The Simple Truth About IRS Offer in Compromise Fees

Most tax resolution companies give you a quote for services based primarily on three things:

  1. How much you owe the IRS
  2. What kind of taxes you owe
  3. How much the sales person thinks you can afford to pay THEM

Here’s a dirty little secret of the tax resolution industry that nobody else will tell you: The actual WORK required to resolve a case has very, very little to do with how much you owe or what kind of tax it is, and obviously nothing to do with how much of a fee you can pay for representation.

What makes a tax resolution case more complex has much, much more to do with other factors, such as:

  • the existence of other creditors
  • the status of your assets
  • whether or not there are existing levies or wage garnishments
  • how long you’ve been accruing a tax liability
  • your past efforts (or lack thereof) to resolve the issue
  • your ability to file missing returns quickly
  • whether or not your accounting is up to date
  • whether or not you are able to “stop the bleeding” and become current with present day filing and payment requirements (this is actually the single biggest factor)

Most companies have a minimum fee quote for doing an Offer in Compromise for you, and it’s generally higher than for doing a payment plan, because the OIC process takes 6 to 12 months from start to finish. Most reputable firms will charge you anywhere from $3500 to $5000 for doing a basic Offer in Compromise for you, and this may or may not include filing appeals and dealing with levies, and most definitely does not include filing any tax returns for you.

Here’s the thing, though: Filing an Offer in Compromise is actually pretty simple, and the size of your tax debt and the tax type does NOT make it any more difficult. It’s the same form, the same financial analysis, whether you owe $14,000 in personal income taxes or you owe $4.5 million in unpaid employment taxes. Big surprise: The detailed financial analysis required for the business with the payroll tax debt isn’t that much more involved than the smaller personal tax liability, assuming you have proper financial records for the business.

Instead of getting a fee quote based mainly on how much you owe and what a salesperson gets a “vibe” that you can afford to pay, make sure you get a firm fee quote … Continue reading

2 webinars, 1 marketing plan, and a llama

This past week was amazing.

I’m incredibly fortunate to get to work with a great group of tax professionals. Last week’s Coaching Retreat for Tax Resolution Academy® members created some powerful breakthroughs for those that participated. I was very hesitant about trying to do such an event online, but Dan was confident it would work, and it did. Thank you to each of you that participated, as I always learn a lot from those retreats myself.

That was followed by our first ever Tax Resolution Start Boot Camp conducted on-camera via livestream. Again, I was hesitant that it would work, especially with the case study exercises and group discussions, but it went better than I could have hoped. Based on feedback from this first group, we’ll be making some tweaks for future classes to further adapt the learning experience to the online environment. For all intents and purposes, I am assuming that we will be conducting ALL seminars and workshops online for the entirety of 2020. If you plan to participate in a future session, I’d encourage you to install the GoToMeeting app now and test it in order to be ahead of the curve on any technology gremlins.

This coming week, I am retreating deep into my writing bunker in order to work on a project that I am literally 6 months behind on. For those of you that have already pre-ordered the 2020 Collections case work checklist update, this week’s for you. 🙂

I will re-emerge from the bunker on Friday morning, in order to have a fireside chat with Joey Brannon, CPA. Joey is the founder of Axiom Strategic Consulting LLC, a business advisory firm in Florida. He os also the creator of the Strategic CPA course, a program teaching other accountants how to add small business advisory services to their practice. On this webinar, we will discuss the centrist role that you can play with your clients to help them achieve their long-term goals. This is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have with Joey for literally a year and a half, so I’m super excited about it, and I hope that you’ll join us.

Again, that’s next Friday, March 15, at 10am Pacific (1pm Eastern). Click here to register.

The following week, on May 19th, Dan Henn, CPA will be teaching the best 8821/2848 class on the planet. He normally teaches the two separately, but I … Continue reading

Live Training Schedule for April 27 – May 1, 2020

This week, we dive into the exclusion of gain on the sale of a primary residence, learn how to obtain levy releases, chase zebras across the eastern plains of Colorado, and create your 941 marketing plan…

April 27
In spite of the PPP loan program, despite massive layoffs, and regardless of the ERC and extension of time to pay certain FTD amounts, I guarantee you there will be hundreds of thousands of small businesses that accrue new 941 payroll tax liabilities due to the current economic crisis. If nothing else, numerous businesses with March payroll were unable to make their monthly payroll tax deposit by April 15, leaving them with a balance due for Q1. These folks need to know that they have options, and that you can help. How do they learn about those options? From YOUR marketing. Join me on Monday, April 27th for a special session on 941 resolution lead generation marketing. This session is for Tax Resolution Academy® members only. Members, click here to register.

Not yet an Academy member? Tsk, tsk! Learn more about the absolute, hands down, unquestionably BEST program for growing your tax resolution practice right here.

April 28
Join me for a fireside chat with Salim Omar, CPA. We will discuss how you can create stronger bonds with your clients and staff during this new normal of social distancing (since it’s unlikely to go away anytime soon). No CPE for this one, but you should attend anyway. Remember, happy staff = happy clients = happy bank account. Committing to the creation of a 5-start client experience and creating a great team environment, even if everybody is working remotely, ultimately impacts your bottom line. Join us here.

April 29
On this week’s episode of Inside the IRM™, we’re going to discuss IRM 5.11, Notice of Levy, and IRM 5.1.9, Collection Appeal Rights. Levies are a powerful enforcement tool for the IRS, and are the one thing that scares the crap out of a client more than anything else. We’ll cover what the IRS can and cannot levy, along with practical tips for you to obtain both IMF and BMF levy releases. This is an Intermediate level class. 1 CE/CPE hour for both EAs and CPAs. Click here for details.

April 30
Introduction to IRS Collections Representation: Enhanced Edition. Join me for an upgraded 2-hour experience of my classic Sweeping Overview of Tax Resolution. … Continue reading