Questions for Residents of Atlanta, GA : Income Tax Preparation Essentials

Choose an Atlanta Certified
Public Accountant for your
Income Tax needs.

Obviously, if you are seeking help on your taxes, you want to be sure that the person who is helping you knows what they are doing. First of all, you are paying them and probably a decent fee. Secondly, you want the peace of mind that comes from knowing your taxes have been prepared correctly.

Yes, for residents of Atlanta, GA, income tax preparation help may be available in abundance, but these are the questions you can arm yourself with to ensure that will get the help you need. 

Here are 6 topics to discuss before you chose your preparer.

• Tax ID Number – A real tax preparer will have one and will not be offended that you asked. It shows you are in the know, since all tax preparers who charge for their services must have such a number.
• Training/Experience – What makes this particular preparer well qualified to take care of your taxes? There are exams on both the state and federal level for tax preparers. Make sure yours has passed them and is up to date. You should also look for someone with a good amount of experience, including experience in many types of tax situations and issues that could arise. Is the preparer continuing to seek out education to stay up to date on the ever changing tax laws?
• E-Filing – You are trying to make the process of filing your taxes as painless as possible. Using a preparer who can file your taxes electronically takes yet one more step out of the process and reduces the chance of mistakes. If you are getting a refund, this will expedite that process.
• Estimate – How much is this going to cost you? There may be some things that come up in the preparation process that were not discussed beforehand, but in general the preparer should have a pretty good idea of what the final price will be based off of what you tell them about your taxes. If you are expecting a big refund, don't let the preparer convince you to let them have a cut. Make them set a fee.
• What if you get audited? - If your paid preparer is a CPA or an EA then they should be able to help you in case the IRS decides to audit you. You won't get the same service from a tax preparation chain. They can give you advice that may be of assistance, but they cannot represent you. So if you get your taxes done at a chain and then get audited, you will have to hire someone else to help you anyway.

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