Choosing a tax professional is no less important that selecting a doctor, a dentist, or any other professional service provider.
If you pay someone to prepare your tax return, choose that preparer wisely, advises the IRS. Taxpayers are legally responsible for what's on their returns, even if prepared by someone else.
Choose a preparer you will be able to contact after the return is filed and one that will be responsive to your needs.
Avoid the preparers who claim that they will give you a larger refund than other preparers. If a tax return is prepared correctly, every preparer should derive substantially similar numbers.
Beware of a preparer who guaranteers results or bases fees on the percentage of the amount of the refund. A practitioner may not charge a contingent fee for preparing an original tax return.
Determine if your preparer' credentials meet your needs. Is he or she an enrolled agent, CPA, or tax attorney? Only attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents can represent their clients before the IRS in all matters including audits, collections actions and appeals.
Of course, if your main concern is getting a rapid refund, you can use a tax preparation franchise. These national tax services have offices throughout the country. They usually have extended hours during tax season and serve customers on a first-come, first-serve basis.
However, you should know:
Many of the franchise firms operate during tax season only.
Those tax preparers, most of the time, receive a basic training without going into the details about the tax law.