There are plenty of ways to do your taxes yourself and not pay a dime, especially if you make less than $49,000 (see three ways to do this below). But if you are going to hire someone, here are nine tips from author and CPA Stacy Johnson to help you choose a tax pro.
Get referrals from friends with similar tax situations.
Look for credentials. “In order of most-educated when it comes to taxes, there’s tax attorney, then CPA, then enrolled agent,” Stacy said. “There are also other designations, and none: professional credentials aren’t required to charge for tax preparation.”
Ask about experience. The more, the better.
Ask for referrals. You can learn a lot from someone by how they react to a request for referrals. “Of course, only an idiotic professional would provide you with a customer that’s going to bad-mouth them, however, so you can’t put too much weight on this one,” Stacy says.
Shop around. Compare the information you gather about each person before making a decision.
For the last four of Stacy’s tips for choosing a tax pro, visit his site, MoneyTalksNews, and scroll down to below the video.
Resources to file taxes for free
If you make less than $49,000 you can get free tax preparation and e-filing through the IRS’ VITA program.
File your taxes for FREE through AARP, even if you’re not a senior.
No matter what your income, file your taxes for free online through the IRS’ Free File Fillable Forms.
And there are lots of coupon codes for tax software, like this tax software coupon for 25% off at H&R Block At Home.
Tagged: accountant, cps, federal, file, forms, Free, irs, state, Taxes on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 · 5 Comments »
There are plenty of ways to do your taxes yourself and not pay a dime, especially if you make less than $49,000 (see three ways to do this below). But if you are going to hire someone, here are nine tips from author and CPA Stacy Johnson to help you choose a tax pro.
February 24th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
[...] Bargain Babe » How to hire a tax professional [...]
February 24th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Hi Julia. Is there a site where we can do our California state taxes online for free as well? Thanks!
February 25th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Also find out how much their bill will be. I was working for a CPA with 20+ years exp. She would not tell you how much it was to file, because the price was different for everyone. A 1 hour return costs 1,000 if you are getting back 8000. Never tell them how much someone else got you. She would use all of their deductions to get great returns, make lots more than the last preparer, then deduct her ‘fees’ you would get more than last year, but pay 350-1000. She would never show you the bill.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Good point, Danielle!
April 6th, 2010 at 9:14 am
[...] If you haven’t filed, here are three places you can file your taxes online for free. Remember to review the new tax credits available and use all the tax coupon codes available. If you are looking for paid help, here are tips to hire a tax professional. [...]