Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these Terms

By accessing or using the Services, submitting a form, creating an account, or clicking a button indicating your agreement, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

2. What Hello Taxes is and is not

Hello Taxes operates a directory and lead-matching service that connects consumers with independent, third-party licensed tax professionals (including CPAs, Enrolled Agents, and tax attorneys).

Hello Taxes is not a tax preparation firm, not a law firm, not an accounting firm, and not the Internal Revenue Service. We do not prepare tax returns, give tax, legal, or financial advice, represent you before the IRS or any state taxing authority, or guarantee any specific outcome. Professionals in our network are independent and are solely responsible for the services they provide to you. Their acceptance of you as a client is at their discretion.

We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Internal Revenue Service or any government agency. The IRS Fresh Start Initiative and similar programs are administered by the IRS; Hello Taxes does not administer these programs and cannot guarantee acceptance into any of them. Individual results will vary based on each person's financial circumstances and IRS or state determinations.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States to use the Services. By using the Services you represent that you meet these requirements and that you are not barred from using the Services under applicable law.

4. Accounts

Some features require you to create an account. Authentication is provided by a third-party identity provider (Clerk). You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to keep it updated. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access at help@hellotaxes.net.

If you register as a tax professional, you additionally represent and warrant that you hold all licenses, certifications, and authorizations required to provide the services you offer, and that you will comply with all applicable professional standards, advertising rules, and laws.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information, or submit information about someone other than yourself without their authorization;
• Use the Services to harass, abuse, defame, or otherwise harm another person;
• Attempt to access accounts, data, or systems that you are not authorized to access;
• Scrape, crawl, reverse engineer, or use automated means to collect information from the Services without our express written consent;
• Interfere with or disrupt the Services, servers, or networks;
• Use the Services to violate any law or regulation, including tax, telemarketing, consumer protection, or privacy laws; or
• Use the Services to distribute malware or engage in any form of attack against us or our users.

6. Matching and independent professionals

When you submit an inquiry, we may share the information you provide with one or more professionals in our network who may contact you. We do not endorse, recommend, warrant, or guarantee any particular professional or their services. Credentials, licensure, fees, and scope of engagement are established between you and the professional — not by Hello Taxes.

You are responsible for verifying a professional's credentials (for example, through the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers, your state bar, or your state board of accountancy) and for reviewing and agreeing to their own terms and privacy policy before engaging them. Any agreement to perform tax, legal, or financial services is solely between you and the professional, and Hello Taxes is not a party to it.

Testimonials, case examples, and any estimates of savings or outcomes on the Services reflect the experiences of specific individuals and are not a guarantee of your results. Paid services may be offered following a free consultation at the professional's discretion.

7. No professional advice

Content on the Services is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not tax, legal, accounting, or financial advice. No attorney-client, CPA-client, or fiduciary relationship is formed by your use of the Services or by reading any content on the Services. Do not act or refrain from acting based on anything you read on the Services without first consulting a qualified professional about your specific situation.

8. Communications consent

When you submit a form that includes a phone number and check the consent box, you authorize Hello Taxes and its network of licensed tax professionals and affiliates to contact you about your inquiry and for related marketing purposes at the phone number and email you provide — including by phone calls, text messages (SMS/MMS), and email — using automated dialing technology and pre-recorded or artificial voice messages.

Consent is not a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to any text to opt out, or HELP for help. Additional details and opt-out instructions are in our Privacy Policy.

9. Fees

Use of the Services as a consumer is currently free. Tax professionals may charge fees for their services, and those fees are established and disclosed by each professional to you directly. Hello Taxes may in the future offer paid features or charge professionals for participation in the network; any such fees will be disclosed to the affected party before they apply.

10. Intellectual property

The Services, including all software, text, images, graphics, logos, and the "Hello Taxes" name and marks, are owned by Hello Taxes or its licensors and are protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Services for their intended purpose. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works from the Services without our prior written consent.

11. Your content

You retain ownership of information and content you submit to the Services ("Your Content"). By submitting Your Content, you grant Hello Taxes a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, transmit, display, and otherwise use Your Content solely to operate and improve the Services, to facilitate matches with professionals, and for the other purposes described in our Privacy Policy. You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to submit Your Content and that Your Content does not violate these Terms or any law.

12. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, OR QUIET ENJOYMENT. HELLO TAXES DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS. HELLO TAXES MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT THE QUALIFICATIONS, CONDUCT, OR SERVICES OF ANY THIRD-PARTY TAX PROFESSIONAL AND DOES NOT GUARANTEE ANY OUTCOME, INCLUDING ELIGIBILITY FOR ANY IRS OR STATE PROGRAM, REDUCTION OF TAX DEBT, OR RESOLUTION OF ANY TAX MATTER.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.

13. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, HELLO TAXES, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES OR ANY INTERACTION WITH A TAX PROFESSIONAL INTRODUCED THROUGH THE SERVICES, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT WILL HELLO TAXES'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICES EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US $100) OR, IF GREATER, THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO HELLO TAXES IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation of certain damages, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

14. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Hello Taxes, its affiliates, and its and their officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Services; (b) Your Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any law or the rights of a third party; or (e) any dispute between you and a tax professional.

15. Governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Services are governed by the laws of the State of California, excluding its conflict-of-laws rules, and, where applicable, the United States Federal Arbitration Act. Subject to Section 16, exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any action not subject to arbitration lies in the state and federal courts located in California.

16. Dispute resolution — binding individual arbitration

Read this Section carefully. It affects your rights and requires most disputes to be resolved by binding individual arbitration rather than in court.

Informal resolution first

Before filing any claim, you and Hello Taxes agree to first try to resolve the dispute informally. Send a written notice describing the dispute to help@hellotaxes.net. The parties will negotiate in good faith for at least 60 days before initiating arbitration or filing in court.

Agreement to arbitrate

If we cannot resolve the dispute informally, you and Hello Taxes agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will be conducted in California or another location agreed by the parties (or by telephone or video where permitted). Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Small-claims carve-out

Either party may bring an individual action in small-claims court for disputes within that court's jurisdiction, in lieu of arbitration.

Class-action waiver

You and Hello Taxes agree that each may bring claims against the other only in your or its individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of representative or class proceeding. If this class-action waiver is found unenforceable, the remainder of this Section 16 will be unenforceable as well, and the dispute will proceed in court subject to Section 15.

30-day opt-out

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement and class-action waiver in this Section 16 by sending written notice to help@hellotaxes.net within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. The notice must include your full name, the email and phone number associated with your inquiry, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out. Opting out will not affect any other part of these Terms.

17. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including if we believe you have violated these Terms. You may stop using the Services at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including Sections 2, 6, 7, and 10 through 20.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will post the updated Terms with a new effective date and, where required, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Services after the updated Terms take effect means you accept the changes. If you do not agree, stop using the Services.

19. Miscellaneous

• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other policies referenced on the Services, are the entire agreement between you and Hello Taxes regarding the Services and supersede any prior agreements.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision.
• Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer these Terms without restriction.
• Notices. We may provide notices to you by email or by posting on the Services. You may provide notices to us at the contact address below.
• No agency. No joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and Hello Taxes as a result of these Terms or your use of the Services.

20. Contact us

Questions about these Terms?