I’ve often raved on this site that Community Tax is one of the most honest and American companies that I know of.
In this review, I’ve summarized all of my research on Community Tax in one place so that you can choose if they’re right for you.
If you’ve followed my site, you’d have come across my checklist on how to decide if a tax relief company is legit. I’m happy to say the Community Tax ticks all the boxes for my checklist:
✔ A+ BBB Rating
✔ Free no-risk consultation
✔ Good mix of qualified talent: Tax attorneys, EAs and CPAs
✔ More than 7 years in business
✔ Low upfront fee of $499
✔ Low minimum tax debt of $1,000
✔ Serves all states in the US
Our rating:
Who is Community Tax?
Community Tax is a tax debt relief company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Their aim is to:
“…provide their customers with affordable tax debt resolution given their individual situation and tax needs.”
I’ve said before that the guides on this site are no substitute for tailored expert advice. IRS problems will never be solved with a one-size-fits-all approach.
It’s really nice to see that Community Tax understands this and espouses it so explicitly in their mission statement.
Services Offered
As you can see, Community Tax solves the entire spectrum of tax debt problems such as reducing penalties and interest, removing federal tax liens, stopping wage garnishment, and settling tax debt for less than what you owe.
It’s likely that they’ll be able to handle whatever IRS issues you’re currently facing. Even if you don’t see you problem listed above, it never hurts to take advantage of their free consultation to find out if they can help you.
Testimonials
I’m not the only one who thinks favorably of Community Tax. Do your research online and you’ll see that many customers have come away with their tax debt resolved.
Here are just a few examples I found on the Consumer Affairs website:
Kevin of Columbus, GA
“Working with Community Tax for my tax problem was a long process, but I put my trust in them that they would get it rectified. […] They got my taxes reduced from $35,000 down to just $5,000. A lot of people told me it won’t work but they got it to work. They took care of me.”
James of Chambersburg, PA
“[The IRS] thought I had $23,000 to pay them. [Community Tax] did an awesome job and I appreciate it. I got a $250 check I’m sending off tomorrow to the IRS and then we’re done.”
1. of MD
“We were audited by the IRS and we were left with a huge balance. I contacted Community Tax and have been working with them for a long time. My balance was $398,000 and our payoff is $31,000. It took a long time but Community Tax did a great job. The communication was great too. I always talk with their staff, Daniel and I told him that once we get this off from the IRS and we get this done, I would be more than happy to provide a testimonial. We’re almost finished with the program and we’ve gotten approval. We’re just waiting for the last letter which is going to be here in the next 30 days.”
There are hundreds more testimonials like these. What really struck me was how much Community Tax was able to settle their customers’ tax debt from $398,000 to $31,000?! That’s more than 90% taken off. I’m sure this is an exception, but it’s amazing what they have the ability to do.
There are other testimonials where customers praised Community Tax for treating them with utmost respect and listening to their tax debt worries. I think this is particularly important because you really want to feel like someone’s on your side when you’re going up against the IRS.
BBB Rating
One of the big things to look at when deciding if a company is legit is to look at their Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. Community tax got the highest score, A+.
This is based on factors such as how transparent their practices were, and their lack of complaint history.
Process
You’ll usually start your journey with Community Tax by applying for a free consultation. This is a no-obligation consultation for them to help you decide if you really require their services, or if it’s something you can handle on your own.
If Community Tax is able to help you, then they’ll start their resolution process.
Community Tax follows a 2-step resolution process, which I highly recommend you look for when choosing a tax relief company. Details of each step are as follows:
Step 1: Investigation
- Community Tax will obtain a complete record of your tax account and understand your tax liabilities in detail.
- They’ll look at your financial statements and compare that to the taxing authority’s allowable standards to figure out the best course of action to take.
- They’ll report back to you with their findings about which options you can pursue to eliminate your tax issues.
Step 2: Tax Prep & Resolution
- Community Tax will compile even more in depth financial information and supporting documentation to prepare a solid proposal to submit to the taxing authority.
- They’ll work on your case until it’s resolved, and will report back to you on the specific details of the resolution.
- They’ll go the extra mile to advise and work with you to make sure that the problem doesn’t happen again. They mention that their goals is also to keep you tax debt free in the future.
Fees
Community Tax charges a low flat fee for Step 1, the Investigation phase. This makes sense because they’re merely finding out more about how to help you, and not actually making any submissions. Their fees are as follows:
- Initial Consultation: Free
- Step 1: Investigation Phase – $499 flat fee
- Step 2: Tax Prep & Resolution Phase – Charged according to the complexity of your case
This works out very well because Community Tax will have a clear understanding of your case by the time they charge the bulk of your fees. Their quote is likely to be more accurate, and you can choose whether to proceed or not.
All of this means that you face very low risk.
What’s covered
Taxing Authority: Community Tax handles both federal and state tax. State tax is one area I’d advise you to be a bit wary of. Because Community Tax serves all states in the US, they may not have strong local expertise. Make sure that you probe deeper regarding state tax issues into during your free consultation.
Geography: Community Tax serves all states in the US. This is great for people who require help with both federal and state tax. You only need to engage one tax relief company to solve both tax problems. Kill two birds with one stone, if you will.
Minimum tax debt threshold: Community Tax is one of the few tax relief companies that allows you to engage in their services even if your tax debt is below $10,000. Their minimum tax debt threshold is $1,000, which should probably not deter anyone who is seeking tax resolution services in the first place.
What’s the catch?
Okay, don’t be lured into the false belief that Community Tax is cheap. Yes, they’re relatively affordable, but you can still expect to pay a few thousand dollars to get your tax debt resolved.
Hey, that’s the kind of money you’ll pay whenever attorneys and accountants are involved. Other tax relief firms will likely charge you even more.
The difference is this:
You can be very sure that Community Tax understands your problem fully before they send you a quote. This is because they use a 2-step resolution process where they only charge you a small fee to investigate your tax debt issue in depth.
They only charge you the bulk of the fees when they’re absolutely sure that they can help you, and have formulated a clear action plan to settle your tax debt once and for all.
Conclusion
You can’t really go wrong with Community Tax. They’re a safe pair of hands that tick all the boxes I would look for in a tax relief company.
My only concern might be their level of expertise in dealing with state tax issues, given the large number of states that they operate in.
I recommend that you do your homework by requesting for a free consultation with Community Tax. The best way to research what they can do for you is really to just hear it from the horse’s mouth. Best of all, there is absolutely no risk to you because the consultation is free.
The worst thing you can do is to keep putting off tax resolution. Take action today and get your free consultation.
