How to Find the Best Tax Preparer or Tax Advisor Near You

If you need assistance with preparing your tax return, consider finding an Enrolled Agent , Certified Public Accountant or tax attorney. Annual filing season program participants and PTIN holders with no professional credentials can prepare your taxes. However, they have limited representation rights regarding audits, personal accountant appeals, and collection issues. Storefront preparers such as H&R Block and Liberty Tax often employ an array of tax professionals, primarily enrolled agents, CPAs, and attorneys. If you visit one of these preparers, you will likely be assigned to an individual whose skills align with the complexity of your return.

• You have three primary types of tax professionals you can hire to help you with tax work.
• For parents of college-bound kids, the calculus grows more complicated.
• CPAs can charge by the hour, flat fee, or other payment options based on the complexity of your taxes—how many schedules and supporting forms you’ll need to file with your return.
• If a tax preparer’s misconduct or improper tax preparation practices has financially impacted you, you can make a complaint with the IRS.
• While all CPAs are credentialed prior to offering their services, CPAs with several years of experience will more likely have a deeper understanding of the tax code than a newly certified individual.
• If you have major medical costs, a mortgage, or make large charitable donations you might save more money itemizing your deductions than taking the standard deduction.

If your tax situation is straightforward, and you don’t have any particularly complicated quirks to your taxes, you have the option to cut out the tax accountant altogether. Many tax preparation software services streamline the bulk of the tax filing process.

Online Directories

Then there is a season when the business is just doing well enough to break even. But the one major season that every businessman gets stressed about is the tax filing season.

You can have anyone—your uncle, your neighbor, or your best friend—prepare your tax return. But if you pay for this service, the person must be registered with the IRS and have a current preparer tax identification number , an IRS number issued annually to qualified preparers. Low to moderate-income taxpayers may be eligible for free tax preparation services at an IRS approved VITA location. Our team of tax professionals has decades of tax preparation experience. A professional tax preparer should stand by her tax return and represent you in the unlikely case you are audited .

Why Use a Tax Professional?

When you meet with a potential accountant, bring a copy of your most recent tax return. Reviewing your latest return is one of the best ways for the tax pro to evaluate your situation and give you an idea of how much they might charge. These programs are sponsored by the I.R.S. and staffed by volunteers trained to provide basic tax-prep services to the public free of charge. This may influence which products we review and write about , but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research.

The IRS provides tips on avoiding unscrupulous tax preparers and is committed to investigating paid tax return preparers who act improperly. When it comes to financial planning and filing taxes, it’s important to choose the right accountant for your needs.