The Truth About Tax Resolution Fees

Within the tax resolution industry, there are a variety of fee models that you should be aware of. Different fee models have different potentials for abuse by the firm offering the services, and it is important to do your due diligence and fully understand what you are paying for, how much, and when, before ever paying a single dime to a tax resolution firm.

One of the most common fee models is a retainer model, which is a carryover from the world of legal and CPA firms from which many tax practitioners come. Under this model, you pay an up front amount, which the firm holds on to and then bills against on an hourly basis. You can also get the best tax resolution service online.

applicability of GST in the Indian taxation system | Rajput Jain &  Associates

Close to the time when the retainer is all used up, you will (or, actually, SHOULD) get a bill showing what was done, how long it took, and the hourly rate it was billed at. This bill will usually also include a request for additional retainer. The key thing to remember here is that if you don’t keep paying, they don’t keep working.

If you’ve been researching particular companies online, you may already have come across BBB, forum, Attorney General, and other complaints against some firms that aggressively bill down retainers, and are constantly asking their clients for more money, without making much significant progress on a client’s actual tax case. It is important that you thoroughly vet a company before giving them money, in order to avoid becoming another victim of a devious company.

Another common fee model is a flat fee-for-service model. This fee model has a large number of variations, from a flat fee for a specific package of quoted services, to a “menu of services” model where each service you can order off the menu has a specific fee.

This latter method is very akin to the most common pricing model used in tax return preparation, where each specific tax form has a particular fee for preparing it. 

When you are speaking with a sales person regarding a package of services, it is very, very important that you understand exactly what services you are being quoted for, and what the company’s policy is regarding fees for additional services.

When it comes to tax matters, it is not uncommon for additional services to be required, which will require additional fees if they are not covered in the quotation you are already working under. Ideally, the sales person you speak with will have conducted a thorough analysis of your situation and will have included everything in the proposal sent to you.