I tried online filing once and accidentally paid for extra services i didn’t need. Felt like i got tricked by the upsell tactics. That left a bad taste in my mouth so i went back to paper.

Online filing is fine if you have patience and dont mind reading through instructions. But for someone like me who hates dealing with numbers paying a pro is the better choice. I would rather hand it off and be stress free.

My opinion is that these companies work best if your tax situation is complicated. If it’s just a small amount of back taxes the IRS already has programs like installment agreements. Tax Relief Helpers might not be necessary in simpler cases.

The BBB and other review sites can be helpful but I’d also look at whether complaints were resolved. Some companies have hundreds of complaints that never got answered which tells you a lot about how they treat clients once they have got your money.

From what I’ve seen the results depend on how much you owe and your income level. If you are broke and can barely pay bills companies might be able to negotiate more relief. But if you have steady income the IRS usually just sets up a payment plan.

I was impressed with how quickly they responded to my emails. The process wasn’t cheap but they made things less stressful for me.

I chose a local CPA who specialized in tax relief. It felt more personal and she really cared about my financial stress. I doubt I’d have gotten that level of empathy from a big firm.

My experience was okay. Not amazing not terrible. They did stop the collections process but i am still paying off the debt. At least I feel like i have a plan now.

They were honest with me that not everyone qualifies for big reductions. I appreciated that transparency. In my case i only got a payment plan but they made the process smoother.

I tried them for an IRS levy issue. They jumped in quickly and stopped the levy which was a huge relief. The rest of the case took a long time to settle though. Overall they delivered on the most important part for me so I’d call it a win.