How to Choose a Qualified Tax Professional
Day 093/365 – Tax Time Phat Cash! (Photo credit: Great Beyond)
If you are looking to find a Tax Preparer for your Tax Return, then you should carefully analyze some criteria before making a decision.
- License: As per the law, only CPAs, Enrolled Agents, or IRS approved Tax preparers can file your tax return. When you talk to the Tax professional, ask them if they are approved by IRS to do so. Do not hesitate to ask them to show you their license. You are the client and therefore you have the right to be comfortable before sharing your personal financial information with someone else.
- Experience: Higher experience usually gives more confidence. It depends on your comfort level. I am usually more comfortable if the experience is more than 10 years.
- Awards: High performers get awarded for their achievements. Someone who has consistently received awards from the local business group is more likely to be a better expert in handling Tax returns.
- Distance: We do not want to travel a lot for anything. Anything in 10 mile radius is good for me. I can go up to 25 miles, but definitely not more than that. At a time when the gas is around $4 per gallon, you certainly do not want to save money on travel. Also, if you can avoid wasting time in traffic, then you should prefer doing that. Now-a-days, few firms have started coming to your houses or to locations nearby you to collect your documents. This is definitely a welcome move.
- Recommendations: A Tax professional who is recommended by your friends or family members is definitely more important and trustworthy than someone that you do not know at all.
- First-Free-Consultation: No matter what I read on internet and what my friends say, I want to be confident about the quality of the advice that I am going to pay for. Most firms give one free consultation either on phone or in person. You should take advantage of that and decide yourself about who your preferred Tax preparer would be.
You should get a list of verified Tax preparers and short-list the candidates based on the criteria that are mentioned above. I hope that you are going to find a very good Tax preparer who will understand your unique requirements and help your in filing your Tax Returns.
Author Bio:
Sandeep Chauhan is Marketing enthusiast. He has 10+ years of experience in designing solutions for fortune 500 companies. In his free time, he likes to play with his dog and go travelling. Sandeep holds an MBA from the University of Michigan. Sandeep is responsible for Product Vision, Marketing and Technology at BestTaxPreparers.com.Best tax Prepares helps consumers to find California CPA tax professionals who are trained in specialized skills.
Category: Taxes
