Start with the clients and referral partners you already have, because they cost almost nothing. Then add one paid channel and make intake fast before you add a second. Most firms that struggle are not short of channels. They lose the enquiries they already get because nobody calls back for hours.
Demand is not the constraint. The IRS ended FY2025 with 13.1 million delinquent accounts and opened 2.5 million new investigations into unfiled returns (see our analysis of the FY2025 Data Book). The constraint is reaching those taxpayers before a competitor does, and converting them honestly. Below are nine channels, ordered roughly from cheapest per retained case to most expensive.
1. Your existing client base
If you prepare returns, some of your clients already owe the IRS, have unfiled years or have received notices they have not mentioned. A short letter or email that explains you now handle IRS problems, and what that involves, often produces cases within weeks.
Cost: near zero. Speed: fast. Mistake to avoid: sending it once. Repeat it at the points in the year when notices arrive.
2. Referral partners
CPAs and preparers who do not offer resolution, bankruptcy and family law attorneys, mortgage brokers and payroll providers all meet taxpayers with IRS problems. A short, specific referral arrangement (what you handle, minimum balance, how you report back) turns them into a steady source.
Cost: time. Speed: medium. Mistake to avoid: vague asks. Give partners a one-page summary and a direct line.
3. Your Google Business Profile and reviews
Many taxpayers search "tax relief near me" or a firm name they heard on the radio. A complete Business Profile with recent, specific reviews wins local searches and reassures people comparing firms. Ask every satisfied client, steadily, rather than in bursts.
Cost: low. Speed: medium.
4. Helpful content about specific notices
Pages that explain a CP504, an LT11 or a wage garnishment in plain language attract people at the moment they are deciding what to do. They also give AI assistants something accurate to cite. Each page should explain what the notice means, the real deadlines and the realistic options, written or reviewed by a credentialed practitioner.
Cost: moderate. Speed: slow, then compounding.
5. Meta video ads
Short videos of a real enrolled agent or attorney explaining a notice reach taxpayers before they search. Since January 2025, US financial services ads on Meta must run in the Financial Products and Services category, which restricts targeting, so the creative and the form do most of the qualifying (see what the category means for tax firms).
Cost: moderate. Speed: fast. Mistake to avoid: settlement promises. They attract the wrong people and the wrong attention.
6. Google search ads
Search captures people already looking. It is also the most expensive auction in the category, because national firms bid heavily. Smaller firms win by focusing on enforcement terms, their own states, strict negatives and a fast follow-up. See Google Ads for tax resolution firms.
Cost: high. Speed: immediate.
7. Public lien and levy records
Federal tax liens are public records, and some firms use them for direct mail. It can work, but rules on solicitation and data use vary by state and profession. Check yours before you start, and keep the message factual.
Cost: moderate. Speed: medium.
8. Radio, TV and connected TV
Broadcast builds the brand name that makes every other channel cheaper, but it needs a meaningful budget and a strong phone operation behind it. Connected TV lets smaller firms test with tighter geographic targeting.
Cost: high. Speed: medium.
9. Bought leads
Lead vendors offer volume on day one. Ask whether leads are exclusive in writing, how they are generated and what the screening criteria are. Compare them on cost per retained case. Our guide to alternatives to buying tax resolution leads covers the trade-offs.
The part that decides whether any of this works: intake
Every channel above produces enquiries from people who are frightened and comparing firms. The firm that answers in minutes, with a calm person who already knows the balance and notice type, wins most of them. Before adding a channel, check three things: how fast you call back, what share of booked consultations show up, and what share sign. Fixing those often does more than a bigger budget.
A sensible order for most firms
- Write to your existing clients and set up two or three referral partners this month.
- Fix intake: instant text, call within minutes, reminders before every consultation.
- Add one paid channel, usually Meta video for reach or Google search for intent, and measure cost per retained case.
- Publish one notice-specific page a week, reviewed by a practitioner.
- Only then add a second paid channel or a lead vendor.
Questions
What is the fastest way to get tax resolution clients?
For an existing tax practice, the fastest source is usually its own client base: a letter or email announcing resolution services often produces the first case within weeks. For new clients at volume, paid channels (Meta video and Google search) are the fastest, provided intake answers enquiries within minutes.
Do tax resolution firms need to buy leads?
No. Bought leads can work, but many are shared with several firms. Firms that generate their own exclusive enquiries through ads, content and referral partners usually achieve a lower cost per retained case once the system is running.
Want these numbers for your own firm? Book a strategy call and we will walk through your lead sources, intake and cost per retained case.