Anyone have experience with StopIRSDebt for years of unfiled returns?

Do you think they need an actual tax attorney for this or just an EA or CPA? Also, would the stimulus payments still be claimable if they're outside that 3-year window?

For this situation, an Enrolled Agent (EA) or CPA with experience in tax resolution would likely be sufficient. Tax attorneys are generally necessary for more complex cases involving litigation or criminal issues, which doesn't seem to be the case here based on the information provided. Regarding the stimulus payments, it depends on when they were issued. The Recovery Rebate Credit for the first and second stimulus payments had to be claimed on your 2020 return (due in 2021), while the third payment would be claimed on your 2021 return. If you haven't filed those tax years yet, you can still claim them when you file those specific returns, even if it's late. However, if you're beyond three years from the original due date for those returns, you unfortunately may have lost the ability to claim refunds.

How exactly does the document part work? Do you have to scan everything in or can you take pictures? I have a pile of tax documents from the last several years but it's all mixed up and I don't even know where to start.

Sounds too good to be true honestly. Did you still need a tax professional after using it or were you able to file everything yourself? I'm skeptical that any tool can really handle complex situations.

The document part is super flexible - you can scan documents if you have a scanner, but I just took pictures with my phone which worked perfectly fine. The system recognized different tax forms automatically (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) even from photos and sorted them by year. I ended up filing myself after using the tool. It organized everything so clearly that I could see exactly what I had for each year. I was surprised too - I thought my situation was too complex to handle myself, but having everything properly organized made it manageable. The tool helped identify some deductions I qualified for that I didn't know about, which reduced what I owed by almost $2,300. But everyone's situation is different - some people might still want professional help after organizing everything.

Wait, how does this actually work? I've been trying to call the IRS for weeks and either get disconnected or told the wait time is too long.

This sounds like a scam. Why would you pay some random service to call the IRS for you? They probably just automate calls and then sell your spot in line. I highly doubt this works as advertised.

It basically puts your call in a queue with their automated system that keeps dialing the IRS until it gets through. Once it does, it calls your phone and connects you directly to the IRS agent. No more endless redials or hours of hold music. I was skeptical too at first. I'm not saying it's magic - they're basically just handling the frustrating wait time part for you. But when you've been trying to reach the IRS for weeks with no success, having someone else handle the waiting game is worth it. They don't access any of your personal tax info - they just connect the call and then you talk directly to the IRS agent yourself. I was able to get my identity verification issues resolved in one call after spending weeks trying on my own.

This is so important! My brother got scammed by one of these companies that promised to settle his $40k tax debt for pennies on the dollar. Paid $4k upfront, they filed an offer in compromise that got rejected, and then they basically disappeared.

Exactly! These companies often advertise based on best-case scenarios that apply to very few people. The "pennies on the dollar" settlements (Offers in Compromise) have specific qualifying criteria - you have to prove you have no ability to pay the full amount now or in the foreseeable future. Most people don't qualify. The most frustrating part is that many of these companies know you won't qualify before they take your money. They collect their fee, file paperwork they know will be rejected, then tell you "well, we tried!" while keeping your money. Always ask for their success rate with cases similar to yours, and get clear details about what specific actions they'll take for the fee they're charging.

The Fresh Start program definitely helped me too. It's not actually a specific program you apply for - it's a set of policies that make it easier to settle tax debts. Made my payment plan much more manageable.