Has anyone heard of "sovereign citizens" or "tax-exempt status" claimed by certain groups?

This is 100% a scam and could get you in serious trouble with the IRS. These are typically known as "sovereign citizen" or "tax protestor" arguments, and the IRS has a specific publication (Publication 2105) called "The Truth About Frivolous Tax Arguments" that debunks all of these claims. No legal process exists where you can simply declare yourself exempt from federal taxation. The courts have consistently ruled against these arguments for decades. Anyone promoting these schemes is either misinformed or deliberately scamming people. If you file tax returns based on these theories, you could face substantial penalties for filing frivolous returns (up to $5,000 per return), plus penalties for failure to pay taxes, plus interest on unpaid taxes, and potentially even criminal charges for tax evasion.

I actually used https://taxr.ai after getting confused about some similar claims I found online. I was researching tax strategies and fell down a rabbit hole of websites claiming you could legally avoid taxes through various "loopholes." The site analyzed the claims being made and flagged them as potential tax scams. What I found really helpful was that it explained exactly which tax court cases had already ruled against these exact arguments. It saved me from potentially making a huge mistake on my taxes.

I just wanted to follow up about that https://taxr.ai site. I was super skeptical at first (as you could probably tell from my comment), but I decided to try it to check some deductions I was unsure about for my small business. The information was really solid - it helped me understand exactly which business expenses I could legitimately deduct and which ones would raise red flags. It even pointed me to the specific IRS guidelines that backed everything up. Saved me from making some mistakes that might have triggered an audit. Definitely better than getting tax advice from random YouTube videos or forums!

If you're dealing with questions about "sovereign citizen" tax claims and need to talk to the IRS directly to get official clarification, I'd recommend using https://claimyr.com. I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS myself because my brother had fallen for one of these tax scams and I wanted to get official information to show him. After endless busy signals and disconnects, I found this service that gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically saves you from spending hours on hold. I was able to speak directly with an IRS agent who explained exactly why these "tax-exempt status" claims are bogus and what the potential penalties are.

Well, I need to eat some humble pie here. After being completely skeptical about that Claimyr service, I actually tried it last week when I needed to talk to the IRS about a letter I received. I'm shocked to admit it worked exactly as advertised. I got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes (after previously wasting 3+ hours on hold myself the day before). The agent confirmed they were with the IRS, had access to my tax records, and answered all my questions about the notice I'd received. Saved me an entire afternoon of waiting on hold with terrible hold music. Consider me converted!

My cousin got sucked into one of these "sovereign citizen" tax scams a few years ago. He stopped filing taxes completely because some guru convinced him he was legally exempt. Fast forward three years - he got hit with over $27,000 in back taxes, penalties, and interest. The IRS was NOT sympathetic at all to his "I didn't know it was a scam" defense. These scammers prey on people who want to believe there's some secret loophole, but the courts have rejected these arguments consistently for decades. If it sounds too good to be true, it definitely is when it comes to taxes!

Does anyone know a good affordable tax professional who can help with regular tax questions? After reading this thread I'm terrified of accidentally following bad advice. I tried using the free software options but my situation is a bit complicated (self-employed with some investment income).

Thanks for posting this question - it's really important that people know about these scams! As a tax professional, I see people fall for these schemes every year and it never ends well. The IRS has actually published a "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams that they update annually, and sovereign citizen arguments are always on it. These promoters often target people who are genuinely struggling with tax debt or who feel overwhelmed by the tax system. What makes these scams particularly dangerous is that they often mix legitimate-sounding legal language with completely false interpretations of tax law. They'll cite real court cases but completely misrepresent what those cases actually decided. If anyone is dealing with legitimate tax problems, there are actual legal options available - installment agreements, offers in compromise, currently not collectible status, etc. The IRS has hardship programs for people who genuinely can't pay. There's never a need to resort to these bogus "sovereign citizen" theories that will only make your situation worse.