Too bad there's not an option for 0 stars. I contacted Optima Tax Relief (OTR) out of Santa Ana, California around July 10, 2025. After 7 months, I've contracted with Pure Tax Resolution, another tax service company out of Clearwater, FL.
Here's the difference between the 2. OTR agents kept requesting data that I didn't have. I spoke and wrote to OTR agents via phone about the fact that I had somehow misplaced accounting data for years 2019-2024. I have memory issues related to a brain injury I sustained in the past and I was desperate for help. But I still was being hounded for this data. I directly contacted the IRS, and an agent scheduled an in person consult to obtain transcripts of my past income streams on Oct. 22, 2025. But the IRS cancelled this appointment because of the government shutdown. Soon after the government shutdown ended around the 12th of Nov., I again contacted the IRS directly. This time, I explained that I needed transcripts documenting past income streams to share with OTR. Imagine my surprise when the IRS agent explained that OTR representatives who had possession of my "power of attorney" could easily have obtained this information within minutes via the internet.
Compare this treatment with my current tax attorney from Pure Tax Resolution who within a day emailed me all the required transcripts along with worksheets so that I could verify, correct or add data to what was showing on the transcripts. This entire process took less than 2 weeks.
Another example has to do with my income history where from 2019-2021 I received so little monies that I was probably due refunds but in 2022 my ex-husband of 23 years passed away mid-year which significantly increased my social security income. Sometime in 2024/ 2025 I received a demand IRS letter for taxes that I owed the IRS for the year 2022. I had contacted OTR about this and for requiring assistance to file tax forms for 2023 and 2024. OTR agents documented within my portal that they were working on doing tax work for the years 2019-2024. Yes, I am charged for work done by OTR employees for each year.
Now compare how my current tax attorney of Pure Tax Resolution handled this information. Within minutes, she explained that doing tax forms for 2019, 2020 and 2021 wasn't necessary as the IRS limits the time that past refunds could be used to reduce current taxes owed to 3 years. She suggested working on filing IRS tax forms for 2023, 2024 and for her to verify accuracy of the 2022 filing.
The above work done by Pure Tax Resolution has taken very little time. In addition, I was presented with an itemized bill from the start. While I'm not ecstatic about this, the billing from Pure Tax Resolution is less than what OTR had been demanding.
My current tax attorney took time to explain how the process works. Companies that promise great negotiated deals with the IRS can't make this guarantee because their employees are bound by IRS guidelines. Less than half of the applicants qualify for IRS programs/ plans that reduce the amount of taxes owed. But within the guidelines, my tax attorney advised me that she'd do her best.
Here's another difference. At Pure Tax Resolution, clients interact directly with a tax attorney or CPA accountant. At OTR, there're about 400 employees but only about 25 are tax attorneys or accountants. OTR's advertisement that clients will be dealing with tax specialists is misleading.
I received no emails from OTR agents detailing work done on my behalf, but my current tax attorney has kept my informed my email, texts, phone messages on a weekly basis. All the OTR agents did, was the drip, drip, drip requests for more monies while demanding that I provide data that they were in a position to easily obtain.
OTR's self-serving acclamations/ advertisements aren't reflected in the complaints data provided by BBB agency serving the Pacific SW business community where in the pat 3 -years, the BBB at 1010 E Missouri Ave., Phoenix AZ 85014 has collected over 770 complaints and over 270 for the past year. read more