Optima Tax Relief Review

Optima Tax Relief at a Glance

• Tax types: Personal, business, federal, state, payroll
• Fee structure: Flat
• Minimum debt required: $10,000
• Professionals on staff? Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Enrolled Agents (EAs), and licensed tax attorneys
• Estimated resolution timeframe: 5 weeks to 8 months
• Estimated costs: $295 to $495 (discovery); $1,000 to $8,000 (resolution)
• Best for: Taxpayers who have complex cases and need personalized support

Optima Tax Relief Full Review

We gave Optima Tax Relief an overall score of 7.2 out of 10, with its responsive customer service, wide selection of services, and positive reputation primarily driving the average.

The firm performed worst in the cost and user experience categories, mainly due to its limited public pricing details and lackluster mobile apps.

Let’s dive deeper into Optima Tax Relief’s performance in each category.

Reputation

Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, Optima Tax Relief markets itself as “the nation’s leading tax resolution firm” and serves individuals and businesses with federal and state tax matters. It has handled more than 100,000 cases and helped clients resolve more than $3 billion in tax debt.

Founded in 2011, Optima Tax Relief has operated for 15 years, just somewhat shorter than the 19-year industry average we established during our analysis.

Unlike competitors with only EAs or tax attorneys on staff, Optima Tax Relief also employs CPAs who can provide expertise in complex tax matters, like audits. The firm has been recognized by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Civic 50 for its social responsibility.

Optima Tax Relief has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on over 4,700 customer reviews. This above-average rating is among the highest for the tax relief companies we reviewed. The firm has BBB accreditation with an A rating. Its average BBB customer review score is 3.99 (based on over 1,700 reviews), just below our calculated 4.1 industry average.

In May 2025, an external data breach involving Social Security and financial account numbers impacted around 3,100 people. Optima Tax Relief notified those affected in August 2025 and started taking measures to improve its security.

Scope of Services

Optima Tax Relief serves individual and business taxpayers nationwide. While that’s the industry standard, some competitors exclude or limit services in certain states. Additionally, the firm can help with IRS and state tax relief issues, whereas some competitors only deal with federal tax matters.

Optima Tax Relief’s resolution services include:

• Offers in Compromise (OIC)
• IRS installment agreements
• Partial Pay Installment Agreements (PPIA)
• Penalty abatement
• Innocent spouse relief
• Currently not collectible status
• Federal and state tax preparation
• Filing overdue returns
• Payroll tax relief

Its collection defense services include:

• Wage garnishment removal
• Tax lien removal
• Tax levy release
• Collections appeal
• Administrative appeal

Notably, Optima is one of the few flat-fee online tax relief companies that offer audit services, with experts who can represent you before the IRS and state tax agencies. This makes Optima Tax Relief ideal for complex disputes.

Optima doesn’t offer bookkeeping services, however.

Cost

• Free consultation: Yes
• Discovery fees: Yes, $295 to $495
• Estimated resolution costs: $1,000 to $8,000
• Money-back guarantee: Yes, 15 days (only for discovery)

Unlike some competitors, Optima Tax Relief charges flat fees, which can help you avoid a larger-than-expected bill if your case is complex and requires many hours to resolve.

Optima offers a tax identity theft monitoring service that costs $0 to $49.99 a month, depending on subscription tier. Like most tax relief companies, it also offers a free consultation. Beyond that, Optima Tax Relief doesn’t disclose pricing for its tax relief services on its website.

Based on our external research and estimates, Optima Tax Relief charges a $295 to $495 discovery fee to investigate your tax issue. Several competitors don’t charge this fee, though Optima’s pricing is similar to and sometimes on the lower end of those that do. Unlike some competitors, the firm also offers a 15-day money-back guarantee at this stage, reducing your risk.

Optima’s resolution fees typically range from $1,000 to $8,000, depending on your case’s complexity. Based on these estimates, the firm has one of the lowest starting prices for resolution, but its ceiling is on the higher side.

Unlike some competitors, such as AlleviateTax, Optima Tax Relief doesn’t explicitly advertise hardship discounts. This shortcoming might make the company less ideal if you need help paying tax relief fees. The firm also doesn’t advertise a price protection guarantee.

Overall, we found Optima Tax Relief offers fair value, including dedicated support and experts who work toward the best possible outcome.

User Experience

Optima Tax Relief’s website thoroughly explains its tax relief offerings. It also includes FAQs on how the consultation, investigation, and resolution processes work, as well as educational blog posts.

As previously mentioned, Optima Tax Relief doesn’t disclose its pricing online. It instead notes that pricing varies and encourages booking a consultation, which could prove frustrating if you prefer to know potential costs without a time commitment.

Booking a consultation simply involves filling out an online form or calling the toll-free Optima Tax Relief phone number. After completing the form, we saw a confirmation screen, and an assigned tax associate called within two minutes.

When we didn’t respond, we received a voicemail prompting us to call back to discuss our tax issue.

Over the next few business days, we received follow-up calls, emails, and texts.

The company appears eager to meet with you quickly, so we suggest reaching out only once you’re ready to speak with someone.

Optima Tax Relief has more digital offerings. Existing clients can use its client portal, and the company also has iOS and Android apps that let you file for a tax return extension, upload IRS notices for analysis, and request tax help.

While mobile apps are rare among tax relief companies, Optima Tax Relief’s apps have mediocre ratings and are largely outdated. When we tried to download the Android version, we were greeted with this message:

Customer Service & Support

When working with a tax relief company, receiving responsive, personalized customer service and support is crucial for a good experience.

Contacting Optima Tax Relief

Optima Tax Relief offers live phone support from Monday through Saturday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT. These hours are more flexible than those of several competitors, which often offer only weekday support.

Like many competitors, Optima Tax Relief doesn’t offer live chat, but it does offer email support for less urgent questions and issues. You can either contact your assigned tax associate or use the customer care email address.

We found the company offers reliable phone support. When we tested the line, we reached a live representative in under a minute, which is great if you’re reluctant to call because you're afraid of being placed in a long queue.

However, after we emailed about Optima Tax Relief's fees, we received a voicemail two business days later encouraging us to call. While not unusual for pricing questions, you might find the delayed response and lack of detail frustrating.

Contact Information

Phone: 800-536-0734

Physical Address

Optima Tax Relief, 3100 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 250, Santa Ana, CA, 92704

Customer Testimonials

Optima Tax Relief has thousands of reviews across sites like Trustpilot, Google, the BBB, and Reddit. After reading numerous Optima Tax Relief reviews, we found that customers often praise the firm for its prompt support from understanding, knowledgeable representatives who make the process less stressful.

A Trustpilot reviewer named R. Simpkins wrote the following: “Optima's team was very prompt. Even when I wasn't. The process took a couple of months, but I was very satisfied with the results. And they are still working on making my situation better.”

Negative reviews often mention an extended resolution timeframe, high upfront costs, or additional documentation requests. Such complaints aren’t uncommon since cases vary, but we recommend asking about the timeline, costs, and documentation before getting started.

Optima Tax Relief regularly responds to negative reviews across platforms.

Methodology: How We Review Tax Relief Services

When evaluating and scoring Optima Tax Relief, we looked at these five core categories:

• Reputation: We considered how long the company has been in business and how well it scores with the BBB, Trustpilot, and other organizations, relative to competitors.
• Scope of services: We considered state availability and compared the array of tax services against industry standards and competitors' offerings.
• Cost: We compared the firm’s discovery and resolution fee ranges, pricing structures, and available incentives and payment plans with those of competitors.
• User experience: We considered how easy it is to use the firm’s website, book a consultation, and access customer portals and mobile apps.
• Customer service and support: We tested available support channels, company responsiveness, and reviewed customer and expert testimonials.

We based our scores in each category on how Optima Tax Relief performed relative to 24 other tax relief companies, using close to 40 data points, with 10 being the highest score possible and 1 the lowest.

We then averaged the company’s score in each category to determine its final BestMoney Score.

How Does Optima Tax Relief Compare to Other Services?

Before choosing Optima Tax Relief, consider how it stacks up to two major competitors in terms of costs, services, minimum debt requirements, and money-back guarantees.

TaxRise

TaxRise is an online tax relief company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Irvine, California. It serves businesses and individuals in all 50 states and has an A+ rating from the BBB.

Using a hybrid pricing model, it offers debt resolution, collections defense, and filing and correction services. TaxRise stands out for its 100% money-back guarantee for tax resolution.

Tax Relief Advocates (TRA)

Founded in 2017, Tax Relief Advocates (TRA) is an online tax relief firm operating nationwide and holding an A+ BBB rating. Headquartered in Irvine, California, it offers collections defense, debt resolution, and filing and correction services to businesses and individuals.

Like Optima Tax Relief, it has a flat pricing structure and offers a money-back guarantee during the investigation phase.

Final Take: Who Is Optima Tax Relief Best For?