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Tax Resolution Fees: What EAs Actually Charge (2026)
Short answer: Fees for resolving IRS debt vary a lot by who you hire. National tax relief companies often charge an upfront "investigation" fee plus a separate resolution fee of several thousand dollars. Enrolled Agents and small CPA firms tend to work on flat fees tied to the actual work involved — not the size of your debt.
Why there's no single answer to "what does this cost"
Ask three different firms what it costs to resolve the same IRS balance and you'll likely get three different answers, priced three different ways. That's because "tax resolution" isn't one service — it covers installment agreements, Currently Not Collectible status, Offers in Compromise, penalty abatement, audit representation, and unfiled return prep, each requiring a different amount of work. The provider type matters just as much as the service: a national call-center company, a tax attorney's office, and a local Enrolled Agent all price this work differently, for different reasons.
Here's a general picture of what each type of provider commonly charges, based on market observation rather than any one firm's rate card:
Initial "investigation" or discovery fee — National tax relief companies: $250–$750, charged upfront, often before transcripts are reviewed; Tax attorneys: Typically rolled into the retainer; EAs / small CPA firms: Not charged — a free review comes first
Offer in Compromise — National tax relief companies: Part of a resolution phase commonly $3,000–$7,500+; Tax attorneys: Flat packages often $5,000–$10,000+, or hourly $300–$600+; EAs / small CPA firms: Commonly $1,500–$5,000, scoped to your actual filing situation
Installment agreement / CNC (with Form 433-F or 433-A) — National tax relief companies: Bundled into the resolution fee above; Tax attorneys: Hourly or flat, generally on the higher end; EAs / small CPA firms: Commonly $750–$2,500
Penalty abatement request — National tax relief companies: Bundled into the resolution fee above; Tax attorneys: Hourly; EAs / small CPA firms: Commonly $500–$1,500
Audit representation — National tax relief companies: Varies widely; Tax attorneys: Flat packages, often $5,000+; EAs / small CPA firms: Commonly $2,000–$10,000 depending on scope
Unfiled returns — National tax relief companies: Often priced per year within a larger package; Tax attorneys: Hourly, per return; EAs / small CPA firms: Commonly $300–$800 per year
These are market ranges, not a price list for any specific firm — what you're actually quoted depends on how many years are involved, how many forms need to be prepared, and how complicated your financial picture is.
How national tax relief companies structure their fees
The most common model among larger, advertising-heavy tax relief companies is a two-phase fee structure. First comes an "investigation" or "discovery" fee — commonly $250 to $750 — charged just to pull your transcripts and assess your case. Then comes a separate resolution fee, often in the $3,000 to $7,500-plus range, charged once they start actually working the case.
A few things are worth knowing about how this model tends to operate in practice:
Sales reps are frequently paid on commission, which creates an incentive to sign up cases regardless of whether they're actually a good fit for the program being sold.
Complaints about upfront fees are common for cases that, after the investigation fee was paid, turned out not to qualify for the relief being promised — leaving the client out the investigation fee with nothing resolved.
The FTC and multiple state attorneys general have taken action against several firms in this industry over the years for exactly this pattern: collecting fees for outcomes that were never realistic to begin with.
None of this means every national firm operates this way, but the structure itself — fee first, qualification assessment second — creates room for exactly the complaints regulators have pursued.
Red flags worth knowing before you sign anything
A few patterns are common enough across the tax relief industry that they're worth flagging on their own:
Any claim that you'll settle for a tiny fraction of what you owe. Settling tax debt for well below the balance is possible through an Offer in Compromise, but only for people who genuinely qualify based on their income, assets, and ability to pay — it is never a universal outcome, and no one can tell you the number before reviewing your actual financial picture.
A quote before anyone has looked at your transcripts. A real fee quote requires knowing how many years are involved, what's already been filed, and what the IRS account actually shows. A number given over the phone on the first call, before any documents are pulled, is a sales number, not a real one.
Pressure to pay the full fee today. Urgency tactics ("the offer expires if you don't sign now") are a sign the priority is closing the sale, not getting your case right.
A "Fresh Start" promise. The IRS Fresh Start program is a real set of policies, but no firm can promise a specific Fresh Start outcome before reviewing your case — promise claims about relief programs are a reliable warning sign.
A fee based on a percentage of your debt. Resolution work takes roughly the same effort whether you owe $20,000 or $120,000 — the work is pulling transcripts, preparing forms, and negotiating. A fee that scales with your debt size, rather than the actual work involved, is pricing the client's fear, not the service.
Book a free 15-minute tax review before you sign anything with anyone — it costs nothing and gives you a second data point to compare against whatever you've already been quoted.
How ASTR prices resolution work
Here's how pricing actually works when you come to us, laid out plainly:
The first conversation is free. A 15-minute review, no cost, no obligation, before anything else happens.
We quote a flat fee in writing, but only after we've pulled your actual IRS account and wage/income transcripts using a Form 8821 or 2848. We don't quote a number blind.
There is no "investigation fee." Pulling your transcripts and reviewing your case is part of the free review, not a separate paid step.
The fee is tied to the work, not the debt. How many years are involved, what forms need to be prepared, how many agencies are in play — that's what sets the price, not the dollar amount on your IRS balance.
Payment plans are available if paying the full fee up front isn't realistic for your situation.
One thing we won't do in this article, or anywhere else publicly, is quote a specific dollar figure for an Offer in Compromise, an audit case, or a general resolution engagement — those genuinely vary by case, and publishing a number implies a promise about scope we can't make before seeing your transcripts. We can tell you our fixed prices for the services where the work really is standard: LLC formation is $750, and S-corp formation or election is $1,250. For resolution work, the honest answer is: free review first, real transcripts second, written quote third.
What to ask before you pay anyone for tax resolution
Whether you're talking to us or anyone else, these questions should get straight answers:
Is the initial review actually free, or is there a hidden "discovery" charge?
Will you quote me a fee before or after you've seen my transcripts?
Is the fee flat, or does it scale with my debt?
Who personally handles my case once I sign — the person I'm talking to now, or someone else?
What happens to my fee if my case doesn't qualify for the resolution we discussed?
If a firm can't answer the last question clearly, that's worth paying attention to.
As an Enrolled Agent, I'm licensed by the IRS and practice under Circular 230, the Treasury's rules governing conduct and competency for anyone who represents taxpayers before the IRS. That includes rules about fees being reasonable and about not charging a contingent fee tied to a specific outcome on most resolution work — which is part of why a flat, work-based fee is the standard, not a courtesy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do tax relief companies always charge an investigation fee?
Many of the larger, advertising-driven firms do, commonly $250 to $750, charged before any resolution work begins. It's not universal across every provider, but it's common enough in that segment of the industry that you should ask directly whether a quote includes a separate upfront fee.
Is it normal to get a fee quote before transcripts are pulled?
It's common in the industry, but it isn't a sign of a careful process. A fee that reflects your actual case — how many years, what forms, what's already been filed — can only be set after someone has reviewed your real IRS transcripts, not before.
Why doesn't ASTR publish specific prices for OIC or audit cases?
Because those cases vary enough in scope — number of years, complexity of your financial picture, whether multiple agencies are involved — that any number published online would really be a guess dressed up as a quote. We quote in writing after reviewing your actual transcripts, which is the only point a real number can be given.
Is a fee based on a percentage of my tax debt a bad sign?
Generally, yes. The work involved in an installment agreement, CNC request, or OIC doesn't meaningfully change based on whether you owe $15,000 or $150,000 — it's the same transcripts, the same forms, the same negotiation process. A fee that scales with your debt is pricing your fear of the balance, not the actual work.
What should I ask before paying anyone for tax resolution?
Ask whether the initial review is genuinely free, whether the fee is quoted before or after your transcripts are reviewed, whether the fee is flat or tied to your debt size, and who personally handles your case after you sign. Clear, direct answers to all four are a good sign.
Last reviewed: October 2026 by Sabih Shafi, EA
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This article is general information, not individual tax advice. If you want to talk through your own IRS or state balance, book a free 15-minute review or call or text us directly.
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