TaxSlayer
TaxSlayer LLC is a privately held tax preparation and tax software company based in Augusta, Georgia. The company offers online tax preparation for American consumers and tax professionals.
In 2015, Internal Revenue Service awarded TaxSlayer with the exclusive five-year contracts for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs, which provide online tax filing and preparation assistance for taxpayers who are low-income, elderly, disabled, or who have limited English language proficiency.
In 2010, the company built its headquarters building in Evans, Georgia, a large suburb of metro Augusta. In 2017, the company purchased a building in Downtown Augusta’s Innovation Zone.
The company is also known for its sports sponsorships, such as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, a major college football bowl game in Jacksonville, Florida previously known as the Gator Bowl. Other sports sponsorships have included: Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR and the JR Motorsports team, as well as three PGA Tour golfers.
History
In the early 1960s, Aubrey Rhodes Sr. established Rhodes-Murphy & Co., a full-service tax preparation company headquartered in Georgia, and continues to serve clients today. The company established a subsidiary, Rhodes Computer Services, to develop tax preparation software intended for tax preparers in addition to DIY client base.Four years later, Rhodes Computer began selling taxation software known as "TaxSlayer Pro" to tax preparers and accountants throughout the United States. TaxSlayer was named for the original email address of Jimmy Rhodes, son of Aubrey and the President and CEO at the time.
In 1998, the firm began developing TaxSlayer.com to market its software to individuals.
Product offerings
TaxSlayer produces software for several different market segments: consumers, professional tax preparers and the IRS VITA and TCE program volunteers. TaxSlayer’s consumer products allow taxpayers to electronically file their taxes online each year. The product provides different packages to provide varying levels of assistance to customers when filing tax returns.TaxSlayer Pro is designed to be licensed by members of tax preparation practices and small to mid-sized accounting firms. It offers software for both desktop and cloud-based tax preparation. The National Association of Tax Professionals has recognized TaxSlayer Pro among the top-rated software packages for tax professionals in the U.S.
Government partnerships
IRS VITA/TCE
TaxSlayer maintains a continuing partnership with the Federal VITA and TCE programs. Both programs provide tax preparation assistance to Americans who may require assistance filing. VITA provides IRS-trained tax preparers who help those who are disabled, are low income, or limited in English proficiency, while TCE provides a similar service to the elderly. Both use TaxSlayer-provided software to aid them in their work.Free File Alliance
In addition to their paid offerings, TaxSlayer also participates in the IRS Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of industry-leading tax software companies that partnered with the IRS to help millions of Americans prepare and e-file their federal tax returns for free. By participating in this program, TaxSlayer guarantees free preparation and e-filing to taxpayers who meet a set of income criteria.Sports sponsorships
The company is also known for its sports sponsorships, such as the Gator Bowl, a College football bowl game in Jacksonville, Florida, officially known as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, and Richard Childress Racing, as well as three PGA Tour golfers.TaxSlayer Center
The TaxSlayer Center was a 12,000-seat arena located in Moline, Illinois, of the Quad Cities region. TaxSlayer purchased the naming rights to the stadium for a contract of more than $3.3 million, as part of a sponsorship agreement with the city. Later, those rights were transferred to Vibrant Credit Union.College football
In 2014 the company struck a new six-year deal with Gator Bowl Sports to rename the bowl the TaxSlayer Bowl beginning in 2015. In 2018, the game's name was updated to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, restoring "Gator" to the title to reflect the bowl's historic identity.TaxSlayer.com has also been an associate sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl and BBVA Compass Bowl.