Who prepares your taxes?

[Pope]

Well it's getting to be that time of year and our tax preparer retired, so we're looking for a new person. We paid $340 in the past and our tax situation wasn't too complicated. We started to fill out the TurboTax free, but didn't like the results we were getting compared to our previous years, especially since we haven't had any real changes in our financial situation.

Just wondering if anyone has a great tax preparer they would suggest and how much they typically charge. Would be nice if we could find someone here in central Iowa. Thanks!

 

[JEFF420]

myself high on weed and drinking a capri sun

 

[MeowingCows]

Me (I'm a straight up W2 worker, so.... 15 minutes online and click away).

 

[AgronAlum]

I used Tax Hawk the last couple years. Federal is free and state was 16 bucks. Not much to them outside of a W-2, wife, kids and a preschool deduction though.

 

[ackatch]

We use Michelle Kilgore at Flagg & Company in WDM. I've never met her (everything is online), but she's absolutely delightful and helped me out a few years ago when I was still in MN and needed to amend our return AND file in Iowa (long story). She was the only one who was taking new clients and I told her she had us for life.

I think we normally pay around $280, but we have some... fun situations with our taxes every year.

 

[Prone2Clone]

FreeTaxUSA for me. Federal is free and state $14.99 (take that @AgronAlum lol).

 

[cydsho]

I already did them once, I have to do them again?

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I used Tax Hawk the last couple years. Federal is free and state was 16 bucks. Not much to them outside of a W-2, wife, kids and a preschool deduction though.

With a name like that, I hope you have good antivirus software

 

[3TrueFans]

FreeTaxUSA.com

 

[KnappShack]

Used the ol' Turbo Tax, but a pencil and paper would've been just as easy

 

[Bader]

Well it's getting to be that time of year and our tax preparer retired, so we're looking for a new person. We paid $340 in the past and our tax situation wasn't too complicated. We started to fill out the TurboTax free, but didn't like the results we were getting compared to our previous years, especially since we haven't had any real changes in our financial situation.

Just wondering if anyone has a great tax preparer they would suggest and how much they typically charge. Would be nice if we could find someone here in central Iowa. Thanks!

Do you own your own business? Tax prep is pretty brainless unless you start squeezing through business expense loopholes

 

[CycloneDaddy]

I have always done ours via Turbo Tax … only 1 time where the IRS has sent me a letter.

 

[AgronAlum]

FreeTaxUSA for me. Federal is free and state $14.99 (take that @AgronAlum lol).

lol. Tax Hawk had better financing options on the 16 bucks. The fee was only an extra 99.99 to roll the 16 dollar payment into my refund.

 

[Cyched]

myself high on weed and drinking a capri sun

How does your hourly rate compare to the online preparers?

 

[CYdTracked]

I use a CPA and $340 is probably in the market range I would guess. Was just going through our stuff earlier this month before our tax appointment and I think we paid around $320 last year. I also have some minimal agricultural income most years from owning livestock with my parents so I find value using a CPA who knows the tax codes and knows what things I can write off to minimize how much I get taxed on the non-W2 income I report. Some day will inherit some farmland from my wife's side of the family too which is going to add another wrinkle to our taxes when that happens.

Everyone has their own opinion on this. Some are perfectly fine doing their own taxes but for me the cost of having a CPA do it that knows the tax code well and also have that added piece of mind that they were done correctly and the IRS doesn't send me a letter is worth the price of having them do it.

 

[ScottyP]

TurboTax for me. I might switch to FreeTaxUSA next year.

 

[cysmiley]

Turbo tax, been using it since my tax guy retired.

 

[VeloClone]

Mrs. Velo's lover does our taxes.

 

[IcSyU]

If you just gave government forms, any of the online things should work just dandy.

It is tough to guess your return cost without the return in most cases. Most people like to say they have a simple return in an effort to lower the perception of what their bill should be.

It may be difficult to find someone to do your return in the middle of tax season without a connection. We have clients telling us they're calling 8-10 places before someone will say they're taking on new clients.

 

[wenkeej]

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for 15 years. It actually does some pretty good checking over what you enter compared to last year and telling you if there might be issues, without paying for the extra services.

Oh, FreeTaxUSA and TaxHawk are owned by the same company and as far as I have ever been able to tell are pretty much identical.