El Dorado News-Times

TOP 5 REASONS TO HIRE A TAX PROFESSION­AL

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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.

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