Here are some thoughts from Market Watch on what to consider when hiring a tax preparer. In particular, these suggestions stood out to me:
- If a preparer guarantees results or bases fees on a percentage of the amount of the refund, beware. According to the IRS, "A practitioner may not charge a contingent fee (percentage of your refund) for preparing an original tax return."
- Check the preparer's history with the Better Business Bureau, the state's board of accountancy for CPAs or the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility for enrolled agents. Make sure the preparer's credentials meet your needs.
Here's my suggestion: get a reference. Ask someone you know and trust, someone who has a handle on their finances, who they use to prepare their taxes. If they have been using someone for a few years or so and are having good luck with them, then that's the preparer for you (or at least it would be for me.) This is the method I've used to find my past two CPAs (two different cities) and it's worked out wonderfully both times.
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