Turbo tax or...?

[Dividend Watcher]

(02-05-2018, 09:54 AM)ChadR Wrote: I'm a CPA and I get a lot of new clients that did Turbo Tax, H&R Block, etc and the returns are riddled with errors.  This is some bias here, but unless you have a W-2 and nothing else, the chances of errors are pretty high.  You have a higher chance of missing deductions since you have rentals and a Schedule C.  A plug for my business, but I can help you if you decide to go the CPA route one more year.  Good luck in your decision.

No bias in my opinion. I shared office space with an Enrolled Agent for over 10 years. She was constantly dealing with IRS inquiry letters, penalty & interest letters, forfeitures and audit results from people who had H&R Block / Jackson & Hewitt / Turbo Tax/ unlicensed preparer /self-prepared returns. In fact, my daughter ended up paying back taxes & interest (my EA got her off on the penalties) after an RIA took her maternal grandmother's inheritance and re-characterized it into a fully taxable amount versus a tax free inheritance. H&R Block never caught it and when she went back to them they didn't know how to handle it.

So, if you want someone who is required to stay current and can represent you before the IRA, an Enrolled Agent is also an alternative. CPAs are also worth the trouble. Not familiar with tax attorneys.

I would also ask them if they are available 12 months a year. I heard lots of stories of tax preparers who, once tax season is over, take an extended vacation (read: weeks to months) and are hard to contact for anything.