7 Best Tax Relief Companies of 2025

Falling behind on your debt to Uncle Sam can be stressful. But it is relatively common: In 2023, Americans owed more than $158 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest.

If you’re in this position, your first step should be to work with the IRS and its tools directly to come up with a plan. But if you need more help, you may want to consider hiring a tax relief company. Exercise caution: Some of these firms can be predatory, or at the very least overconfident, guaranteeing to resolve your debt issue when they don’t actually have the power to do so. You’ll need to do careful research before engaging a tax relief company.

What to know about tax relief

• We found that the best tax relief companies offer rates starting at $2,000 for full representation, require minimum debts that are likely to make the fees worth your money, have money-back guarantees and boast positive customer reviews.
• All of our top picks are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and offer free consultations.
• Community Tax Relief is our best overall tax relief company, while Larson Tax Relief has comparatively affordable fees and Precision Tax Relief has the best customer service.

How we chose our top picks

Our editors and writers reviewed a variety of tax relief companies to ensure our content is precise and guided by editorial accuracy. We reached out to the companies listed to gather information and conducted interviews with experts. We ultimately decided our ranking based on 16 data points, including minimum debt relief required, fees, money-back guarantees and customer reviews.

Read the full methodology to learn more.

Our top picks for tax relief companies

Community Tax Relief — Best Overall
Precision Tax Relief — Best Customer Service
Anthem Tax Services — Best Guarantee
Larson Tax Relief — Most Affordable Fees
Victory Tax Lawyers — Best for Large Tax Debts
Optima Tax Relief — Best Mobile App
Tax Defense Network — Best for Bilingual Services

Why we chose this company: Community Tax Relief secured its title as best overall tax relief company due to its affordable fees, money-back guarantee, positive customer reviews and bilingual services. Investigation fees are $295 for personal cases and $595 for business cases on average, and total fees for tax relief range from roughly $2,000 to $7,000. This is why the company has a minimum debt threshold of $10,000: “In most cases, if clients owe less than that amount, it does not make sense to work with us,” says David Goodley, Community Tax Relief’s director of marketing.

The company is fully staffed with both native English and Spanish speakers at every point of service, and it offers a money-back guarantee. There is also a mobile app, which is rare for these types of companies.

Read Money’s full Community Tax Relief review.

Why we chose this company: Precision Tax Relief stands out for its customer service reviews, including a 4.9 out of 5 rating from both TrustPilot and the BBB. The reviews say that clients are assigned to one person who becomes extremely familiar with your situation (as opposed to a team that doesn’t know your case as well). They also mention that the tax professionals are knowledgeable and helpful throughout the process.

While the company doesn’t have a minimum requirement for a balance owed to the IRS and will not turn away someone who owes less than $10,000, Precision Tax Relief told Money that taxpayers who owe less than $10,000 often don’t find the value in hiring it. The fees start at $400 for clients only needing tax return help and $3,600 for those needing representation.

Read Money’s full Precision Tax Relief review.

Why we chose this company: While money-back guarantees are common among tax relief companies, most have a time limit. That’s not the case for Anthem Tax Services, which offers a 100% money-back guarantee if your tax situation does not improve.

The company charges a flat rate fee upfront that can vary widely per individual customer, but generally starts around $3,000, and the price can change if extra services are required along the way. In addition to having at least $10,000 in debt, clients also cannot be in active bankruptcy and must have a monthly income of $2,000 to be eligible.

Read Money’s full Anthem Tax Services review.

Why we chose this company: When you’re drowning in tax debt, the last thing you want to do is have to offer up a ton of money to fix the issue. Larson Tax Relief charges less than some others on this list: Fees start at $200 to file tax returns, between $250 and $500 for research and discovery, and a minimum of $2,500 for tax representation services (as of 2024, when Money was last able to confirm the firm’s costs). Note that Community Tax Relief, our pick for best overall tax relief company, has fees starting even lower at $2,000; this is an alternative.

Larson Tax relief has a high minimum debt requirement at $20,000, though that means that you’re not likely to pay the company more for tax relief than the amount of debt you owe. The firm could be a good option if you’re looking for business tax relief.

Read Money’s full Larson Tax Relief review.

Why we chose this company: Victory Tax Lawyers may have a high minimum debt requirement ($25,000) and higher minimum cost than others on this list ($5,500), but it could be a good option if you are dealing with large tax debts. It is a law firm, not just a resolution company, which means that unlike with many tax relief companies, your consultation will take place with a licensed attorney.

Although the firm offers a wide range of services, it's the only company on our list with no money-back guarantee.

Why we chose this company: Many tax relief companies require you to undergo a consultation as a first step, but Optima Tax Relief lets you get started with its mobile app. It’s rare for tax relief companies to even have a mobile app at all, much less one that allows you to file a free tax extension and analyze your IRS notices.

As for tax relief services, the investigation fee is generally about $295 (as of 2024, when Money was last able to confirm its fees). Optima Tax Relief can help with both IRS and state tax relief, though a $10,000 minimum debt is usually required for the services to make sense.

Read Money’s full Optima Tax Relief review.

Why we chose this company: The Tax Defense Network is the clear winner of our best bilingual services category thanks to its English- and Spanish-speaking tax specialists and full website in both English and Spanish. The company also accepts a much lower minimum tax debt than its competitors at $5,000 — though, as always, customers should research whether the cost of services are worth the help they will receive.

The Tax Defense Network offers both IRS and state tax relief services, as well as specialized business tax solutions including close corporate filing services for when businesses need to shut down permanently. However, its three-day money-back guarantee is the shortest among the companies on this list that do offer a money-back guarantee.

Read Money’s full Tax Defense Network review.

Other tax relief companies we considered

We assessed many more tax relief companies that ultimately did not make our list. Below are several companies that were not named on our list but that may be a fit depending on your situation.

Priority Tax Relief

Priority Tax relief offers both federal and state tax relief services nationwide, as well as bookkeeping, tax planning and more. As with the other companies on this list, the company offers complimentary tax consultations and will then provide a customized price for customer-specific services with fees starting as low as $350. However, the three-day money-back guarantee is much shorter than the guarantees of most companies on our list.

Perfect Tax Relief

Perfect Tax Relief offers both state and federal tax relief to people across the country, and its fees are relatively low ($2,000 to $7,500). While there’s a $10,000 minimum debt requirement if no tax preparation is needed, there’s no minimum if tax preparation is required. There is also no money-back guarantee.

What to know about tax relief

If you owe the IRS money, don’t panic. You have options. The first step you should take is to speak to the IRS directly or use its online tools to see if you can resolve the issue through one of its channels or programs (like by setting up a payment plan). If you owe state taxes, you’ll need to check on what’s possible through your state’s revenue department.

But if you’re not able to make a plan to get out from under the debt with the IRS, there are professionals you can hire to help you. Enter tax relief companies, which will take on the burden of negotiating a payment plan with the IRS for a fee. That fee can be quite high and, in many cases, it may not be worth it (again, you should always check with the IRS directly about your options before hiring a third party).

Read below for more on how tax relief works, the types of tax relief and how to choose a company. You can also read Money’s full guide to tax relief.

How does tax relief work?

Tax relief companies can work with the IRS or your state’s revenue office to lower your tax burden. The process typically goes like this:

• Free consultation. You will meet, often by phone, with the tax relief company to go over your specific financial situation, and it will let you know if you’re a fit for their services. Many companies have a minimum requirement, such as $10,000. While that may seem high, it’s often the threshold of what you need to owe in order for a company’s services to be worth the cost, which can be high ($2,000 to $7,000, for example). Don’t be swayed by tax relief companies boasting a free consultation as a huge selling point; this is common practice.
• Investigation. Once you’ve hired the tax relief company, it will do a deeper analysis of your situation, start communicating with the IRS or your state on your behalf, and review your options.
• Resolution (ideally). In a best-case scenario, you’ll eventually be able to lower your tax burden. This can take several months or even years.

How to choose a tax relief company

Tax relief companies can be predatory, so if you choose this route, you need to do careful research. And again, it’s always best to first determine whether you can set up a payment plan with the IRS or your state, or use another government-approved tool, to lower your tax burden. Only then, if you’re still looking for answers, may it make sense to work with a qualified tax attorney or tax relief company.

“I would put [third-party tax relief] at the bottom of the list,” says Christine Damico, a certified financial planner with Domain Money.

Here are several factors to consider when selecting a tax relief company.

Credibility

Check the BBB website to make sure that the company you’re considering is accredited. Firms will also usually include certifications and memberships — the National Association of Tax Professionals or National Association of Enrolled Agents, for example — on their website. It’s also a good idea to check customer reviews on TrustPilot, Yelp, the BBB and other review sites.

If a company is telling you that you definitely qualify for tax relief, that’s a red flag, says Damico.

“Only the IRS or the state can actually make that determination,” she adds. Another red flag is if a tax relief company provides any upfront guarantee about the results, like that you’ll only pay 10% of your tax burden. It can’t guarantee a certain outcome.

You should also be wary of companies that push you to buy services immediately. After a consultation, you’ll want to revisit the IRS website to make sure what the company is telling you about your situation is accurate — and take the time to comfortably explore all your options.

Cost

Tax relief companies tend to have opaque fee structures because the amount you owe will come down to your specific situation and what the workload will be on the companies’ end. None of the companies on our list provide specific fee information on their website, but many told Money the fees can begin at $2,000 to $3,500 for full tax relief services.

Be careful of companies asking for a high lump sum payment upfront or high monthly fees, since they can drag out the process to increase your bill, Damico says.

“The fee structure should be tied into the questions that are being asked,” she adds. “Are they trying to understand how this tax bill came into being in the first place, or is there a rush to get the payment from you before realizing what’s actually happening in your tax situation?”

Services and availability

Consider what the tax relief company is actually offering you. If your tax situation is simple, like if you need more time to pay your tax bill, you may only need help negotiating a payment plan with the IRS (though this is something you should likely first try to do on your own). But if your situation is more complicated, like you’ve owed the IRS thousands of dollars for the last few years , you may want help negotiating options like wage garnishments.

You also want to make sure the company can help with both IRS and state relief, if that’s what you need, and that it operates in your state. Some companies also provide extra services like audit representation, bookkeeping and tax prep, while others don’t.

Latest tax relief news

The 2025 tax brackets, which were announced by the IRS late last year, showed smaller increases than taxpayers have seen in the past. The 2025 tax filing season — for the 2024 tax year — officially opens Jan. 27, and returns are due April 15. Taxpayers who owed the government were previously getting a bit more leeway from the IRS due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the agency is now back to collecting in earnest.

On Jan. 10, the IRS announced that individuals and businesses in southern California affected by wildfires now have until Oct. 15 to file their taxes. You can always check the IRS’s list of eligible localities to see if you qualify for disaster relief.

How we chose the best tax relief companies

To create our methodology, we did extensive research to pinpoint 16 data points we could use to assess companies. These data points fell into four categories: availability, cost, credibility and services. Credibility made up 35% of our weighting for each company, since tax relief companies can be predatory and illegitimate. Cost made up 30% of the scores, as it’s one of the main factors that customers should consider when deciding to work with these companies. Availability and services were weighed at 20% and 15%, respectively, because they determine how many people can actually use a given tax relief service.

Below are more details on the data points considered within each category.

• Availability: We considered the minimum debt required to work with a company, whether it provided both IRS and state tax relief, nationwide availability and whether it offered a mobile app.
• Cost: For cost, we considered fees, whether it offered a free consultation and money-back (or service) guarantees.
• Credibility: We checked that the companies were accredited by the BBB and evaluated their customer reviews from the BBB, TrustPilot, Yelp and other sources. We also assessed their certifications and memberships, like the National Association of Tax Professionals and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, since professional organizations often help develop guidelines and ethical standards that hold members to a higher standard.
• Services: The services factor included the type of tax relief and other tax-related services offered, customer service availability and hours, and whether there were bilingual services.

Summary of our top picks for tax relief

Community Tax Relief — Best Overall
Precision Tax Relief — Best Customer Service
Anthem Tax Services — Best Guarantee
Larson Tax Relief — Most Affordable Fees
Victory Tax Lawyers — Best for Large Tax Debts
Optima Tax Relief — Best Mobile App
Tax Defense Network — Best for Bilingual Services

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