03/27/2026
You have probably heard ads promising to settle your IRS debt for "pennies on the dollar."
I want to tell you something those ads won't.
The Offer in Compromise — the program that allows some taxpayers to settle for less than they owe — is real.
It is also approved for roughly 30–40% of applicants.
And it requires specific financial conditions that most people do not meet.
When a national tax relief company tells you an OIC is likely for your situation before they have reviewed a single document — they are telling you what you want to hear, not what is true.
I have been working with the IRS for 40 years.
I have never told a client an outcome was likely before I had read their transcripts.
I have also never charged a large upfront fee before doing any work.
Here is how I actually approach a case:
1. Pull the IRS transcripts — see exactly what they have on file.
2. Identify every discrepancy, every penalty type, every resolution option.
3. Tell the client honestly which options apply and which do not.
4. Build a strategy around what is actually true, not what sounds good.
Sometimes that leads to an Offer in Compromise.
More often it leads to penalty abatement, an installment agreement, or corrected filings that reduce the balance before we negotiate anything.
The goal is not to sell you a program.
The goal is to resolve your actual problem.
If you have been told you qualify for something and you're not sure it's accurate — that's worth a second opinion.
15 minutes. Free. No commitment.
What you owe, what you can realistically achieve, and how long it takes.
Link in the first comment.
Michael Dunlap | CPA · CTRS · CGMA | 40 years IRS experience
