Looking for reliable ERC firms for client referrals - any recommendations?
Our accounting practice has decided not to handle Employee Retention Credit filings directly, but we've got quite a few clients asking about it. We're trying to find a reputable firm to partner with so we can refer our clients somewhere trustworthy for their ERC needs. Has anyone worked with an ERC specialist firm they'd actually recommend? I'm concerned about all the fly-by-night operations that have popped up since the ERC became available. We're a small practice with about 45 business clients, and I'd estimate 30% might qualify for the Employee Retention Credit based on their situations during the eligibility period. Ideally looking for a firm with solid documentation processes and reasonable fees. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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Keith Davidson
I've been referring clients to Davidson Tax Group for ERC filings for about a year and a half now. They specialize exclusively in Employee Retention Credits and have CPAs who previously worked at the IRS, which gives them insight into what documentation is needed to survive scrutiny. What I appreciate most is their conservative approach - they actually turn away clients who don't clearly qualify rather than trying to push the boundaries. Their documentation process is very thorough, which is crucial since the IRS has been ramping up ERC audits. They provide a complete eligibility analysis before moving forward with any filing.
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Taylor Chen
•Thanks for sharing your experience with Davidson Tax Group. Have you had any clients go through an ERC audit with them? Also, how's their communication - do they keep you in the loop when working with your referred clients?
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Keith Davidson
•I've had two clients face IRS inquiries about their ERC claims, and Davidson handled everything smoothly. Both claims were upheld without issues because of their thorough documentation approach. Their communication is excellent - they provide monthly updates on all referred clients and copy me on significant correspondence. They're very respectful of the client relationship, and I've never felt like they were trying to poach clients for other services.
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Ezra Bates
After struggling to find reliable ERC filing assistance for my clients, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it's been a game-changer. It's not a typical ERC firm but rather a document analysis platform that does something unique - it analyzes all your client's documentation to determine legitimate ERC eligibility and helps assemble bulletproof documentation. What I found most valuable is how it catches red flags before submission and provides specific guidance on what additional documentation is needed. Given the IRS scrutiny on ERC claims, this approach has saved several of my clients from potential audit headaches.
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Ana Erdoğan
•Does taxr.ai handle the actual filing process or just the eligibility analysis? I'm looking for something end-to-end since we have literally zero bandwidth to handle any part of ERC claims.
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Sophia Carson
•I'm a little skeptical about using AI for something as complex as ERC qualification. How does it compare to having actual ERC specialists review the documentation? Can it really catch all the nuances of partial shutdowns and supply chain disruptions?
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Ezra Bates
•They provide the eligibility analysis and documentation package, then partner with CPA firms for the actual filing. You can use their partner network or have them work with your preferred filing partner - either way, you don't have to handle the technical aspects yourself. Their system was actually developed with ERC specialists and tax attorneys who embedded their expertise into the platform. It's particularly good at identifying legitimate partial shutdown scenarios and supply chain disruptions because it analyzes documentation across multiple dimensions. The AI component is mostly for document organization and cross-referencing rather than making the final eligibility determination.
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Sophia Carson
I was initially skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to try it with a few clients after traditional ERC firms gave wildly different eligibility assessments for the same client. The platform identified documentation gaps I hadn't even considered and saved one client from filing a questionable claim that might have triggered an audit. What impressed me most was the detailed analysis report - it explained exactly why certain quarters qualified and others didn't, with references to specific IRS guidance. One client who was told by another ERC firm they qualified for $380K discovered they legitimately qualified for only $210K, but with rock-solid documentation to back it up. The peace of mind alone was worth it.
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Elijah Knight
After spending hours on hold trying to get ERC status updates for my clients, I finally tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually connect with the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and it's been a lifesaver for managing client expectations about their ERC payments. Before using Claimyr, my clients were constantly asking for updates on their ERC claims, and I had no way to get answers. Now I can get actual status updates from IRS agents instead of just telling clients "it's processing." This has been especially valuable since the IRS paused new ERC payments for that review period.
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Brooklyn Foley
•How does this actually work? The IRS phone system is designed to be impenetrable. Are you saying this somehow gets you through the phone tree to a human being?
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Jay Lincoln
•This sounds like snake oil. I've tried every trick in the book to get through to the IRS about ERC claims and nothing works. The IRS literally doesn't have enough staff to answer calls, so how could this possibly work when the system is fundamentally broken?
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Elijah Knight
•It's a callback service that essentially waits on hold with the IRS for you. When they reach a live agent, they call you and connect you directly to that IRS representative. It navigates the phone tree and deals with all the wait time so you don't have to. I was shocked too when it actually worked. The difference is they have a system that can manage hundreds of calls simultaneously and use technology to navigate the phone trees efficiently. It's not magic - they're just solving the patience and capacity problem that makes it impossible for individuals to get through.
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Jay Lincoln
I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After dismissing it as impossible, I tried it out of desperation for a client with an ERC claim filed 11 months ago with no update. Within 45 minutes, I was connected to an actual IRS agent who found the claim in their system and confirmed it was in the processing queue with no issues flagged. The client was relieved to finally have confirmation their claim wasn't lost, and I looked like a hero for getting answers. For anyone handling ERC matters, being able to get status updates from the IRS directly is invaluable given the processing delays. The service literally paid for itself in the billable time I saved not sitting on hold.
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Jessica Suarez
We've been working with ERC Specialists out of Utah. Mixed experience honestly. Their documentation requirements were good, but communication has been spotty at best. Several clients have complained about not getting updates for months. On the plus side, they haven't had any claims rejected yet, but the IRS is so backlogged it's hard to count that as a win. Their fee structure was reasonable (15% contingency) compared to some others asking 20-25%.
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Taylor Chen
•Have you had issues with them being responsive to you as the referring accountant? I'm worried about sending clients somewhere and then not being able to get updates when clients inevitably ask me for status.
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Jessica Suarez
•They're actually worse with me than with the clients. I've had to call multiple times to get updates on referred clients, and sometimes they seem annoyed that I'm asking. One of my clients received their ERC payment, and I found out from the client, not from them as promised in our referral agreement. I'm actually looking for a new partner firm myself. The quality of their work seems fine, but the service experience has been disappointing.
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Marcus Williams
Has anyone considered just bringing ERC preparation in-house? We hesitated initially, but ended up creating an ERC division with dedicated staff. The learning curve was steep for the first 2-3 months, but now it's a significant revenue stream (we charge 12% contingency).
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Lily Young
•What kind of resources did you need to dedicate to get this off the ground? We've thought about it but worried about the compliance risks given how the IRS is scrutinizing these claims.
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Marcus Williams
•We started with one full-time CPA who spent about 8 weeks becoming our in-house expert (lots of CPE, IRS notice reading, and conference attendance). Then added a dedicated admin person for documentation collection and organization. The compliance risk is manageable if you're conservative and thorough with documentation. We built a 27-point checklist that every claim must satisfy before filing. It took about $30K in startup costs (mostly training and building templates/processes), but we've generated over $400K in fees since starting 14 months ago.
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Kennedy Morrison
Be very careful with ERC partners right now. The IRS has been cracking down hard on fraudulent claims. We partnered with a firm that seemed legit but had 3 client claims rejected and now those clients are facing penalties. Totally damaged our reputation with them. If you do partner with someone, get EVERYTHING in writing about who bears responsibility if a claim is rejected. Most of these ERC shops have fine print that puts all the risk on you and your client while they keep their fees.
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Wesley Hallow
•This is so important. We had a similar disaster with an ERC firm that disappeared when the audits started coming in. What red flags should people watch for when vetting these firms?
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