Best Tax Relief Companies

Reputable tax relief companies are hard to come by, but Precision Tax Relief rose to the top in nearly every aspect of our analysis. First and foremost is the company’s 30-day money-back guarantee, one of the longest in the industry.

The company bases its pricing on a flat-rate fee presented during a free consultation. The only way your fee will increase is if the scope of work changes from your initial quote due to new information that was not provided during your consultation. Payment options are flexible with a choice between one lump-sum payment or a zero-interest payment plan.

Precision does not require that clients have a minimum debt amount. However, a call with their customer service department revealed that their base service fee may not be worth it for taxpayers who owe less than $10,000 with no other variables. And they only take on cases if the possible debt relief makes the service fees worthwhile for clients.

Precision Tax Relief has been in business since 1967 and offers convenient customer service options via phone, text message, email, and live chat. The company is certified by the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers (ASTPS), which is awarded to CPAs with a proven ability to solve a range of problems with the IRS.

The company does have a few limitations. For example, they don’t offer tax audit representation, a service many competitors provide. Precision Tax Relief also deals exclusively with federal taxes and does not handle state tax issues.

Many tax relief companies don’t offer a money-back guarantee at all. Others offer a full refund for the first 14 or even 30 days. Anthem Tax Services, however, offers a unique, no-time-limit guarantee. If the IRS refuses to reduce either your total debt or your monthly payment amount, the company will refund any fees paid for its services.

One important note here: Anthem Tax Services’ money-back guarantee doesn’t constitute a promise to reduce your total tax liability to the IRS. It’s entirely possible the company will only be able to reduce your current monthly payment, meaning you’ll still have the same amount of debt; it will just be paid back in smaller amounts over a longer period of time. This may reduce the immediate financial burden but won’t save you any money in the long term. A longer repayment schedule will result in a larger overall payment to IRS because of interest charges over a longer time period. 

Anthem Tax Services charges a flat-rate fee determined on a case-by-case basis. This fee can be broken down into a payment plan for those who can’t afford to pay upfront. The company is accredited by both the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) and the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA).

We noticed a handful of customer reviews for Anthem Tax Services complaining about a lack of regular communication and updates. While reviews are still overall positive, with the company earning four out of five stars on most review sites, this is something to keep in mind. It might be a good idea to ask upfront about what you can expect in terms of communications and updates from your case manager. You can contact Anthem by visiting the company's website or calling 844-377-6553.

It’s common for tax relief companies to calculate fees based on a percentage of the overall tax debt you currently owe to the IRS. With large tax debt, this can quickly add up to an exorbitant amount that doesn’t reflect the number of hours required to resolve a higher-debt case. For example, a $20,000 debt probably won’t take twice the amount of work to resolve than a $10,000 debt.

Fortress Tax Relief offers a unique approach by generating quotes based on the estimated time required. Hourly fees for an attorney vary, but typical EA hourly rates range from $100 to $200 per hour. For consumers with large amounts of tax debt, this means you’ll probably pay significantly less than you would with percentage-based tax relief companies. (Still, it never hurts to get a few quotes from different companies just to make sure.)

There are a few other perks to working with Fortress Tax Relief, including its comprehensive customer service guarantee. If you have an active case, customer service will return your phone calls and emails within two business days. If the company fails to meet this promise more than once, you'll receive a $100 account credit for each subsequent occurrence.

While Fortress Tax Relief provides individual state tax debt services in all 50 states, its business services are relatively limited. The company is also not a member of any of the common industry accreditation organizations.

Generally speaking, you can typically settle tax debts under $10,000 by yourself without much issue. However, if you need some professional assistance to resolve a small tax debt, CommunityTax may accept cases as low as $7,500, among the lowest of all competitors. The company will take on cases if it believes the cost of the services is worth it to the prospective client. It also offers many resources and services that are particularly valuable to those with small tax debt.

CommunityTax’s website is a trove of free resources that include guides and links to relevant IRS resources. This is a great place to start to see if your small tax debt requires professional help at all. You might even find the free information available through CommunityTax's website is enough to navigate the debt on your own.

In fact, CommunityTax is an IRS Approved Continuing Education Provider, which means it is authorized to provide continuing education programs to tax professionals. Due to this, we have confidence not only in the information available through the company’s website but also in the knowledgeability of CommunityTax case managers.

In addition to free resources, CommunityTax offers a $39 per month program called the Community Tax Assurance Program (TAP). The program includes access to a mobile app that performs tax account monitoring, as well as access to your IRS transcripts and annual 1040 tax returns.

TAP is designed as a preventive solution to keep taxpayers from falling behind on payments with better education and preparation. If you’re struggling with a small amount of tax debt, this program could help you continue to stay out of debt after you’ve resolved your current financial situation.

Although we were impressed by CommunityTax’s 14-day customer service guarantee, we found the company’s fee structure to be less transparent than some competitors. We were advised that depending on the scenario, some customers pay a flat fee upfront while others might incur ongoing charges. We also noticed a trend in some customer reviews of issues with CommunityTax’s handling of state tax debt.

Most tax relief companies offer services for both individuals and businesses, but they’re generally more cut out for individual tax debt. Enterprise Consultants Group is the exception. The company offers the most well-rounded catalog of business services we could find among all tax relief organizations.

Services tailored to small businesses include tax-related issues such as payroll tax resolution and tax accounting, in addition to business licensing, registered agent services, and other needs requiring an accountant or lawyer.

Enterprise Consultants Group offers a free consultation, which is standard among tax relief companies. However, the group includes a free IRS transcript analysis for individuals and businesses. This is something most competitors charge for, so it’s a great value with no commitment.

Enterprise Consultants Group is accredited by the NATP and holds additional law-related credentials. However, it doesn’t offer a guarantee, and we were disappointed by the lack of resources on its website. We also found that most of its state tax services were tailored toward individuals and businesses in California, where the company is headquartered. This doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t handle a case involving state tax debt from another state, but it’s certainly something to ask about during a consultation.

Dealing with the IRS on your own can be overwhelming, but even more so when English isn’t your first language. If you know a native Spanish speaker struggling with tax debt, Tax Defense Network can help. The company has bilingual tax professionals on staff and a dedicated customer service line for assistance in Spanish.

Tax Defense Network requires a minimum debt of $5,000, which is typical for a tax relief company. This makes it a fair choice for situations where the debtor is struggling to communicate with the IRS due to a language barrier.

Having started in 2007, Tax Defense Network is a well-established tax relief company with an overall positive record.

One of the best indicators that a tax relief company has your best interests in mind is an education-based approach. With educational resources, tax relief companies can empower their customers with the knowledge and skills required to prevent further tax debt. This is exactly what ALG Tax Solutions does with its online resource library.

ALG Tax Solutions’ free resources include online calculators, eBooks, and other useful tools. For example, the company offers a free online meter called the IRS Letter Decoder which shows you how serious a notice from the IRS is simply by entering a code found on the letter. ALG Tax Solutions was founded in 2011.

ALG Tax Solutions also offers a standalone service called a tax help evaluation, a relatively low-cost option in which a tax professional reviews your tax documentation, conducts a full financial review, and provides recommendations for how to proceed. There’s no obligation to sign up for further tax relief services with ALG Tax Solutions after completing this service. In fact, the professional who reviews your case may even recommend steps to resolve the situation on your own.

One drawback to working with ALG Tax Solutions is that the company only provides assistance for federal IRS taxes. State tax services are available for individuals and businesses. ALG Tax Solutions offers no guarantee on its services.