American Utility Tax & Audit

What American Utility Tax & Audit does

American Utility Tax & Audit Corp (AUTA) is a privately held utility sales tax consulting firm headquartered at 210 N Willow St, Effingham, Illinois. The company reviews utility accounts for residential property operators (multi-family apartments, senior living, assisted living, student housing, non-profit residential) and manufacturing/industrial facilities (manufacturers, car washes, meat processors, dry cleaners, blast freezing operations) to identify overpaid sales taxes on natural gas, propane, electricity, and water. AUTA then files for applicable exemptions and recovers refunds from state Departments of Revenue according to each state's utility sales tax guidelines.

The firm operates on a contingency-based fee model, charging a one-time percentage of the refunds it successfully produces for clients, with no out-of-pocket cost, no long-term obligation, and no hidden fees. With a headcount of approximately 5 employees, AUTA delivers service through consultative direct engagement—prospective clients submit utility bills for free review, and in-house consultants handle exemption filings, refund claims, and on-site evaluations when needed to determine the highest percentage of exempt use. Documented client outcomes include over $160,000 in refunds and $43,000+ in ongoing annual savings for Frontier Management, over $75,000 in sales tax refunds for Eagle Property Capital's Texas properties, and an average 7.0% reduction in electric and gas costs.

AUTA's go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on its website (autacorp.com), phone and email outreach, and client referrals; named customers include Americare Senior Living, Frontier Management, Eagle Property Capital, Retirement Housing Foundation, and Integrity Asset Management. The firm maintains ongoing relationships with multiple state Departments of Revenue and major utility companies to stay current on evolving exemption guidelines, and operates exclusively within the United States. There is no evidence of funding, M&A, parent company, or public listing.

Name

American Utility Tax & Audit

Legal name

American Utility Tax & Audit Corp

Website

https://autacorp.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Utility Tax & Audit Corp is a privately held consulting firm that recovers overpaid utility sales taxes and secures exemptions for residential property operators and manufacturing/industrial facilities across the United States on a contingency-fee basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility Sales Tax Consulting

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)

Keywords

• Utility sales tax consulting
• Sales tax exemption services
• Utility tax refund recovery
• Energy cost reduction consulting
• Manufacturing tax exemptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Effingham, IL

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Utility Sales Tax Consulting and Refund Recovery: AUTA earns revenue by charging a one-time percentage fee based on the refunds they successfully produce for clients. There are no hidden costs, no long-term obligations, and no out-of-pocket expenses for clients. This contingency-based model aligns company incentives with client outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

American Utility Tax & Audit (AUTA) provides utility sales tax consulting for residential and manufacturing/industrial property owners and operators. The firm reviews utility accounts for natural gas, propane, electricity, and water, identifies applicable state sales tax exemptions, files exemption claims, and recovers overpaid taxes via refunds. Services cover multi-family apartments, senior living communities, student housing, and manufacturing facilities.

Product overview

American Utility Tax & Audit operates as a utility tax consulting firm offering a single, integrated consulting service focused on reducing energy costs by correcting utility sales tax for both residential and manufacturing properties. The core service encompasses review of existing utility accounts, filing sales tax exemptions per state guidelines, obtaining refunds for overpayments, and final verification of correct tax rates. Property types served include Multi-Family Apartments, Senior Living Communities, Student Housing, and Manufacturing/Industrial facilities. The company is compensated through a contingency fee model—a one-time percentage of refunds produced—with no out-of-pocket expense to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Utility Sales Tax Consulting Consulting service that reviews utility accounts to identify and recover overpaid sales taxes on natural gas, propane, electricity, and water for residential and manufacturing properties, filing exemptions and refunds per state guidelines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Refunds totaling over $160,000 with ongoing annual savings of $43,000; electric and gas costs lowered by average 7.0%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Broad incumbents

• Avalara: Avalara is a leading sales and use tax compliance software platform that automates exemption certificate management and tax determination for enterprises. It addresses overlapping problems in sales tax compliance and exemption administration, serving many of the same property management and manufacturing customers AUTA targets.
• Andersen Tax: Andersen is a national tax and advisory firm with a state and local tax group handling sales/use tax refund reviews and exemption compliance. It overlaps with AUTA's value proposition for middle-market property and industrial operators.
• Deloitte Tax LLP: Deloitte provides sales/use tax recovery, exemption analysis, and refund services through its Indirect Tax practice. It serves many of the same enterprise property and manufacturing clients AUTA targets, though typically at Fortune 1000 scale.
• Vertex, Inc. Vertex provides enterprise sales and use tax automation software, including exemption certificate management and tax determination engines. It competes for the same enterprise tax compliance budget that AUTA taps into for refund recovery services.
• KPMG LLP: KPMG's Indirect Tax practice includes sales and use tax recovery, exemption reviews, and utility tax advisory for large multi-state enterprises. It targets the same multi-property operator segment as AUTA but at significantly larger deal sizes.
• Crowe LLP: Crowe is a top-10 U.S. accounting and advisory firm with a state and local tax practice that includes sales/use tax recovery and refund review services. It addresses the same utility sales tax exemption problem as AUTA but as part of a much broader tax and audit portfolio for enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Sovos Compliance: Sovos provides tax compliance and determination software with growing capabilities in exemption certificate management and indirect tax automation. It intersects with AUTA's space as tax technology increasingly encroaches on manual refund recovery workflows.

Direct peers

• Ryan, LLC: Ryan is one of the largest firms in North America dedicated exclusively to state and local tax, including sales and use tax recovery and exemption management. It directly competes with AUTA for sales tax refund recovery engagements and serves many of the same multi-state enterprise clients.
• TGG (The Grassland Group) / Sales Tax Refund Companies: Smaller specialized firms offering sales tax refund recovery and exemption review services for property managers and manufacturers. They pursue the same contingency-fee utility sales tax refund model as AUTA and compete for the same customer profile.
• Energy Tax Advisors: Specialized consulting firm focused on utility and energy tax exemptions, sales tax recovery, and refund review for multi-state property portfolios. Directly comparable niche competitor with overlapping service offering and target customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-utility-tax-&-audit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Utility Tax & Audit