Nothing leads to more gnashing of teeth than the thought of
preparing your own taxes. Fortunately, there are people out
there that do it for a living.
Here Are My Receipts
If the thought of preparing your own taxes makes you queasy,
don't worry. Preparing your taxes is a job that can be shipped
out to others. These individuals, known loosely as tax
preparers, prepare tax returns year around. Here's a breakdown
of the different types of preparers.
Basic preparers are the least trained, but the cheapest to hire.
They tend to be part time workers who are individually employed
our work at large out fits like the one with the letters H and R
in its name. If you have a simple tax situation, like basic W2
wages and no homeownership, this can be a good choice.
Enrolled agents are a step up from basic preparers. These
individuals are licensed by the IRS and must take continuing
education courses to maintain their license. That being said,
they are not formally educated in the field of finance or tax.
Enrolled agents are typically more competent than basic
preparers, but much less so than a CPA. If you have a tax
situation requiring a basic 1040 filing with one or two
schedules, a good enrolled agent should be able to take care of
it. If you are looking for more sophisticated tax planning to
cut your tax bill, a CPA is probably your best choice.
A CPA [Certified Public Accountant] is a highly trained and
licensed individual. Passing the boards to become a CPA is
extremely difficult. Once a person becomes a CPA, they also are
required to pursue up to 40 hours of continuing education. The
downside of using a CPA, of course, is the higher competency
translates to higher costs. Still, you get what you pay for, so
a CPA may be the answer if you are doing well financially and
are looking for guidance on tax planning.
Tax attorneys are a beast unto themselves. If you're bringing in
the big bucks, tax attorneys can save you a bundle with
sophisticated plans. Tax attorneys are also the people to see if
the IRS decides to have a go at you. While CPAs can handle the
tax issues raised by the IRS, CPAs tend to know next to nothing
about evidentiary law. A good tax attorney will be able to
throttle the IRS on legal issues.
So, who should you use to prepare your taxes? It really depends
on what you are looking for and your finances. Generally, the
more complex your finances, the more competency you should look
for. If you have the money, go with a CPA. A good one should be
able to save you far more than their fee.
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