Ideal Tax Review 2025: Services, Costs, and Concerns

3.1 _/5

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Our take: We don’t generally recommend companies that earn below a 4.0 in our editorial ratings, and Ideal Tax falls short of that. Check out our list of the best tax relief companies for our top picks.

Tax Relief Services

• Works with tax attorneys, CPAs, and former IRS agents
• Licensed in 47 states
• Offers free consultation
• Claims 10,000+ clients served

• No published pricing or money-back guarantee

Ideal Tax claims to make tax relief “easy,” offering a full-service process with licensed professionals and more than 15 years of experience. The company helps clients resolve IRS and state tax issues ranging from wage garnishments to unfiled returns, and it offers a free consultation to get started.

That said, Ideal Tax doesn’t publicly share pricing, doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee, and has a mixed track record when it comes to client communication. This review covers how it works, what it costs, and how it compares to higher-rated tax relief companies.

Table of Contents

1. What Ideal Tax offers
   1. Tax debt resolution
   2. IRS and state tax negotiation
   3. Tax preparation
   4. Audit representation
   5. Wage garnishment release
   6. Bank levy release
   7. Offer in Compromise
   8. Installment agreements
   9. Innocent Spouse Relief
2. How it works
3. Costs
4. How much it can save you
5. Pros and cons
6. Customer reviews
7. Is it legit?
8. Alternatives
   1. vs. Anthem Tax Services
   2. vs. Larson Tax Relief
   3. vs. Alleviate Tax

What Ideal Tax offers

Ideal Tax provides full-service tax resolution for individuals and businesses facing IRS or state tax problems. Its team includes tax attorneys, CPAs, and former IRS agents, and its services range from audit representation to negotiating settlements. Here’s what you can expect if you work with the company.

Tax debt resolution

Ideal Tax helps clients reduce or resolve federal and state tax debt. This includes negotiating directly with taxing authorities to lower the total owed or set up payment arrangements.

IRS and state tax negotiation

Whether you’re facing a federal IRS issue or a state-level problem, Ideal Tax works with the appropriate agency to stop collections and explore relief options.

Tax preparation

The company assists with current and back tax filings for individuals and small businesses. This includes preparing amended returns when errors are discovered.

Audit representation

Ideal Tax represents clients during IRS or state audits. It handles documentation, negotiates with the auditor, and may appeal audit decisions if necessary.

Wage garnishment release

If the IRS or your state has started garnishing your paycheck, Ideal Tax can step in to negotiate a release and help you regain control of your income.

Bank levy release

The company helps clients who have had their accounts frozen due to tax debt. It works to get levies removed while also resolving the underlying tax balance.

Offer in Compromise

Ideal Tax can help you apply for an Offer in Compromise (OIC), which allows you to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount owed, if you meet IRS hardship criteria.

Installment agreements

If you can’t pay your full balance upfront, Ideal Tax may be able to arrange an installment plan with the IRS or state, giving you more time to pay down your debt.

Innocent Spouse Relief

For clients who are being held responsible for a spouse’s tax debt, Ideal Tax can help pursue innocent spouse relief to remove or reduce liability.

How Ideal Tax works

Ideal Tax follows a multi-step process to evaluate your situation, propose a solution, and communicate with the IRS or state on your behalf. Here’s how it typically works:

1. Free consultation: You start with a no-obligation phone consultation. During this 15- to 30-minute call, a representative reviews your tax situation and determines whether Ideal Tax can help.
2. Case review and paperwork: If you move forward, you’ll be asked to provide tax documents such as past returns, IRS notices, and wage or bank levy details. This helps the team evaluate your financial standing and build a resolution plan.
3. Plan development: Ideal Tax uses your information to propose a customized plan. This may include filing unfiled returns, applying for penalty abatement, or negotiating a payment agreement. Depending on the case, this step may take one to two weeks.
4. Sign agreement and assign case manager: Once you approve the plan and sign the necessary paperwork, including Power of Attorney, Ideal Tax formally begins working with the IRS or state on your behalf. You’ll be assigned a case manager as your main point of contact.
5. Resolution and follow-up: Your case manager will continue to manage the process until your issue is resolved. This may take anywhere from three months to over a year, depending on complexity. Ideal Tax also has a customer service team available for general questions along the way.

How much it costs

Ideal Tax doesn’t publish pricing details on its website. While the company promotes a free initial consultation, it doesn’t disclose whether there’s a fixed fee for discovery services or how its service costs are structured.

Variable pricing based on case complexity

According to customer reviews and industry standards, Ideal Tax’s fees likely depend on the scope of work and the amount of tax debt involved. Online estimates suggest that most clients pay between $1,000 and $7,000 or more.

Payment plans may be available

While Ideal Tax doesn’t advertise financing options, some reviews mention flexible payment arrangements. Be sure to ask about this during your consultation if cost is a concern.

How much it can save you

Ideal Tax aims to reduce the total amount you owe by negotiating directly with the IRS or state. While results vary from case to case, the company may be able to:

• Settle your tax debt for less than the full amount through an Offer in Compromise
• Eliminate penalties through penalty abatement
• Pause collections via Currently Not Collectible status
• Reduce or remove wage garnishments or bank levies

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free initial consultation

  You can speak with a representative and review your case at no cost.

• Licensed professionals on staff

  The team includes tax attorneys, CPAs, and former IRS agents.

• Full-service resolution

  Offers help with audits, levies, garnishments, unfiled returns, and more.

• Nationwide availability

  Licensed to operate in 47 states and serves clients across the U.S.

Cons

• No pricing transparency

  Ideal Tax doesn’t publish service fees or provide clear cost estimates upfront.

• No money-back guarantee

  Once you pay, there’s no refund if you’re unhappy with the outcome.

• No published minimum tax debt requirement

  It’s unclear who qualifies or whether there’s a required debt threshold.

Customer reviews

Ideal Tax earns mostly positive ratings across major review platforms, but as with many tax relief companies, client experiences vary. Praise often centers on professionalism and case knowledge, while complaints focus on communication and unmet expectations.

Source	Customer rating	Total reviews
Trustpilot	4.5/5	232
Google	4.1/5	509
Better Business Bureau (BBB)	3.67/5	107

The company is BBB-accredited and has an A+ rating with the platform.

Positive reviews frequently mention:

• Knowledgeable case managers
• Help resolving complex tax situations
• Relief from garnishments or levies
• Friendly and courteous customer service

Some customers report negative experiences, particularly around:

• Poor follow-up after initial contact
• Unexpected fees or unclear cost breakdowns
• Delays in response or case progress
• No refund despite dissatisfaction

One complaint filed with BBB reads:

I hired ideal tax solutions in 2021 because of my tax problems.they assured me they can help with my situation, years went by and my case went through several case managers that just kept telling me they’re waiting on a response from the irs,so I waited patiently, and as time went on I stopped receiving messages and calls from them ,and when I called to find out what was going on they said my case was closed because I never called them , which didn’t make sense because they always called me to keep me updated , so then they just kept assigning me different case managers and in the end it made my tax situation far more worst and now I can’t even get a definitive answer on the final results of my.
I tried reaching out and have yet to get a response, and now left to deal with the *** my self. My case started in 2021 and it is now 2025 and I feel they did nothing but delay and made my tax issue much worst

—BBB complaint

We observed that Ideal Tax responds to every complaint shown on the BBB page, but some customers aren’t satisfied with the response.

Is Ideal Tax legit?

Yes, Ideal Tax appears to be a legitimate tax relief company with 15-plus years in business and a licensed team of professionals. It operates under the name Ideal Tax Group Inc. (also referred to as Ideal Tax Solution) and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

• Founded in 2010
• A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau
• Licensed in 47 states
• Team includes tax attorneys, CPAs, and former IRS agents
• Claimed 10,000+ clients served

Alternatives

Ideal Tax vs. Anthem Tax Services

Anthem Tax Services is known for its strong customer service and money-back guarantee if it can’t improve your tax situation. Like Ideal Tax, it works with licensed tax professionals, but Anthem is more transparent about costs and qualifications.

• Anthem offers a results-based guarantee
• More consistent customer communication
• Clearer information about staff credentials and process

Ideal Tax vs. Larson Tax Relief

Larson Tax Relief is a family-owned firm with a reputation for high-touch service. It staffs enrolled agents and tax professionals with years of experience and has been helping clients for over 15 years.

• Larson is known for white-glove service and direct agent access
• More responsive communication and faster follow-up
• Ideal Tax offers broader marketing reach, but Larson scores better on trust

Ideal Tax vs. Alleviate Tax

Alleviate Tax emphasizes transparency and client education. It offers a lowest-price guarantee and a clear 100% satisfaction promise for its initial services, something Ideal Tax doesn’t match.

• Alleviate provides more upfront clarity on pricing
• Ideal Tax offers more extensive services (e.g., tax prep), but we recommend Alleviate for its expectations and satisfaction
• Alleviate promotes itself as a value-driven and client-first option

How we rated Ideal Tax

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

We compared Ideal Tax 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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