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Ideal Tax

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Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: July 28th, 2023

Ideal Tax is a tax relief company that specializes in representing taxpayers against state revenue agencies and the IRS. Headquartered in Orange County, California, Ideal Tax works with clients in 47 states and helps thousands of customers worldwide and across the country. 

Clients who turn to Ideal Tax (IT) can expect quality tax negotiation and mediation services from its staff of tax attorneys and enrolled agents.

Ideal Tax was founded in 2010 by a group of tax attorneys with the mission of providing dedicated, comprehensive, and affordable professional representation against the IRS and state revenue agencies to taxpayers suffering from tax debt, easing the stress and anxiety that come with serious tax problems. 

The company also provides tax preparation services for clients who already use Ideal Tax for other services. Ideal Tax emphasizes building individual relationships with clients, recognizing that each client’s situation and needs are unique.

Ideal Tax is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) and is accredited with the Better Business Bureau, where the company has an A rating.

Continue reading for more information, as well as verified Ideal Tax reviews.

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The Good

  • 3-Step Process
  • Tax Services
  • Resolution Programs
  • Money-Back Guarantee
  • Minimum Debt Requirement
  • Customer Reviews

3-Step Process

IT uses a three-step process to achieve tax debt resolution. 

The first step is the tax consultation. This session is free and with an experienced tax analyst. In the first phase, the consumer will work with a tax analyst to review tax liability and evaluate program liability. 

The second phase, the tax investigation, goes over tax history validation and confirms eligibility. This phase is where the company will chart a resolution. Consumers can get their investigation results online. 

In tax resolution, the third phase, customers will receive a customized solution, and the company will present a resolution package and agreement.

Expertise

Ideal Tax employs a team of tax experts with a variety of experiences in the tax industry. These professionals include tax attorneys, CPAs, and licensed ex-IRS agents. We cannot tell if the company also employs any enrolled agents, but having tax attorneys and CPAs on staff is a great indicator of a reliable tax relief company.

Tax Services

IT strives to provide tax services for all kinds of tax problems, and uses an experienced team of tax attorneys, licensed enrolled agents, case managers, and tax consultants to help customers. The company initiates services with a free consultation where an analyst will evaluate the tax issue, and use specialized training and proprietary computer software to provide an accurate analysis. IT provides the following tax services:

  • Tax Audit Representation
  • Wage Garnishment
  • Bank Levy
  • Penalty Abatement
  • Asset Protection
  • Seizure
  • Installment Agreements and IRS Payment Plan
  • Offer in Compromise
  • Relief for Innocent Spouse
  • Currently Non Collectible Status
  • Tax Lien Subordination
  • Trust Fund Penalty Defense
  • Amending Tax Return

Resolution Programs

During the consultation, the tax analyst will explain which resolution program fits best with the customer's tax issue. The analyst will elaborate more about each program during the analysis phase. IT offers the following resolutions programs:

  • Federal/State Tax Investigation
  • Federal/State Tax Preparation
  • Installment Agreement
  • Currently Non-Collectible Status
  • Penalty Abatement
  • Wage Garnishments
  • Bank Levy Holds

Customers with questions about the tax services and resolutions programs can utilize IT's convenient live chat feature.

Audit Help

Ideal Tax, like many other tax relief companies, provides audit representation to clients. Thus, if you are currently being audited, you can call the company immediately, and it will set you up with the representation you need.

IT also provides helpful information on its website about the different types of audits that the IRS conducts, as well as what your rights are when being audited. This information is good to know even if you aren’t currently being audited, and we like to see companies that help educate people without expecting anything in return.

Money-Back Guarantee

IT offers a satisfaction guarantee that is simple and convenient. If customers follow all the process steps and are not satisfied with their services, the company will make it a priority to solve the problem. IT will issue a full refund if it cannot resolve the situation.

Minimum Debt Requirement

According to a company representative, Ideal Tax has a minimum debt requirement of $7,500 or more to qualify for debt relief services. This is fairly standard for the tax debt relief industry, though some companies do not have any minimum debt requirements at all.

Customer Reviews

IT is well represented by a number of different review platforms, and on average customers have given this company between a three-star to five-star rating. Reviews mention that the IT team was professional, helpful, knowledgeable, and effective. 

On Best Company specifically, the company has over 90 reviews and over 75 percent of these are 5 stars. This is impressive. Not only do customers have positive things to say about IT, but IT also responds to customer reviews and addresses any concerns its customers have.

A company that responds to reviews stands out from its competition — these responses show a commitment to customer service and willingness to communicate with clients.

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The Bad

  • Missing Price Information

Missing Price Information

The company's website does not provide any information on pricing. Prices vary by service and situation, and IT does not appear to operate on a flat-rate-fee basis. An estimated range in cost for each of its programs would be helpful to know upfront. The website does not provide any situational pricing examples. The website also leaves out if tax programs require a minimum debt amount and how long each and every tax service typically takes.

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The Bottom Line

Ideal Tax offers a variety of tax services and resolutions. The company utilizes an experienced team of tax professionals, including tax attorneys, licensed enrolled agents, case managers, and tax consultants to serve clients in 47 states. The company works with tax consultation, tax investigation, and tax resolution.

Unsatisfied customers can take advantage of a money-back guarantee. The company does not provide pricing information; however, with the many tax services and programs IT offers, it is worth exploring.

View Best Tax Relief Companies

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Star Rating

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4.3

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115 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

77%

4 grade

6%

3 grade

0%

2 grade

0%

1 grade

17%

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Review Source

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April DeMaree Portland, OR

Everything was going fairly ok. Then all of a sudden I couldn't get ahold of my case manager it's been two weeks now and I've still received no reply phone call and no e-mails back. I got notified by the state I live in that the tax preparer double submitted one year instead of sending two different years and now I can't get ahold of anybody to take care of this. I've spent almost five hours this week on hold trying to get through to anybody in the office and I don't care if I call the case manager line, general questions line or billing nobody ever answers the phone. Pretty sure none of this was in our contract I'm certainly not going to pay for this shitty service and the errors that have been made that have not been corrected.

3 years ago Edited November 19, 2021

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Reply from Ideal Tax

We are so excited to hear this, April! It is our mission to provide all of our clients the best service possible. Thanks for recommending us!

Aug. 12th, 2021

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Susan Boyko

They charged me $295 to pull my records from the IRS. I could have done that for free. Then said good news-we will charge you $9000 to resolve your issue. So I decided to open up my options at this time IT was very threatening. We can no longer protect you… etc. I asked for my files and was sent several documents that were blank. I later come to find out(when I hired a tax attorney) that the IRS locked my account due to suspected fraud. Which explained why my documents were blank… they couldn’t get anything. I asked for a refund and was told no. So I disputed the charge. Then IT sent me documents that weren’t blank but made no sense. I don’t understand why my tax attorney wasn’t able to process the power of attorney but they were?? I don’t trust IT. I also feel maybe they are back door some how with the IRS. I don’t trust either.

1 year ago

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Lori R. Pflugerville, TX

I was assisted by Stephen M, at Ideal Tax. I spent $500 for an evaluation. It was a fraudulent service. They charged me to look into my IRS account, and that's it. Which, you can do for yourself free at any time. The proposed "tax assistance plan" was $1k per month. Yep, $12,000. But that was not to prepare my taxes; I'd still have to do that myself, you see. That would be to have a "tax professional" guide me. I ended up doing it all myself. And I am so glad I did. Remember, the IRS is a human organization. They understand that "stuff happens" and the first step is to submit all your taxes. Learn about "reasonable cause" and write a letter if you feel you qualify for penalty abatement. Get your taxes in, and know that a 72 month payment plan is easy to qualify for, if you have never run into tax problems before. And in some cases, you can negotiate a 96 month payment plan. The statute of limitations is 10 years, and the IRS wants to collect (as they should) before that period expires. DO NOT go to a fake "tax help company". An Offer in Compromise is granted to less than 33% of people who request it. You basically have to be so far below the poverty line that they deem you "uncollectable". They will take your money, waste your time, stress you out, and you will STILL have to make it right with the IRS. These "tax relief" companies are exactly like "timeshare relief companies". They don't do what you think they will, and you will lose money and not resolve your problem.

1 year ago

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mike brotherton

there professional Scams trying to take the money you might save on taxes an charge you for there services. lead you to believe tht they working on ypur taxes when there probably trying to get the next victim to give them a down payment..to only tell you tht its gonnna cost you thousands more then it really should..they play there cards well!!!Dont be a victim..get full details an dont let them get an attitude cause i asked for my transcripts from the irs n state..not a pdf file they filled in an just write down numbers they want an tell you tht is right from the irs when it clearly said ideal tax on the top of paper.!!

2 years ago

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Renee Las Vegas, NV

I would have rather left 0 stars but that wasn't an option. This is the worse company I have ever dealt with in my life. First I was charged 518.00 a month to have them find out how many tax returns me and my husband needed to file, and negotiate the total debt, then set up payments. This was in October, by December I had heard from no one and I could not reach anyone by phone or email. In December they call me for their payment which I promptly paid that day and ask to speak to someone about my case, they said their dpt didn['t handle that. Agian another 2 months without being able to reach anyone. In Febuary I finally reached a person and come to find out the number I was emailed by my representative was a wrong number. I found out then that I was suspended because they couldn't reach me (haha, had no problem reaching me for payment though). with this suspension they did no work on my case, even though I had paid them. Then they asked for W2s, I said I only have 2020 and 2021, you havent' given me any information about what the IRS needed. I sent what I had and was supposed to find out what else was needed. No one called or emailed. I then finally got a prepared tax return for 2020, in JULY, 5 months later. I asked where 2021 was and they said you didn't pay for that. Mind you at this point they have recieved over 5000 dollars. Then they filed jointly which was wrong because under advisement I was told never to file joint with me husband because his back taxes were before we were married and once I file joint I would be repsonsible for them. Still no one has told me what other tax returns were needed also. I was told going forward they would complete the work but I said no, youve done nothing for me except file one return which was wrong. I asked for my money back and was told it was nonrefundable. BEWARE THESE PEOPLE ARE FRAUDS AND SCAMMERS.

2 years ago

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BOOHOUSTON Portland, OR

* UNETHICAL -- SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN! *  False promises, high turnover with case managers, horrible communication, manipulating liars! They'll leave you owing more IRS debt than when you started! They required a $5k retainer. I'm on medical leave so I asked for email communication during my doc appts and provided timeframes. Emails would provide me with a paper trail to refer to. I asked for phone appts with my case mgrs to reduce phone tag and respect their time. They called when I said I would NOT be available...I can prove this. I had 5 case mgrs over 14 mos! Each time I had to resend SENSITIVE docs that I already sent to previous case mgrs. They were very sloppy and wasted time. YOU MUST ASK THEM FOR INFO IN WRITING BECAUSE YOU WON'T GET IT LATER WHEN YOU NEED IT. Finally they said they couldn't help except put me on a payment plan,. A very inexperienced and rude new case mgr asked for my credit card to get me set up. She didn't disclose the total, terms or duration of plan. She just said it would be $622/mo!!! For how long, 6 mos? 10 yrs? VERY unprofessional to ask for a credit card without full disclosure. She got pushy and said the longer I wait, the more I owe!! ITS showed NO sense urgency over 14 mos. After paying the retainer + additional IRS fines, fees, penalties & interest, ITS cost me 18k MORE than when I started. They sent me a termination letter stating they couldn't reach me. I have 5 emails asking for a mailed copy of my case file with transcripts that I'm entitled to. The mgr said he mailed it but he did NOT. I requested it AGAIN. He asked for my address even though they already had it. I emailed a screenshot of the envelope/letter they just mailed to me. l never received my transcripts. That's what certified mail is for! I'm working on a class action lawsuit due to the financial damages/hardship that ITS caused me. Don't waste your hard-earned money on ITS. Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is free and they got me approved for a payment plan of $135/month. If you leave a review on BBB, they will cut and paste the same response by telling you they're sorry for the way you feel and you should call customer service to sort it out. It is all lip service!

2 years ago

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Sharon Nelson Phoenix, AZ

Almost 3 weeks ago, we agree to use this company to help solve our IRS problem. We were told that we would have to send approx 450 initially and then another $5,000 would be needed. We submitted both these amounts. We were also requested to send in several financial information materials which we did also. Since that time we have not heard a word either by phone, text or voice mail. We have called many, many times and have not be able to get through to a person. Our last attempt we did finally reach a person, explained our problem and was told that a supervisor would call back in 10 minutes. That never happened and the original person hung up . This company must be a scam - BEWARE. At this point we want our money back.

3 years ago

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Dan Lodi, CA

I Have Been Dealing With This Company For A Year Now. I Was Told Yesterday That I Would Be Going In The Final Stages Today. I Got A Call From My Case Manager Today Telling Me That The IRS Have Not Done My 2014-2017 Taxes Yet. I Asked My Case Manager That Your Company Is A Big Company And Could You Contact Them And See What The Hold Up Is. I Got What I Have Been Getting From Her For The Last 6 Months, I Will Email Them For An Update Transcripts. Meanwhile For Months I Have Been Priced Out Of Buying A House In 6 Areas. I Guess I Will Pay aren’t The Rest Of My Life And Eat Cat Food! I’m Retired And Just Want To Enjoy Life In My Own Home!!

3 years ago

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Reply from Ideal Tax

Hi, Dan! Thank you for taking the time to address your issues with us. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding. Please note that we take all reviews very seriously and we do our best to turn them around when possible. We have tried to find you in our system, but your review does not provide enough information to locate you. We would love to speak with you so please give us a call at 1(888)224-3004 and ask to speak to one of our Case Managers; they will be more than happy to speak with you, go over your case and address your concerns. We hope you give us a call soon!

May. 4th, 2021

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Barbara Holden Seattle, WA

Your company was a one star until tiffani S took over my issues. Prior to tiffani I had three other people,that would not answer the messages I left. I called everyday for a week to one and absolutely no response. I had questions and wanted to know what was going on. This is a very stressful situation dealing with people's lives concerning the irs! Tiffani took over and helped me understand more where my case was going. She made me feel like she actually cared and that I was just not another number. She was very helpful and responded when I called regarding issues. I was charged 2500.00 to help with this issue and I got nothing and absolutely no resolution. I owe more now than when I started back in August. I asked tiffani to just set up installments as I was going further into debt with your fees and really not seeing why I did this. Tiffani S is a five star and if I had her in the beginning I think the $$ value would have been better. She is an asset to your company and I really feel when someone is going thru this situation more people like her would give someone hope and know that the money we are paying is going to benefit an individual.

4 years ago

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Reply from Ideal Tax

Hi Barbara, We would like to extend to you our most sincere apologies regarding this. One of our goals at Ideal Tax Solution is to make sure we provide superior customer service and the best resolutions to all of our clients. It is reviews such as yours that provides Ideal Tax Solution the ability to learn and make the customer experience a better one, so thank you for your feedback. We are glad to hear Tiffany S., provided you with five-star-service and was able to help you. However, if you still need to clarify things with us regarding your case, please give us a call. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you. Our phone number is 1(888)224-3004. We look forward to speaking with you.

Jul. 15th, 2020

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Marsha Marcinowski Kapolei, HI

O.M.G ….We had terrible service with this company!!!! After almost two years and many papers later this company came up with a proposal for a payment program to the I R S .I was so frustrated with their lengthy delays and service that I called the IRS myself and got a payment program set up in fifteen minutes. It just so happened to match the same plan that Ideal is proposing after two years and 13,000 thousand dollars later. A sad situation for my pocket book!!! Lesson learned!!!!Do NOT use this COMPANY!!!!!’

2 years ago

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Dawn Berry Long Branch, NJ

To be in a situation to all the IRS a lot of money is frightening for some especially for those that are strictly middle-class working hard for every dollar. I put my trust in ideal tax solution Inc. paid them a lot of money I paid them a lot of money a lot of money. The communication was not good. At one point there was greater than six months that i heard nothing. So i got another company. I was desperate. Thanks for nothing but more dept paying you almost $3400.00

3 years ago

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Reply from Ideal Tax

Dear Dawn, We would like to extend to you our most sincere apologies regarding this. One of our goals at Ideal Tax Solution is to make sure we provide superior customer service and the best tax resolutions to our clients. Our tax professionals work very hard every day to help many people solve their IRS tax problems. With that said, a review, such as yours, provides us the ability to learn and make the customer experience a better one, so thank you for your feedback. If you still need to clarify things with us regarding your case, please give us a call. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to go over your case in detail and discuss any concerns with you. For faster response please call 714-751-5200 (press 1 and then 2 to speak to the Case Management team). We look forward to speaking with you. Thank you!

Apr. 6th, 2021

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Fay Chin Clearwater, FL

Use of scare tactics to try and pressure clients into paying a fee of $3000 for continuing their company's protection services while they work on the tax return. They "have the best connection with the IRS when negotiating tax returns". "They know us". The IRS also "considers their company one of the best" at negotiating returns. AND first charging a large "research" fee of $995.99. They didn't even have my 1040. I had to fax it to them. And they did not even file my taxes as promised. And they won't refund me.

5 years ago

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Reply from Ideal Tax

We would like to extend to you our most sincere apologies regarding this. One of our goals at Ideal Tax Solution is to make sure we provide superior customer service and the best tax resolutions to all of our clients. Our tax professionals work very hard everyday to help many people solve their IRS tax problems. With that said, a review, such as yours, provides us the ability to learn and make the customer experience a better one, so thank you for your feedback.
We know it’s been a while, but if you still need to clarify things with us regarding your case, please give us a call. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you. Our phone number is 1(888)224-3004. We look forward to speaking with you.

Oct. 22nd, 2020

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Review Source

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Brittany Kervin

Rude staff, waste time asking unnecessary questions. They are robots who “have to ask 16 questions to every person every time”. True customer service is individuals tailored to each person. When I begin by telling you half of the answers to your questions, don’t waste my time asking me a question I already provided an answer to.

2 years ago

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Paul Lindquist Charlotte, NC

This is a scam company 100%. They make multiple unsolicited calls and then state I applied for tax relief on their website. That's not true. And they swear they remove your name from their list but they will call back. Same message.

2 years ago

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Jeff Stein Jordan, MN

Never dealt with them but once they get your email they keep sending you multiple spam email’s weekly about tax relief and how they can help. Can only guess as they don’t remove me and have asked multiple times that this is a scam to take my money and offer zero services.

3 years ago

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Alex Sika Winston-Salem, NC

Unreliable, impossible to get ahold of… they take your money and almost two years later your situation is not resolved yet even though you have paid in full. This place is boarder line FRAUDULANT. Take your money elsewhere.

3 years ago

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Joseph Jones Little Rock, AR

I would not recommend using this company. I paid over three thousand dollars and I can’t get anyone to respond to my emails, phone calls or provide me updates on my case. If you are thinking of going with this company to get your tax issues resolved, find another company. It’s been five months and not a set closer to setting my case.

4 years ago

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Reply from Ideal Tax

Thank you for your honest feedback and for taking our call, Joseph. We appreciate your time and are looking forward to making this experience better for you. Thanks again.

Aug. 28th, 2020

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Bill Harris Middleton, WI

Took My money 5,553.00 have not done a thing and it has been over 7 months. Will not offer a refund. CROOKS!!

2 years ago

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Jeff Johnston Sacramento, CA

They are a scam they called every week till I paid them. Said they could help me but did nothing but take my money

3 years ago