In light of the number of changes to tax law in 2020, most resulting from the fallout of COVID-19, the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) advises taxpayers to work with a trained tax professional to ensure the most accurate tax return and possible refund available.
Working with a trained tax expert can net many benefits for taxpayers, including peace of mind that their return is accurate and compliant with IRS policies. It is ultimately the taxpayer who is responsible for the information on their return, no matter who preparers it for them.
When choosing a tax professional, taxpayers should:
- Find a qualified, educated, ethical tax professional to prepare their returns
- NATP has a search function on its website where taxpayers can find a tax professional in their area who is also a member of the leading organization for tax pros in the country
- Check the preparer’s history with the Better Business Bureau
- Taxpayers can verify an enrolled agent’s status on IRS.gov
- Taxpayers can verify a CPA’s status on cpaverify.org
- Ask about fees
- Taxpayers should avoid tax return preparers who base their fees on a percentage of the refund or who offer to deposit all or part of your refund into their financial accounts
- Be wary of preparers who claim they can get larger refunds than others
- Ask if they plan to use e-file
- Ensure the preparer signs and includes their preparer tax identification number (PTIN)
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Tags: Benefits
