Are small cases really the safer bet? In this no-nonsense episode of the Tax Rep Network podcast, Eric Green debunks the small cases myth and explains why choosing “smaller” cases might actually be holding you back. Spoiler alert: the work is the same whether your client owes $30,000 or $30 million — so why not go bigger? Tune in to hear why larger cases can be easier to handle, more profitable, and better for building your million-dollar tax rep practice. Don’t let the extra zeros scare you — embrace them!
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Listen to the podcast here
Why “I Only Want The Small Cases” Is Bullsh*t By Tax Rep Network
Debunking The “Small Cases” Myth
I want to talk about something. This will be quick, but it irritates the crap out of me. It’s worse if it’s my Tax Rep members, they should know better. When a practitioner sends me a case and the taxpayer owes $200,000, I ask, “Why aren’t you doing it?” They’d be like, “I’ll do it, but it’s too big. I like small cases.” What do you mean you like the small cases? What they’re saying is there are too many zeros, and it makes them nervous. Let me tell you something. This is the best advice I can give to all of you.
If you had two taxpayers, one that owes $30,000 or one that owes $30 million, I would take the $30 million any day of the week. Here’s why. The process is the same. When people tell me, “I want the small cases,” that is BS. What that means is they don’t understand what they’re doing. Here’s why. Let’s say that both taxpayers come to me. I’m still going to take the $2,500 retainer. We’re still going to do the analysis, and not the retainer, it’s a flat fee. We’re going to do the financial analysis. I’m going to walk them through it. It’s the same work regardless of the liability.
Here’s the other thing. As you know or you should know, you can’t make an offer in compromise if you show an ability to fully pay. If it’s $30,000, there’s a decent shot they might be able to fully pay. In the scheme of things, it’s not a lot of money. Don’t get me wrong, none of us would like to owe $30,000. In our world, it’s not a lot of money. The $30 million, unless this person has a tremendously successful company and they’re making millions and millions of dollars, they’re not going to be able to fully pay. They’re probably not doing that. That’s why they’re in my office.
When people say they only want the small cases, that's BS. It means they don't actually understand what they're doing. Share on X
I would prefer to have a bigger case. It’s not because I charge, but it’s the same work. Don’t be afraid because there’s another zero. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s easier to do the offer if they owe more because if they show they can’t fully pay, now you can do the offer. This nonsense about, “I would like to do the small cases,” that’s sort of a cop-out. I’m not trying to be rude. I’m being honest. “I only want small cases” is BS. You want larger cases.
First of all, A) It’s easier to justify the $6,000 fee. B) It’s more likely I can help them if the amount owed is larger. As it gets smaller, it starts getting close to whether they can fully pay or they can’t fully pay. These “small cases” get referred to us after they’re rejected, and they almost inevitably could fully pay. I don’t know why they filed the offer. We know why. The practitioner didn’t know what he or she was doing.
Don’t get hung up about the zeros. “I only want small cases” is a cop-out. You got to get over that. There’s a lot of money to be made. You can build a million-dollar tax rep practice. You’re going to want cases where you can help somebody. With that said, keep going, keep building your practice, keep sending in the questions, and I’ll see you inside Tax Rep.
