It’s a good idea to ask who exactly will be assigned to your case. Will it be a tax attorney, an enrolled agent or just a sales rep? The answer to that question tells you a lot about whether they are equipped to actually negotiate with the IRS.

I did a lot of research before picking one and the best advice I read was avoid companies that cold call you. If they got your info from public IRS records and are calling you nonstop that’s not a good sign.

My experience was okay. They reduced some of my penalties but i still owe the IRS. It just feels like i paid a lot for partial relief.

A family friend recommended a local tax attorney and he was excellent. He even helped with state tax issues that a national company might not have focused on as much.

My dad worked with them and said they were very persistent with the IRS. He ended up with a settlement that cut his debt in half. So it seems results vary depending on the case.

I did a consultation with them but decided against hiring. The rep was pushing too hard and it didn’t sit well with me. I called the IRS and they were surprisingly helpful in setting up my plan.

I didn’t hire them but had a free consultation. They definitely know their stuff and did not pressure me too hard. I was impressed but still decided to handle my case directly with the IRS because I didn’t want the extra expense.

For me the scariest part was dealing with IRS letters. Optima took that off my plate which reduced my stress. But financially i could have saved thousands if i had just pushed through and handled it myself.