Best Tax Relief Companies

Anthem Tax Services offers tax litigation and preparation help in all 50 states. It is accredited by the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP), the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) and the California Tax Education Council (CTEC).

Anthem Tax Services helps taxpayers with offers in compromise (OICs), installment agreements, the Fresh Start program, wage garnishment, IRS tax levies and penalty abatements. Anthem Tax Services is also available for tax preparation services to keep you out of trouble with the IRS; these services include bookkeeping and corporate tax preparation.

For truck drivers, Anthem Tax Services has dedicated tax preparation and relief services. It specializes in helping owners, operators and drivers in the trucking industry. Anthem Tax Services works to negotiate a lower tax debt with the IRS for truck drivers who owe a lot in back taxes.

What is impressive about Anthem Tax Services is its money-back guarantee that does not have a time deadline. If it does not save you money or rework your payments, it will give you your money back. This guarantee does not apply to bookkeeping, tax preparation services or the minimum deposit paid by clients.

We recommend Anthem Tax Services for:

• Available in all 50 states
• Accredited with NATP and NAEA

Some issues we found with Anthem Tax Services include:

• Fees not published
• No money-back guarantee for tax preparation

Many chose Anthem Tax Services because of how confidently the tax professionals can deal with tax issues. Reviewers felt like they were kept in the loop and that they were finally able to find a solution for their tax penalties.

One Georgia customer said: “Dealing with tax issues is frustrating. I felt like I was caught in a revolving door trying to negotiate with the IRS. … Anthem does not eliminate your tax debt, because if owed, a debt should be paid. However, Barrie worked out a plan for us, and when IRS made a mistake and wanted to penalize us, Barrie fought for us.”

Negative reviewers felt that Anthem Tax Services overpromised and oversold its services, leaving customers frustrated when things took longer than expected. Many were disappointed by how much they still owed the IRS after the resolutions were made.

Founded in 2009, Instant Tax Solutions is available to help clients across the nation. It has a team of tax attorneys, enrolled agents and certified public accountants to handle tax debt issues.

Its online form calculates how much you can save on your tax debt and which programs you might qualify for. The company says it does not have a minimum or maximum tax debt limit. Though not accredited, it says it saves its clients an average of $13,294.

While you won’t find fees published, you can request a free consultation to get a quote. It also will allow you to enter a payment plan if you cannot afford the full fee upfront. Additionally, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and no-questions-asked policy if you don’t like the service.

We love the following about Instant Tax Solutions:

• Available nationwide
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Consider these factors before moving forward:

• Not accredited
• Fees not published

Overall, reviewers who used Instant Tax Solutions were happy with the results and how the company treated them. Cynthia from Texas said: “They will treat you with respect as they put the weight of their experience and knowledge to your benefit. You will find them to be thorough, communicative and effective.”

June from Arkansas also reviewed the company on its customer service, saying: “I reached out to Instant Tax Solutions and they were good. When I called, I always got ahold of them. If I didn't, they called back within a couple of hours.”

Negative comments were about the pricing, including one customer from Colorado who felt the services were overpriced. June from Arkansas also felt the company was not clear in explaining which federal and state tax debt it tackles. June was happy overall with how the company handled her federal tax debt, but she wishes she had known they weren’t going to resolve her state tax debt.

Fresh Start Tax Relief is a small tax firm that has been helping customers since 2018. As a woman-owned business in California, its licensed agents can help customers with tax issues in major cities, like Los Angeles, Dallas and Orlando.

Fresh Start helps businesses and individuals with at least $10,000 in tax debt, although it will consider clients with as little as $5,000 of tax debt if they have several years of unfiled tax returns.

While Fresh Start does not offer a money-back guarantee, it does offer a 20% discount for clients who refer a new client. The company also doesn’t promise a timeline of how fast tax issues are resolved, but it says many are fixed within two to six months.

We recommend Fresh Start for the following reasons:

• Available nationwide
• 20% referral discount

Consider these factors before choosing the company:

• No money-back guarantee
• Fees not published

Reviewers appreciated how Fresh Start’s customer service handled delicate tax situations with care and respect. Customers also appreciated the option for a payment plan. Dawn from California said: “Regarding payments, they said, ‘This is going to be what we charge you. You can make it in three payments.’ They're not asking me to go out and finance and be charged APR as interest through their company.”

Even though Fresh Start said the average time to resolve tax debt issues was between two and six months, the process took longer for some customers. One reviewer who had a lot of tax debt said, “It took about a year and three months, from start to finish.” Another reviewer said it took eight months to resolve their tax debt.

Fortress Tax Relief is a firm that has helped individuals, small businesses and large businesses with tax troubles since 2003. Although based in Oregon, it can help any taxpayer from across the nation. Every case is personally handled by a licensed attorney who exclusively handles the resolution of back taxes.

Fortress can help in a variety of ways, including OICs, abatement of penalties, IRS installment agreements and trust fund recovery penalties. For indebted small businesses, it can help with all state and federal tax issues.

Customer satisfaction is a high priority for Fortress, and it does not accept a case until one of its attorneys has interviewed the prospective client and approved the case. Initial consultations are free. It doesn’t have a minimum debt requirement, but the company advises clients that a tax debt of less than $10,000 doesn't usually procure savings that outweigh the cost of Fortress’ services.

Fortress usually charges its clients a flat fee, though some relatively rare circumstances may require an hourly fee of between $280 and $340 or so. Total costs can range from $1,000 to $15,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the case. The attorneys at Fortress handle no more than 100 clients at a time to give each case the focus it needs.

Fortress notes on its website that it offers some kind of a money-back guarantee, stating, “If you do not wish to continue for any reason after the initial attorney consultation, just follow the simple instructions in our intake paperwork and we guarantee that 100% of any fees paid will be promptly refunded.” But it’s unclear if this money-back guarantee has any value, given that the initial consultation is supposed to be free.

Fortress Tax Relief excels in these areas:

• Work closely with an attorney
• Available in all states

The drawbacks of working with Fortress Tax Relief include:

• High hourly fees
• Unclear money-back guarantee

Many praised the company for being responsive and for getting them out of very stressful financial situations. A number of reviewers characterized the tax relief attorneys at Fortress as capable and confident.

“Unfortunately I had serious tax issues. A CFO had left me in a bad spot with the IRS. I had no idea what to do,” said one Indiana customer. “I worked with [Fortress] for over 10 years until my tax situations for my business and personal taxes were resolved. … They were able to get a significant amount of my penalties removed as well. I can't say enough about them.”

Negative reviews complained that Fortress took too long to resolve tax issues or that Fortress’ services cost too much.

Optima’s founders met in business school at the University of Pennsylvania, and they founded Optima in order to provide solutions for individuals with unmanageable tax liabilities. Optima offers a full range of tax relief solutions, including tax negotiation and settlement, IRS audit defense, and assistance with tax levies, liens, wage garnishments and back taxes.

While each tax case is unique, Optima estimates that it can help resolve many tax issues in two to six months. For individuals with a tax debt of $5,000 or more, you can request a free consultation with Optima and see if you qualify for help. Optima does not post clear pricing on its website.

Alongside tax relief services, clients can enroll in one of Optima’s protection plans. These plans help you prepare and file taxes and stay protected from the IRS. There are three tiers offered, ranging in price from $29.99 per month to $69.99 per month.

Optima has a 15-day money-back guarantee for anyone who does not like the service within the first two weeks. Clients can cancel during this time without any penalties or obligations.

Optima Tax Relief offers the following perks:

• 15-day money-back guarantee
• Protection plans available

What to consider

• Pricing for tax relief services not posted
• Protection plans are pricey

Several reviewers said that Optima was professional and that they liked the outcome of their situation. One Indiana customer said: “My experience with Optima Tax Relief has been extremely positive. They treated me with respect and advised me on everything I needed to complete for each step of the process.”

Negative reviews included clients who said Optima took three to four years to resolve their tax issues. Others warned against the upfront fees charged before services were rendered.

Larson Tax Relief was established in 2005 and specializes in emergency and long-term tax relief. This family-owned business can represent clients in all 50 states. The company president, Jack Larson, is accredited with the NAEA and NATP.

There is a minimum fee of $2,500 to work with the Larson Tax Relief team. The team usually advises debtors to use its services only if they have $15,000 or more in tax debt. Anyone can request a free consultation to find out approximately how much it would cost to get help with tax issues.

Larson Tax Relief is so confident you will want to work with it that it offers a 15-day money-back guarantee. This allows clients to meet the team before making a financial commitment. Customer support is easy to connect to, with an online chat that gives an average response time before you start talking.

Not only does the company post client testimonials, but it also posts redacted results of its interventions with tax authorities, so you can see the real resolution paperwork sent by the IRS to Larson Tax Relief’s customers.

It can help with OICs, levy releases, penalty abatements, installment agreements and more.

We recommend Larson Tax Relief for the following reasons:

• Accredited tax professionals
• 15-day money-back guarantee

Before using Larson Tax Relief, be wary of:

• High minimum fee
• Moderately high debt minimum

Customers recommended Larson Tax Relief because of its exceptional customer service and because they felt that the company cared about them and their tax issues. Many were thrilled to find peace with the IRS.

One California client said that they felt comforted working with Larson Tax Relief, saying: “Great communication skills and always calm. Never did feeI I was alone with my taxes with them. Without asking they are on it with emails and phone calls to confirm all documents are taking care of with all parties. I can live with less stress!”

Established in 2010, Community Tax is a full-service tax company available in all 50 states. The team of tax practitioners and certified public accountants (CPAs) has helped more than 100,000 clients resolve over $800 million in tax liabilities.

The process with Community Tax starts with professionals hearing your case and then providing you with a free tax analysis. Once you agree to work with Community Tax, it will get your documents from the IRS (or relevant state tax authority) and launch a full investigation. Next, you will be presented with the findings and start moving into the resolution phase to fix your current tax issues and prevent future delinquencies from occurring.

Community Tax offers the most methods of contact, including phone, online chat and email. Customers can receive assistance in both English and Spanish.

Community Tax offers a free consultation and a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you pay for a service and Community Tax can't offer the service it anticipated providing, you’ll be refunded. Community Tax charges flat fees, but it does not publish its fees on its website.

We love Community Tax for the following:

• Available in all states
• 14-day money-back guarantee

Some things to know before choosing Community Tax are:

• Lack of transparent fee structure
• Tax Assurance Program is relatively pricey

Many praised Community Tax for excellent customer service and for giving them peace of mind. At least one reviewer was able to work with Community Tax to resolve an IRS bill over $100,000.

One North Carolina reviewer said: “The reps I worked with were very open and they were good to me. They were very communicative and they answered my questions. Also, the payment was straightforward. I paid it all upfront, and it was simple over the phone. My experience was good and working with them got me caught up with the IRS.”

Others felt that the process took too long and cost too much money to be worth it. A few reviewers complained that they had to stay on top of the communication and updates with Community Tax.