Tax relief services
Tax Relief Services for IRS and State Tax Debt
Owe back taxes? We find the tax relief option that fits your situation, deal with the IRS or your state for you, and stay with your case until it’s resolved.
- Most common
- Payment plans: 3.2 million new IRS installment agreements in a year
- Settlements
- 38,797 offers in compromise proposed, 5,464 accepted
- Hardship
- Collection paused when you can’t cover basic living costs
- Penalties
- Often removable, and now automatic for many first-time cases
See which tax relief fits you
On this page
The short answer
What Is Tax Relief?
In one paragraph
Tax relief is any legal way to lower, pause or spread out what you owe the IRS or your state. The main options are payment plans, an offer in compromise, currently not collectible status, penalty abatement, and the release of levies and wage garnishments. Which one fits depends on how much you owe, your income and expenses, what you own, and whether your tax returns are filed.
If you owe back taxes to the IRS, you are not alone. Millions of Americans have fallen behind on their taxes at some point, so don’t worry; tax debt relief assistance is available. In fiscal year 2025 alone, taxpayers set up 3.2 million new IRS installment agreements. You can get help from a reputable company specializing in tax debt relief to establish an agreement with the IRS. Experts are available to guide you through the process, whether you need knowledgeable advice about a tax audit, help preventing bank levies or wage garnishments, or lowering your tax debt. In addition, it may be possible to reach a settlement agreement with the IRS that is considerably less than what you owe. Our tax debt relief experts are dedicated to using their proven strategies to help you resolve your IRS debt as quickly as possible while reducing the amount you owe wherever the law allows.
Your options
Tax Relief Programs and Services
These are the IRS tax relief programs we handle, and the situation each one is built for. Most cases use more than one: for example, filing missing returns, removing penalties, then setting up a payment plan for what’s left.
IRS installment agreement
Fits whenYou can pay the balance over time.A monthly payment plan with the IRS. Most people who owe $50,000 or less can get a simple plan of up to 10 years, and a plan in place generally stops new levies.
Offer in compromise
Fits whenYour income and assets can’t cover the full debt.A settlement for less than you owe, based on what the IRS could realistically collect from you. It takes a full financial review and several months.
Currently not collectible status
Fits whenPaying anything would leave you short on basic living costs.A hardship status that pauses levies and most collection. The debt stays, but the IRS’s 10-year collection clock keeps running.
Penalty abatement
Fits whenPenalties make up a big part of what you owe.Removal of late filing, late payment and deposit penalties for a clean record, reasonable cause or a statutory reason. The interest on those penalties comes off too.
Wage garnishment help
Fits whenThe IRS is taking part of every paycheck.We get the wage levy released by setting up the resolution that fits, often a payment plan or hardship status.
IRS tax levy help
Fits whenThe IRS has frozen a bank account or sent a final notice.Bank levies hold your money for 21 days before it goes to the IRS, so speed matters. We use your appeal rights and get the levy released.
Unfiled tax returns
Fits whenYou have years you never filed.Every relief option needs your filing to be current. We prepare the missing years, usually the last six, and replace any returns the IRS filed for you.
IRS Fresh Start program
Fits whenYou keep hearing about “Fresh Start” and want to know what it really is.Fresh Start is the name for changes the IRS made in 2011 and 2012 that made payment plans, lien relief and settlements easier to get. It isn’t a separate forgiveness program.
See the full picture of IRS tax debt relief, including how these options work together.
Finding your fit
Which IRS Tax Relief Option Fits You?
The right option comes down to a few questions about your situation. Here’s where each answer usually points.
You can pay in full soon
A short-term payment plan gives you up to 180 days if you owe less than $100,000, with no setup fee.
You can afford a monthly payment
A simple payment plan, usually without a full financial statement. Larger balances need one.
Paying would leave you short
Currently not collectible status pauses collection while your finances stay the same.
The debt is more than you could ever pay
An offer in compromise may settle it for less. The IRS accepted 5,464 offers in fiscal 2025.
Penalties are a big share of the balance
Penalty abatement can take them off, along with the interest charged on them.
You have unfiled years
Those come first. The IRS won’t agree to most relief until your tax returns are filed.
The process
How Tax Relief Works
Every case is different, but most follow the same path. Here’s what happens once we’re working for you.
- Free consultationWe learn what you owe, which years, and what letters you’ve received.
- Power of attorneyWe file it so the IRS talks to us, then pull your account transcripts.
- Get currentWe file any missing returns, since relief depends on it.
- Request reliefA payment plan, an offer, hardship status or penalty removal, often in combination.
- Stay resolvedWe release levies and garnishments, and help you stay current going forward.
Timing depends on the option. A payment plan can often be set up within a few weeks. An offer in compromise usually takes several months, because the IRS reviews your full financial picture first. While a payment plan or an offer is pending, the IRS generally can’t issue a new levy. And the IRS has 10 years from the date a tax is assessed to collect it, which shapes which option makes the most sense.
Before you hire anyone
How to Choose a Tax Relief Company
The Federal Trade Commission warns that some tax relief companies take large fees and deliver little. Only the IRS or your state decides what you qualify for, so any company that promises a result before seeing your finances is guessing. Here’s what to watch for and what to ask.
Red flags
Walk away ifYou hear any of these.A guarantee that you’ll settle for “pennies on the dollar.” Being told you qualify before anyone reviews your income and assets. A demand to pay the whole fee up front. Ongoing monthly “maintenance” fees with no clear work behind them.
Questions to ask
Before you signGet these answered.Who will work on my case, and are they an Enrolled Agent, CPA or attorney who can represent me before the IRS? What will it cost, in writing? What happens to my fees if the result isn’t what you expected?
Our answers
At AnthemSo you can compare.Your case is handled by tax professionals that include Enrolled Agents. You get the cost in writing before any work starts. And if we can’t put you in a better position, you get your fees back. Terms apply.
Working with Anthem
It’s Not About Business, It’s About You
When it comes to tax services, we understand that your unique financial situation is the priority. It’s not just about solving tax problems; it’s about creating a strategy tailored specifically to you. Our experienced team is dedicated to ensuring that every aspect of your tax resolution journey reflects your individual needs and goals.
Focused solutions
We negotiate with the IRS and set up practical payment plans.
Tailored support
Our services include everything from audit representation to penalty abatement, ensuring you’re never alone when dealing with tax issues.
One team, start to finish
An account manager keeps you updated, and the same team stays on your case until it’s resolved.
All 50 states
We handle IRS debt and state tax debt, including cases with California’s Franchise Tax Board.
Who works your case
Our team includes Enrolled Agents who handle IRS collection cases. Billy Fauller, EA, was an IRS Revenue Officer from 2009 to 2017 and now represents taxpayers in collection cases and IRS negotiations. Tina Lyon, EA, has worked hardship determinations, offers in compromise, Appeals proceedings and Revenue Officer matters.
You can read Anthem Tax Services reviews on the BBB, Trustpilot and Google, and watch client stories before you call.
Find out which tax relief option fits you.
Get a free consultationBeyond IRS debt
Other Tax Help
Tax debt often comes with other paperwork. We also help with:
- Unfiled tax returns
- State tax help, including California Franchise Tax Board debt
- Tax preparation services
- Bookkeeping
- FOIA requests for your IRS records
- Back taxes for truck drivers
Keep reading
Tax Relief Guides
Questions
Tax relief questions
What is tax relief?
Tax relief is any legal way to lower, pause or spread out what you owe the IRS or your state. The main options are payment plans, an offer in compromise, currently not collectible status, penalty abatement, and the release of levies and wage garnishments.
Is tax relief legit?
The IRS relief programs are real and written into law, and many people qualify for at least one of them. What to watch for are companies that promise results before they’ve seen your finances. Only the IRS or your state decides what you qualify for, so no company can guarantee an outcome.
What tax relief programs does the IRS offer?
The main IRS tax relief programs are payment plans (short-term plans of up to 180 days and monthly installment agreements), offers in compromise, currently not collectible status, and penalty relief, which is now automatic for many people with three clean years. The IRS also has relief for innocent spouses, people in federally declared disaster areas, military members and identity theft victims.
Can a tax relief company lower what I owe?
Sometimes. Penalty abatement can remove penalties and the interest on them, and an offer in compromise can settle the debt for less when your income and assets can’t cover it. For most people, though, relief means an affordable payment plan or a pause in collection rather than a smaller balance.
How much do tax relief services cost?
It depends on how much you owe, how many years are involved, whether returns need to be filed, and which option fits. At Anthem the consultation is free, and you get the cost in writing before any work starts.
How long does tax relief take?
A payment plan can often be set up within a few weeks. Penalty relief can take a few months. An offer in compromise usually takes several months, because the IRS reviews your full financial picture first. Missing returns have to be filed before any of these.
Will the IRS forgive my tax debt?
There is no general IRS forgiveness program. A balance goes down through an offer in compromise, penalty abatement, or the IRS’s 10-year collection period running out. Everything else, like a payment plan or hardship status, helps you pay or pauses collection.
Sources
Sources
- IRS: Get help with tax debt
- IRS Data Book, 2025, Table 4-1: Delinquent collection activities
- IRS: Payment plans and installment agreements
- IRS: Offer in compromise
- IRS: Temporarily delay the collection process
- IRS News Release IR-2026-83: automatic penalty relief
- FTC: Tax relief companies
- 26 U.S.C. 6502, the 10-year collection period
Free consultation
End Your IRS Tax Problems Today
Our goal is to reduce your tax debt as much as the law allows. Tell us what you owe, and we’ll tell you plainly which tax relief options fit and handle the IRS from there.
