Income Tax Season: Online vs. Professional Filing
- Thread starter Farnsworth
- Start date
I cannot reiterate strongly enough - DO NOT USE H&R. They're ridiculously overpriced and you basically get people off the street that have been trained to use software. Most know very little about the code. If you're going to have it prepared professionally go to a local CPA firm. Do some checking and make sure they're reputable.
Most people can do their taxes themselves on a variety of softwares. That said, there is no substitute for knowing the code. The research I've seen over the years is that people spend less in fees than they save in taxes. But not at franchise preparers.
Currently use TurboTax since it is included in the QuickBooks Self Employed I use for my wife's business (which I highly recommend). I looked into paying a CPA to do it one year but other circumstances lead me to doing it myself on TaxAct which I always had good experience with. My personal opinion is that if you think it is complex enough for you then you should take it to a real tax preparer/CPA and not one of the H.R. Block type places.
I'm also a TaxAct guy. It's easy, and fast. Just the way I like things!
Every year I consider going to a real person, but never do. I have a hard time believing it'd benefit me, but you never know . . .
Every year I consider going to a real person, but never do. I have a hard time believing it'd benefit me, but you never know . . .
I knew I mad a mistake by going to H&R Block when I had to explain what an Employee Stock Purchase Plan was.
Former CPA in public practice, former preparer at HR Block, I've used professionals and Turbo...
Unless you have zero aptitude or have out of the ordinary tax situation, turbo tax is great. If you have familiarity with it it can lead you through seamlessly.
Since my wife is self employed we do ours professionally. She did our two high school/college kids on line and made a mistake. What a pain in the ass to fix and the fact that we had to redo our taxes also. If you do it online double and triple check everything other wise the wrath of the IRS will be upon you.
You have the cheapest CPA ever.
What these guys said: Avoid H&R Block like the plague. Out of the amended returns I've done over the years, I'd guess 80% of them were from H&R Block and what I would consider egregious errors.
To answer the OP's question, any online software should work just fine. Your return is very basic.
I used to be a tax preparer for a local firm. You haven't provided anything difficult that even the most rudimentary tax software can't handle. Do it yourself.
Whoa.....is this a CPA or just a tax preparer ?
IMO, no decent CPA worth their time is going to charge that little to prepare taxes. It makes zero sense to me and I'd wonder why they aren't busy doing returns for $175 - $300?
I've always paid $75 to $95 for mine. Not prepared by a CPA but all returns are reviewed by one.
If anyone lurking or posting in this thread is a CPA from the Cedar Rapids area send me a private message. I am unhappy with my current accounting firm for my business taxes on multiple levels. Price, impossible to get ahold of someone, won't show me ways to make their job easier, etc. My current firm does 4 business returns both owners of the business returns, and my personal return. So 7 total returns
I was in the same boat as you. Always did TurboTax - last year, I figured since I got married, bought a house, and my wife has her own small business, I should go to a professional. I did. Waste of money. Doing them myself on turbo tax from now on, now that I know how to do all of her business taxes.
You're dead to me now.
Block is ridiculously over priced, and as a direct competitor, the overwhelming majority of my summer business is their customer coming in to us for us to fix their returns they got IRS letters from.
But gotta be careful with VITA. It's free for a reason. It's like military tax preparers. They just throw people in a seat with no training whatsoever.
