FAQs

The purpose of the consultation is to get an overview of the tax issues you are facing and begin a resolution plan.

You can expect to learn what needs to be done to resolve your tax problem, what IRS programs may apply to your situation, how long your case should take, and a quote for our services.  

Should we determine that your case does not require professional assistance, your tax consultant will explain what steps you can take to resolve the situation yourself.

Your tax consultant will take you through a series of questions most people can answer without specific records.

If you have any notices or letters that you have received from the IRS or your state, they can be helpful but are not required.

The IRS Fresh Start Program can significantly reduce the final balance you owe the IRS.

The Offer in Compromise (OIC) agreement is a key part of the IRS Fresh start program, and if you qualify, you can be one of the thousands of taxpayers who effectively eliminate their tax liability.  

However, other options that achieve similar results often exist for those who don’t qualify for the OIC. The IRS Fresh Start Program is just one path your Total Tax team will explore to resolve your tax problems.

The IRS will no longer pursue a tax liability over 10 years old. 

The clock starts when a tax return has been filed, not when the tax was originally due. Other factors, such as specific IRS collections procedures, can extend the time they have to collect.

The IRS can file for you if you do not file a tax return. This is called a substitute filed return (SFR).

 If the SFR results in a balance, the IRS will apply penalties and interest and can begin sending collection notices, liens, and levies. They can pursue you for the amount owed until it is paid or generally for 10 years from the time they recorded the SFR balance.

The IRS continues to apply penalties and interest on all existing balances. 

If you have not filed your tax returns, any balance you owe will have interest and penalties applied beginning from when the return was originally due.

The IRS can collect on these balances for ten years, so as time goes by, the amount you owe increases, but the time available to pay it back gets shorter.

Higher balances paid over a shorter time will result in less affordable payments.

As time runs out to collect your balances, the IRS gets more aggressive, creating the perfect storm of maximum balances, fewer options for resolution, and often debilitating IRS collection tactics.

Qualifying for a tax settlement involves meeting some financial criteria and circumstances. 

Your tax consultant understands those requirements and will assess whether your specific situation qualifies.

Total Tax fees are based on what we will have to do and how long it will take to complete the case. 

We document the services, time, and final fee in your service agreement. You can make interest-free payments over the time it will take to complete your case. Your tax consultant will provide a specific quote as part of the free consultation.

Realizing the value of tax relief services requires that you understand all the ways you can save.  

The first step is always to solve the tax problem causing you to owe. Solving a tax problem requires filing back tax returns, tax compliance, tax collections resolution, and more.

These services alone will save you money over time because, left unresolved, your tax problem will continue to cost you more as penalties and interest grow. Tax problems can also cost you opportunities for loans, employment, and travel.

For many of our clients, the savings are immediate, and for others, savings are realized over time. In either case, the investment is a sound one.

The average tax relief case takes anywhere from 3 to as many as 12 months to complete.

The number of back tax years that need to be filed, IRS processing time, appeals, and hearings can all contribute to more time.

Your case requires that you provide information to your tax team and respond to requests promptly, so your cooperation is also a key contributor to how fast the case gets done.

You’ll begin with a free consultation to determine the scope of your tax problem, the options available, and the time and costs required to complete the work.

Our Client Service team will support you through the client onboarding process, and your Case Team will contact the IRS to launch a full IRS account investigation.

They’ll work to release any active collection actions, such as bank levies and wage garnishments and place a collection hold on your account to keep you safe from further collection escalations while they work to improve your status with the IRS and negotiate a final resolution.

You will provide us with the information we request, and we will consult you on final resolution options and the case status along the way. Your case will conclude with a completion report that documents your final tax resolution agreement and instructions for keeping it in good standing with the IRS going forward.

Your Total Tax case team will make sure that you are positioned for success when your case is complete. 

For years to come, Total Tax will help ensure your IRS problems stay in the past by providing tax return services, business accounting, tax planning, and ongoing IRS account monitoring.

Total Tax ranks among the best with excellent client reviews, an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, and a long-standing reputation for excellence.

We help with both IRS and state tax problems, have been in business longer than most tax relief companies, and have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Our licensed experts have decades of experience. They are Accountants, Tax Accountants or Tax Attorneys working as a team; each specializing in just one phase of your case instead of a “jack of all trades” approach that leaves you with mediocre results. 

Our broad scope of services provides a one-stop shop for resolving your IRS and state tax issues.