Frequently Asked Questions

We take security seriously. Your tax documents and personal information are protected at every step.

Sign-In Options

• Passwordless Login — Sign in with a one-time magic link sent to your email or a verification code sent via SMS. No password to remember or steal.
• Social Sign-In — Sign in with your existing Google, GitHub, Apple, or Slack account. We never see or store your password from those services.
• Traditional Password — Standard email and password login is also available. Passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text.

Account Protection

• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) — Enable TOTP-based 2FA using any authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.). Backup codes are generated so you're never locked out.
• Rate Limiting & Brute-Force Protection — Login attempts, email verification, and password resets are rate-limited to prevent automated attacks.
• Role-Based Access Control — Every user has a specific role (restaurant owner, CPA, agent, admin). You only see data that belongs to your organization and role. No one outside your team can access your claims or documents.

Document & Data Security

• Encryption — All data is encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest. Tax returns, W-2s, and other sensitive documents are stored securely and accessible only to authorized users on your claim.
• Secure Document Upload — Clients receive a one-time, time-limited magic link to upload documents. No account creation required. Links expire automatically for security.
• Audit Trail — Every action on a claim is logged with timestamps, including document uploads, signatures, state changes, and who made them.

E-Signatures & Compliance

• Legally Binding — Our electronic signatures comply with the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws. Every signature captures timestamp, IP address, and device information for a complete audit trail. See our E-Signature Policy.

Infrastructure

• Secure Hosting — Hosted on dedicated cloud servers with Cloudflare protection, automated backups, and continuous monitoring. Organization-level data isolation ensures your business data stays separate from other companies on the platform.

For more details, see our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. Questions? Visit our Support page.

We recover tax credits for restaurants with tipped employees. Average recovery is $35,000 per restaurant, retroactive for up to 3 years.

Our 10-Step Process

1. Lead — Initial contact and eligibility check
2. Documents — Upload your W-3 and business tax return via secure link
3. Agent Review — Our team verifies your documents are complete
4. Engagement — Review and e-sign your agreement letter
5. Credit Verification — Accountants calculate and verify your exact credit amount per year
6. Payment — Select your payment plan and pay (or choose Pay At Tax Event for zero upfront)
7. Amendment Prep — We prepare your amended tax returns
8. CPA Review — Licensed CPA provides final review and sign-off
9. Filed — Amended returns filed with the IRS
10. Complete — IRS processes your refund (typically 8-14 months total)

Learn more about us or check eligibility requirements.

The Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs on February 20, 2026. Over $166 billion collected from U.S. importers between February 2025 and February 2026 is now owed back — plus interest compounding at an estimated $650M per month industry-wide.

How recovery works

1. ACE Registration & Setup — 90% of eligible importers haven't completed this first step. Our team handles ACE portal and ACH registration so your refund has somewhere to go.
2. Entry Reconciliation & Analysis — The trade attorney pulls data across all your customs brokers, reconciles entries, and isolates IEEPA duties from Section 232, Section 301, and other tariff layers.
3. Refund Computation + Interest — Every dollar of IEEPA duty is calculated with accrued interest.
4. Filing & Court Representation — Protest filing, CIT court complaints, remedy phase representation, and defense against government attempts to offset your refund.

What does it cost?

Fees are contingency-based — we only get paid if we recover money for you. The initial case evaluation, data pull, and refund computation are all free. If there's no viable claim, you owe nothing.

Why move now

When CBP finalizes an import entry, a 180-day countdown begins. If a protest isn't filed within that window, the right to recover money on that entry is lost permanently. Entries are liquidating on a rolling basis right now.

Start with a free 3-minute assessment.

We offer flexible options to fit your business needs. You only pay if we recover credits for you.

Payment Plans

A $650 minimum fee per tax year applies to all plans. Additional owner personal amendments are $500 per return (not applicable to sole proprietors).

All plans include credit verification, document preparation, and CPA review.

Sign documents securely from any device. Legally binding and convenient.

Signature Options

• Type-to-Sign — Type your name and choose from professional signature styles.
• Draw Signature — Use mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen to draw your signature.
• Saved Signatures — Save your signature for one-click reuse on future documents.

Features

• Multi-Signer Support — Documents auto-route to each signer with secure one-time links.
• Audit Trail — Every signature recorded with timestamp, IP, and device info.

ESIGN Act and UETA compliant. See our E-Signature Policy. E-signatures are used at Step 4 of our process when signing the agreement letter.

Most U.S. importers who paid IEEPA duties between February 2025 and February 2026 are eligible. A free case evaluation confirms your exact recovery potential — no customs data needed upfront.

You likely qualify if…

• You are the importer of record — You imported goods directly into the U.S. and paid IEEPA duties between February 2025 and February 2026. This is the clearest path to recovery.
• You imported $1.5M+ annually — The minimum viable recovery is ~$300K in IEEPA duties. For most countries that's roughly $3M in annual imports. For China (where rates peaked at 145%), $1.5M+ in annual imports may qualify.
• Your goods shipped via carrier — If FedEx, UPS, or DHL acted as importer of record on your behalf, you absorbed the tariff cost but aren't on the customs filing. Secondary claims may apply — the legal framework is developing and our team is actively building recovery strategies for these cases.

What if I have multiple customs brokers?

Not a problem. Many importers have entry data scattered across brokers and ports. The recovery team reconciles all of it into one clean, audit-ready refund submission — it's one of the most common situations the trade attorneys handle.

What about government offsets?

The government may try to reduce IEEPA refunds by offsetting them against Section 122 or Section 301 liabilities. Our recovery partner team actively defends against offset attempts to protect the full refund amount.

Ready to check? Start the free 3-minute assessment — no customs data needed.

We need your business tax return and W-3 wage summary to calculate your credit. Upload is simple and secure.

What to Upload

• Business Tax Return — Form 1120-S (S-Corp), Form 1065 (Partnership), or Form 1040 (Sole Proprietorship) for each year you're claiming. Your CPA or accountant will have these.
• W-3 Wage Summary — The W-3 summarizes all employee wages and tips for the year. Your payroll provider (ADP, Paychex, Gusto, etc.) can generate this.

How It Works

• No Account Required — You'll receive a secure magic link via email or text. Click it to upload directly — no account creation needed.
• Secure & Time-Limited — Upload links expire automatically. Documents are encrypted and accessible only to authorized team members on your claim.
• AI-Assisted Verification — Uploaded documents are automatically classified and checked for completeness. You'll be notified if anything is missing.

After upload, your documents go through our 10-step review process. Want full account access? Register here to track your claim progress, view documents, and sign electronically.

• Our Processing — 2-4 weeks from document upload to IRS filing. Includes agent review, credit verification, amendment preparation, and CPA review.
• IRS Processing — 12-16 weeks for the IRS to process your amended return and issue your refund.
• Total Timeline — Start to finish is typically 4-5 months. See payment plans for options.

Restaurant owners can claim a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on employer-paid taxes related to tipped wages. It's not a deduction — it directly reduces your tax bill.

Who Qualifies

• Food Service Businesses — Restaurants, bars, cafes, catering companies, food trucks, hotels with restaurants, and other establishments where tipping is customary.
• Tipped Employees — You must have employees who receive tips — servers, bartenders, bussers, valets, or other tipped positions. Tips must be reported on W-2s.
• At Least 2 Years in Business — You need to have filed business tax returns for at least 2 years to claim retroactive credits. Credits can be recovered for up to 3 prior tax years.

Common Questions

• What if I already filed my taxes? — That's the point — we file amended returns to recover credits you already qualified for but didn't claim. Most restaurants are leaving money on the table.
• Does it matter how tips are paid? — No. Cash tips, credit card tips, and tip pools all qualify. As long as tips are reported, the credit applies.

Ready to find out how much you could recover? Get a free estimate or see how the process works.

Adesso Advantage is a financial services platform built specifically for small business owners.

What We Do

We handle the work most owners don't have time — or appetite — for:

• Tax Credit Recovery — Federal credits like the FICA tip credit that most restaurants never claim.
• Lending & Financing — Working-capital and equipment funding tailored to hospitality.
• Payment Processing — Lower rates, same-day settlement, no long-term contracts.
• Tariff Recovery — Duty refunds for businesses hit by recent import tariff changes.

Who We Are

Since 2007, we've focused on the 99% of businesses that get left behind by larger firms — small and independent operators. Our in-house team includes:

• Licensed CPAs who review every claim end-to-end
• Attorneys for complex filings and audit defense
• Financial specialists who know the industry

Why Hospitality

Restaurants, bars, hotels, and food-service operators sit at the center of what we do. We understand tipped wages, seasonal revenue swings, thin margins, and the specific credits and refunds that move the needle. We speak your language because we've spent years inside it.

The short version: real people, real licenses, real results.

By the Numbers

• $1 billion+ in funds secured for business owners who might otherwise have missed out.
• Thousands of businesses served across restaurants, bars, hotels, and other hospitality operators.
• Dozens of industry associations partner with us to offer our services to their members.

See live totals and partner counts on our About page.

How We Stand Behind the Work

• Real CPAs review every claim. Not software alone — a licensed accountant signs off before anything is filed.
• Full audit-support documentation. If the IRS ever asks, the paper trail is ready. We defend our work.
• Associations trust us. Restaurant associations, hospitality groups, and financial-services partners refer their members to us because the results hold up.

What We Won't Do

Every business is different, so we won't promise a specific dollar figure before reviewing your records. Anyone who does is guessing. We'll give you a free estimate up front, then confirm the actual number after our CPAs review your filings.