Do You Need a Tax Accountant?
Many people believe that consulting with a tax consultant is the best way to prepare your income tax return. The professional accounting associations make this claim in their advertising to keep their place as the undisputed people to go to for tax preparation. This might be true for taxpayers with complicated income tax returns involving investments, tax shelters, and business. But for most taxpayers you don't need a guy who charges more than you make in a day to certify your tax return.
A good tax accountant can save you money because she works with the same rules over many years and many similar tax returns. But if you just have a typical earnings statement from your employer and some insignificant investments, you don't need a tax accountant. In fact, many taxpayers can get their returns prepared for no cost by using one of the many services available today. Or you can do like a friend of mine who just fills in the basic personal information, attaches the tax information slips, and sends the package to the IRS.
Of course, you don't have to be so lazy or irresponsible. You can buy tax software that you can enter your tax information and have it spit out the result. Here again, you don't have to buy an expensive program but one that is certified by the IRS. This means the IRS tested the program for use, so you know it is good. It is a more than likely that your tax accountant uses tax preparation software to complete your return, anyway.
On the other hand, you can use an online filing service that will prepare your return for you and even e-file it at no cost. These services have become popular over the years and will no doubt reduce your need for a tax accountant.
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"An online tax program will help you pocket your tax refund without sacrificing your sanity." - USA Today Feb.04
Get Your Refund in 2 Days!
It is a lot easier than you think to file your income tax return this tax season. You can do it the old-fashioned way with a calculator, a pencil and an eraser, or you can use software, technical know how, and nano-second speed to get your taxes done. The faster you get it prepared the quicker you get your refund. And with a direct deposit to your bank account, that's even faster!