the tour's earnings and leaving him out of an agreed upon one-third cut.

Now that the touring matter is out of the way, Hill is more easily able to move forward and tackle her taxes. Unfortunately, the "Ex-Factor" singer and rapper has a history of not paying the IRS. In 2012, she pleaded guilty to three counts of tax evasion. Prosecutors accused her of dodging file returns on the $1.8 million she earned between 2005 to 2007.

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.

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