Five Star Tax Resolution Review 2025: Speak With a Tax Attorney, Not a Sales Rep

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4.4 _/5

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Our take: Five Star Tax Resolution is a decent option if you want real-time access to tax attorneys, personalized support, and a generous money-back guarantee.
But with little transparency around fees and limited customer reviews, it’s hard to know what to expect until you schedule a consultation. We recommend comparing it to our picks for the best tax relief firms before committing.

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Tax Relief

• Available in every state
• Free consultation with a tax attorney
• Generous money-back guarantee
• Specializes in truck driver back taxes

• Not transparent about fees
• Limited customer reviews
• Hit-or-miss customer service

Five Star Tax Resolution offers nationwide tax help for individuals and businesses, including specialized support for truck drivers and a rare money-back guarantee. But the company doesn’t disclose its pricing, and customer reviews are limited.

If you’re looking for a tax relief firm with a strong refund policy and one-on-one attorney consultations, Five Star may be worth considering. You’ll need to schedule a call to find out what it costs.

Table of Contents

1. What is Five Star Tax Resolution?
2. How it works
3. What it offers
   1. Offer in Compromise (OIC)
   2. IRS Fresh Start Program
   3. Installment agreement
   4. Currently Non-Collectible (CNC) status
   5. Penalty abatement
   6. IRS tax levy and wage garnishment release
   7. Unfiled tax returns
   8. Business and truck driver tax help
   9. IRS audit support
4. Costs
5. Customer reviews
6. How it works
7. Pros and cons 
8. Alternatives
   1. vs. Anthem Tax Services
   2. vs. Larson Tax Relief
   3. vs. Alleviate Tax

What is Five Star Tax Resolution?

Five Star Tax Resolution is a nationwide tax relief company that helps individuals and businesses resolve IRS and state tax issues. Founded in 2007, the company offers services such as Offer in Compromise, penalty abatement, installment agreements, and audit support.

Unlike some tax relief firms that rely heavily on sales reps, Five Star connects you directly with tax professionals during a free consultation. It also markets strategic and personalized tax help, especially for truck drivers and small business owners.

• Year founded: 2007
• Headquarters: Pasadena, California
• Availability: All 50 states
• Free consultation: Yes
• Minimum tax debt: $5,000 – $10,000 depending on tax status
• Specialties: IRS Fresh Start, truck driver back taxes, personalized tax strategies

While the company promises strategic, one-on-one support and promotes integrity and transparency, its fee structure remains vague. This is worth considering before you sign up.

How does Five Star Tax Resolution work?

Five Star’s tax relief process follows a fairly standard three-step approach, though it emphasizes personal attention and expert access at each stage.

1. Free consultation. You’ll start with a 20- to 30-minute consultation, not with a salesperson, but with a licensed tax attorney. This is your opportunity to ask questions, get initial impressions of your options, and learn how the company would approach your case. You’ll also get a quote, since fees aren’t shared online or by phone.
2. Negotiation phase. Once you sign on, Five Star begins communicating with the IRS (or your state tax agency) on your behalf. This stage typically takes two to three months, depending on your situation. The company may request financial documents or additional information during this time.
3. Resolution. If the company successfully negotiates a resolution, you’ll either start a payment plan, receive penalty relief, or settle your debt for less than what you owe. You’ll also have access to ongoing support throughout the process via unlimited chat with tax experts.

What Five Star Tax Resolution offers

Five Star Tax offers a full suite of tax relief services for both individuals and businesses. Its marketing emphasizes “strategic and personalized” support, especially for truck drivers and small business owners. Here’s a closer look at its core services.

Offer in Compromise (OIC)

Five Star can help you apply for an Offer in Compromise, which allows you to settle your tax debt for less than you owe. It’s one of the most effective options for qualifying taxpayers, but approval is based on income, assets, and ability to pay.

IRS Fresh Start Program

The IRS Fresh Start initiative helps taxpayers get back on track through more lenient terms for OICs, installment plans, and penalty relief. Five Star advertises this service by name and may use it to frame your available options.

Installment agreement

If you’re unable to pay your full tax bill at once, Five Star can help you negotiate a long-term or short-term installment plan with the IRS or state tax agency.

Currently Non-Collectible (CNC) status

For taxpayers experiencing financial hardship, Five Star may be able to secure CNC status from the IRS. This temporarily pauses collections while your financial situation improves.

Penalty abatement

If you’ve been charged penalties for late payment or filing, Five Star can help you request penalty abatement based on reasonable cause, such as illness, natural disaster, or personal hardship.

IRS tax levy and wage garnishment release

Five Star assists clients with urgent situations, including levies and wage garnishments. If you’re already having your paycheck or bank account garnished, the firm can negotiate a release and help you enter into an alternative resolution.

Unfiled tax returns

Unfiled returns can trigger audits and added penalties. Five Star helps clients catch up on multiple years of unfiled federal or state returns.

Business and truck driver tax help

In addition to general business tax resolution and corporate tax prep, Five Star markets a niche service for truck drivers with back taxes, including support with quarterly filings, deductions, and unfiled returns.

IRS audit support

If you’re facing an audit, Five Star can represent you and help prepare the necessary documentation. It emphasizes “best-in-class tax resources” and year-round expert access, which may appeal to clients with ongoing tax issues.

How much does Five Star Tax Resolution cost?

Five Star doesn’t publish any fee estimates online, and phone representatives won’t share pricing details either. The only way to get a quote is by booking a free 30-minute consultation with a tax attorney.

While the firm claims to tailor pricing based on the complexity of your case, this lack of transparency makes it harder to comparison shop or budget upfront. It’s a common practice in the tax relief industry, but we think it’s worth noting.

Fee structure

Service phase	Cost
Initial consultation	Free
Case resolution	Flat fee (disclosed after consultation)

Five Star’s website suggests it offers flat-fee pricing, but because exact costs vary from case to case, you won’t know your price until after the consultation.

Customer reviews

Source	Rating	Number of reviews
Trustpilot	3.7/5	1
Better Business Bureau (BBB)	2.33/5	3
Google	4.4/5	118

Customer reviews for Five Star Tax Resolution are limited, which makes it tough to get a full picture of what working with the company is really like.

What customers say

The available reviews tend to be positive. Clients mention that representatives are friendly, responsive, and take the time to clearly explain tax resolution options. The ability to chat with a tax expert anytime is a standout feature mentioned in marketing and praised by some reviewers.

However, the company’s limited review footprint, especially compared to competitors like Anthem, is a drawback. Five Star also works with a reputation management company, which could explain the absence of negative feedback that’s more common for tax relief services.

Legal and ethical concerns

Five Star was involved in lawsuits in 2022 and 2023, but there’s no public record of fraud or serious misconduct. The company is BBB-accredited and holds an A– rating with the agency. It has received 10 complaints in the last three years.

How it works

Five Star follows a fairly standard three-step process, but a couple of features set it apart:

• You meet with a tax attorney, not just a sales rep, during your consultation.
• You get ongoing access to experts via real-time chat throughout your case.

Here’s what to expect:

1. Free consultation. Your journey starts with a 20- to 30-minute call with a licensed tax attorney. During this time, you’ll share details about your situation and hear about possible strategies. Five Star will also explain its flat-fee pricing, but only after reviewing your case.
2. Investigation and negotiation. Once you sign on, Five Star contacts the IRS or state tax agency on your behalf. This phase typically takes two to three months, depending on your case complexity. You can reach out via chat any time to check progress or ask questions.
3. Resolution. When Five Star finds a solution, whether it’s an installment agreement, Offer in Compromise, or penalty abatement, it presents the plan and next steps. If the company can’t resolve your issue or save you money, its money-back guarantee may apply.

Pros and cons 

Pros

• Available in every state

  Five Star Tax works with clients in every state, making it a convenient option for those who need help with federal and state taxes.

• Free consultation

  The free consultation lasts nearly 30 minutes, and you meet with a tax attorney to discuss your situation. This stands out because many other companies offer free consultations with sales representatives instead of tax professionals. 

• Generous money-back guarantee

  If the company can’t help you find a solution or save money, you can get a full refund through Five Star’s no-strings-attached guarantee. 

Cons

• Not transparent about fees

  You can’t find pricing information online, and representatives won’t answer questions about it on the phone. Instead, you must schedule a 30-minute consultation. The lack of transparency might make it difficult to make informed decisions. 

• Limited customer reviews

  Online reviews for Five Star Tax are limited. Most review sites only have one or two reviews. The company also works with a reputation management company to resolve complaints, which might indicate that customers removed negative reviews. 

• Hit-or-miss customer service

  Customer service representatives are helpful, but getting information about the company is challenging. 

Alternatives to Five Star Tax Resolution

Five Star Tax offers solid core services and access to tax attorneys, but it lacks pricing transparency and has a limited online presence compared to industry leaders. If you’re looking for more customer reviews, upfront pricing, or standout guarantees, here are three alternatives worth considering.

Five Star Tax vs. Anthem Tax Services

Anthem Tax is one of the highest-rated tax relief firms and offers the strongest money-back guarantee in the industry, covering both the investigation and resolution phases. While both companies assign licensed tax professionals to your case, Anthem has a much longer track record of positive reviews and more transparent policies.

Five Star Tax vs. Larson Tax Relief

Larson Tax Relief stands out for its deep IRS expertise and detailed initial investigation process, which helps clients understand what options are available before they commit. It also has more than 15 years of experience and one of the largest volumes of online reviews.

Five Star Tax vs. Alleviate Tax

Alleviate Tax offers a lowest-price guarantee, making it an appealing pick if cost is your top concern. However, it doesn’t work with state tax issues, which may be a dealbreaker if your tax problems go beyond the IRS.

How we rated Five Star Tax Resolution

We designed LendEDU’s editorial rating system to help readers find companies that offer the best tax relief companies. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.

We compared Five Star Tax Resolution to several tax relief companies, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take is represented in our rating, recapped below.

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