SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tax season is here and there are a lot of ads online claiming to offer tax relief at a cost.
A Sacramento tax expert says some ads might be legitimate while others might be predatory, so think twice before getting your hopes up.
“Unfortunately, I think those advertisements when you hear (them), they may give you a false sense of possibility,” said CPA Flaminius Ching.
When it comes to ads promising tax relief, experts remind tax filers to keep the mantra ‘too good to be true’ in mind.
“They have people that are happy that, ‘hey, I did it’ and it can happen, but they don't tell you that maybe that person doesn't have any assets, that person doesn't have any retirement accounts,” said Ching.
Ching says he’s had clients try and take advantage of some of the online ads claiming tax relief with no success.
“They pretty much string them along to a point where they just give up,” he said.
He also says it’s a red flag if a company asks for money upfront.
“There was an onboarding process. They paid him some money. They were in the process and they strung them along,” said Ching.
Help is possible, though. There is an official government program that helps with tax relief called an ‘offer in compromise.’
If you’re having trouble paying your taxes, an offer in compromise allows people who qualify to settle their tax debt for less than the full amount they owe and you don’t have to pay any money upfront.
“It’s all forms, it’s just like a tax return,” said Ching.
The bottom line? There’s no escaping paying your taxes.
“If you are making good money and by good money is just, you know, above the poverty level, you have assets, 401ks, cash accounts, cars… you're not going to get your tax debt relief,” said Ching.
ABC10 reached out to several companies offering tax relief. Some of the emails we sent bounced back, which experts say is not a good sign.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: What the IRS adjusting 2024 tax brackets for inflation means for you
