Tax Masters is a rip off Sacm, Cheaper is not better if you don't get what you pay for.... Houston Texas

I love how so many people somehow manage to find the money for tax lawyers, credit card counselors, etc. but can't bring themselves to just USE THE MONEY TO PAY DOWN THEIR DEBTS. I've read one report after another from people who owe tons of money, are desperate, yet somehow manage to come up with $3000 or more to give to some "advocate" they know nothing about beyond the commercial they heard on the radio or saw at 3 AM on TV. I can only figure that these idiots are dazzled at the idea of getting out of their responsibilities for "pennies on the dollar"- never mind that no one held a gun to their heads and made them rack up these bills or fail to pay their taxes. They are all too eager to push their debts on to other taxpayers (do you think that debt just "goes away?" Nope, it has to be paid by somebody!)

Here's a clue: set an example for your family and community by borrowing only what you can pay back, paying it back, and paying your taxes like the rest of us. You can't get ripped off if you accept your responsibilities and work with your debtors, including the US Government, and PAY YOUR DEBTS. I don't get what is so hard about this concept.

The other comments are quite correct. The IRS is willing to work with you. However, there are some circumstances in which you need some help. The issues may be complicated and there may be a real dispute as to whether you owe the money they say you do or not. The IRS may have given your case over to a collection agency (yes they have been known to do this) and you may not easily be able to deal directly with them. Or you may have let this go on too long and the IRS is already taking enforcement steps against you and attaching your wages and or investment accounts.

There is often a grain of truth in every fraud. In certain, limited circumstances, it may not be advisable for you to negotiate directly with the IRS. Or you may not be the type of person who feels able to do it on your own. What should you do then????

Here is what I did. It was NOT free. But it did not cost an arm and a leg either.

I recently settled with the IRS for literally pennies on the dollar. They said I owed them close to $70,000 for back taxes and all the extra penalties and fees they tack on over years of avoiding them. I did owe them money, but I did not owe them anywhere near that much. I admit that. But it was impossible for me to figure out what was right. The case involved some complications I won't go into here, so it was not cut and dry. I am not an expert in tax laws and I was way to busy on my job to become enough of one to negotiate directly with the IRS myself.

I was in misery and fear for months not knowing what to with this all powerful government agency breathing down my kneck. I called several of these so-called tax services who advertise on the internet, radio and TV. They all promise instant relief, to get you off the hook immediately, for almost nothing, and to give you custom service tailored to your case. They ALL claim to be staffed by ex-IRS employees who know all the ins and outs and can work magic. They ALL claim one of these geniuses will be assigned personally to you.

NONE of their claims will be true. All you have to do is read the ripoff reports and talk to them to get the knowledge of how disasterous it would be to fork over any money to these people. THEY ARE PREYING ON YOUR FEAR.

Here is what I finally did. I called the local legal referral office in my city. You can get this number off the internet with a search or by calling any reputable local lawyer. I asked them to refer me to a lawyer who SPECIALIZES in tax issues with the IRS with an office in my city. I called that lawyer and explained my problem as best I could and answered his questions honestly. I went to his office and handed over all the papers I had for my case. I negotiated his fee to something I felt reasonable and he agreed to let me pay some of it up front and the rest after he had been representing me for a few months and some progress was made. He immediately put me in touch with a reputable tax person who charged only a couple of hundred dollars per return to put together and update back returns instead of lawyer hourly rates. He contacted the IRS got them off my back until we could file all that needed to be filed and negotiated a settlement.

In the end the approximately $70,000 was settled with the IRS for a little over $1,000. The lawyer cost a few thousand over the course of a year. The accountant cost me about $500. I know that was much better than I would have made out if I handled it myself or through one of these "tax services".

If my case had been simpler and I felt I COULD have done it myself it would have only cost me $1000.

In the end, though, consider this. If you work with a local attorney, he has his reputation on the line, you can dig up information about him and check out his story about how good he is and you will have some recourse if he does not help you. If you go with a "tax service" with no office in your city you are AT THEIR MERCY just as you are with the IRS. If they don't help you, you have little recourse against them except to rant and rail here and on other sites. And you will probably end up hiring a lawyer anyway, to settle with the IRS, AND to get your money back from the "service."

Net, net. There is hope. If my little story helps anyone it was worth the time to write it up here.

Nancy (previous poster) is right. The IRS will work with you and if you applied that $3000 to your taxes it would have been an excellent sign to the IRS you are responsible and willing to pay what you owe. There are payment options that you can set up with the IRS. If you are really desperate you need a good, LOCAL Tax Lawyer not some scam outfit who demands money upfront. Good luck.

Nancy (previous poster) is right. The IRS will work with you and if you applied that $3000 to your taxes it would have been an excellent sign to the IRS you are responsible and willing to pay what you owe. There are payment options that you can set up with the IRS. If you are really desperate you need a good, LOCAL Tax Lawyer not some scam outfit who demands money upfront. Good luck.

Nancy (previous poster) is right. The IRS will work with you and if you applied that $3000 to your taxes it would have been an excellent sign to the IRS you are responsible and willing to pay what you owe. There are payment options that you can set up with the IRS. If you are really desperate you need a good, LOCAL Tax Lawyer not some scam outfit who demands money upfront. Good luck.

Nancy (previous poster) is right. The IRS will work with you and if you applied that $3000 to your taxes it would have been an excellent sign to the IRS you are responsible and willing to pay what you owe. There are payment options that you can set up with the IRS. If you are really desperate you need a good, LOCAL Tax Lawyer not some scam outfit who demands money upfront. Good luck.

You would have been better off paying the $3000 to the IRS against your tax bill. Go to IRS.gov and there is a place there where you can contact an advocate. You are better off dealing with the IRS yourself, or better yet, here is a hint PAY YOUR TAXES.