Category: Practice Management

Note: Detailed review coming soon.

There are only four full-featured tax resolution software solutions in existence (plus three partial/lite solutions).

When Canopy launched back in 2014, I was an immediate fan. I was an early informal advisor to the company, and brought them many of their earliest customers. Their software was, at the time, quite groundbreaking in terms of features and user interface compared to the two other options that existed on the market at the time, which I wasn’t at all a fan of.

But over time, Canopy started spending more of their development resources on other projects, particularly their practice management software (which I’m not impressed with). As such, the tax resolution piece started to languish. Now, I don’t blame them — the practice management side is the much larger marketplace, and the company has to answer to venture capital firms now. I get it. But this shift in priorities, as well as their recent move to nickel-and-dime pricing on a per case basis, left a very sour taste in my mouth. Because of the pricing change in particular, I just can’t recommend them any further.

Fortunately, a newcomer to the tax resolution software space has been making amazing strides in the past few years: IRS Solutions Software.

This small, family-owned company was started by two Enrolled Agents, and they’re not out chasing all that VC cheddar. Rather, they’re focused on creating great tax resolution software at an affordable price without any nickel-and-diming.

I’m planning on doing a full review of the software soon, with videos and screen shots to show you just how great it is. But until I put that together, I want to encourage you to try it out yourself.

Head on over to https://IRSsolutions.com, and use coupon code jassen7 to get your first month for just $7. I think you’ll find the interface easier to use, the integrated IRS notice explanations (without additional fee!) to be very helpful, and hands down the best transcript report in the industry (way better than Tax Help Software’s transcript report, in my personal opinion).… Continue reading

The IRS has extended the federal due date for filing and payment of 2020 tax returns to May 17, 2021.

The following states/territories have announced their own filing deadline extensions as well. As more states make announcements, we will update this list for you.

Alabama – May 17

Alaska – N/A

Arizona –

Arkansas – May 17

American Samoa –

California – May 17

Colorado – May 17

Connecticut – May 17

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  –

Delaware – May 17

District of Columbia – July 15

Florida – N/A

Georgia – May 17

Guam – May 17

Hawaii – April 20

Idaho – April 15

Illinois – May 17

Indiana – May 17

Iowa –

Kansas – May 17

Kentucky – May 17

Louisiana – June 15

Maine – May 17

Maryland – July 15

Massachusetts – May 17

Michigan – May 17

Minnesota – May 17

Mississippi –

Missouri – May 17

Montana – May 17

Nebraska – May 17

Nevada – N/A

New Hampshire – N/A

New Jersey – May 17

New Mexico – May 17

New York – May 17

North Carolina – May 17

North Dakota – May 17

Ohio – April 15

Oklahoma – June 15

Oregon – May 17

Pennsylvania – May 17

Puerto Rico – pass-thru entity filing deadline extended from March 15 to April 15

Rhode Island – May 17

South Carolina – May 17

South Dakota – N/A

Tennessee – Hall Tax deadline extended to July 15

Texas – N/A

Utah – May 17

U.S. Virgin Islands – May 17

Vermont – May 17

Virginia – May 17

Washington – N/A

West Virginia – May 17

Wisconsin – May 17

Wyoming – N/A… Continue reading

Today is your last chance to get Martin Bissett’s new pricing course and still get the bonus I’m throwing in with it.

Martin’s course will still be available after today, but you only have until 11:59pm PST tonight to send me your email receipt and receive the 2-hour bonus training I’m providing on tax resolution fee models and closing tax resolution sales.

In this bonus training, you’ll learn the answers to some of the most common questions I receive about tax resolution fees, such as:

• How much do you charge for a Streamline vs Regular Installment Agreement?
• Do you include tax prep fees in your representation quote?
• How much should I charge a client that………?
• What’s the best fee to charge for lien withdrawal?

Due to federal anti-trust laws relating to fee collusion and price fixing, I cannot and will not tell you exactly what you should charge a client for any particular scenario (nobody else should be doing that either, by the way!). That would be a major no-no.

But in this recording, I do discuss the pros and cons of various fee structures for taxpayer representation, and national fee averages for various types of services.

In addition to fees, questions regarding exactly what to say to close a sale comprise another high percentage of questions I’m asked by tax pros. Common examples:

• How do you conduct the consultation?
• How do you transition from “consultation” to closing?
• When do you quote the fee?
• These are tax debtors! How do you actually get paid?
• What “key words” or “magic phrases” can I use to close sales?

Let’s face it: The vast majority of CPAs, Enrolled Agents, and tax attorneys are NOT natural born salespeople. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Fortunately, just like accounting and taxpayer representation, sales is a skill that can be learned. I was a science geek in high school, a nuclear power electrician in the Navy, and got my B.S. in nuclear power. Not marketing or business, but atom smashing. That’s about as far from preparation for a life in sales and marketing as I think one can get in this country.

As you well know, the big national tax resolution firms employ slick, high pressure salesmen. Many of the “closers” I knew back in the day in Denver were former timeshare sales reps, and you know how high pressure they can be!

I’ve never been that guy, … Continue reading