TOP 5 REASONS TO HIRE A TAX PROFESSIONAL
It’s the beginning of the tax season and the time taxpayers start wading through their tax records. Most people face the same question: “Should I hire a professional tax preparer?” Working with a tax preparer can provide you with significant benefits.
1. Money
Most people base their decision solely on the money factor when deciding whether to hire a tax preparer or not. In an attempt to save the money you would pay to a professional, you may want to handle your taxes by yourself. However, even if you have a rather simple return, the everchanging IRS guidelines, specifications, confusing rules, and challenging legal language make room for numerous mistakes. A mistake made on your tax return may lead to an inaccurate return, which would consequently make you face penalties and fees.
2. Efficiency
Even after spending hours of your time on your taxes, it is still very likely for you to make a mistake or miss a possible deduction or a credit. A professional tax preparer can help you file your returns efficiently by keeping an eye on every single possible deduction or credit that can apply to your situation that even the most popular tax preparation software might miss. By highlighting areas that might be overlooked, a tax preparer can help you get more money back eventually. If you choose not to get assisted by a tax preparer, you may lose the chance to make the most out of your tax return and risk losing more money compared to the amount you saved by not hiring a professional in the first place.
3. The IRS
Regarding the mistakes on your return, you would also need to deal with various IRS questions and notices that may be confusing and hard to deal with. How- ever, a tax professional who is experienced in the IRS jargon and is familiar with the questions that may arise can represent you to the IRS as accurately as possible and make the process smoother for both parties.
Having a tax preparer on your side at the beginning of the process makes it a lot easier rather than running around with a notice trying to find a professional for help after realizing you have made a mistake when you filed your return on your own.
4. Human contact
You get a personal touch from using a tax professional that tax software cannot provide. Plus, no matter how advanced the software is, it cannot represent you in an audit.
5. Lowered Stress Levels
You no longer have to worry about filing the return yourself. Sometimes just knowing that you have professional assistance can reduce your stress levels. Tax professionals can equip you with the tools and knowledge to ensure that your current and future tax seasons go off without a hitch. They provide you with the best strategies to ensure you make smart tax-saving decisions.