Legal costs and timelines, in plain numbers. Not a law firm.
The famous option, honestly
Offer in Compromise: the Real Odds
Every figure sourced and dated. Updated 2026-09-01.
The Offer in Compromise is real and really hard: FY2024 acceptance was 21.4%, and the ten-year average is 36%. Accepted offers totaled $163.4 million in FY2024.
The costs of trying
$205 application fee plus a 20% deposit, both kept if denied unless you meet the low-income waiver. For most people the winning move is the less famous one: an installment agreement, up to 72 months. Back to Tax Debt.
Plain disclosure: TheLawFacts is an informational publisher and advertising / lead-generation service. We are not a law firm, we do not give legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this site or submitting a request. We do not endorse or evaluate any attorney; attorneys who contact you have paid a flat advertising fee that never depends on your case or its outcome. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Sources for every figure on this page
21.4%: IRS FY2024 data via TaxRise: Offer in Compromise acceptance rate (7,199 of 33,591) (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
36%: IRS data 2015-2024 via IRS Solutions: ten-year average OIC acceptance (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
$205: IRS: OIC application fee, kept with the 20% deposit even if the offer is denied (low-income waivers exist) (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
$163.4 million: IRS FY2024: total value of accepted offers (published estimate, retrieved 2026-09-01).
A few quick questions about your situation first; your contact details come last, and nobody contacts you unless you check the consent box at the end. We do not select or evaluate any attorney for you; the disclosure explains how this works.
Request handling is not yet live. It goes active state by state, beginning with Texas, once our compliance review completes. Nothing you type here is stored today.
Have a question about your own situation?
Asking costs nothing, and nobody contacts you unless you check the consent box.