Three Questions to Help You Decide between a CPA or Tax Return Preparer

Every year, many business owners struggle to properly answer the same recurring question: should I hire a CPA or a tax return preparer? The best answer to that question is that it really depends on a variety of things, and sometimes resolving this dependence requires a bit of mental horsepower.

Here are three questions you should ask when you determine if you should hire a CPA or a Tax Return Preparer:

How Much Time Do You Have?

If you don’t have a ton of time to waste, your best bet is probably to hire a tax return preparer. In most cases, these people can be found at your local library, helping you file your taxes for free (or prepaid with your tax dollars; however, you choose to view it). If you aren’t short on time and really feel as if you need to have your finances audited while having your taxes filed, a CPA may be better for you.

How Much Money Do You Want To Spend?

Because there are so many free ways in which you can get a tax return preparer, whether or not you decide to use a return preparer or a CPA depends solely on how much money you wish to spend. If you wish to save your dollars, then hiring a return preparer is best. If you don’t mind paying the hourly rate or retainer to guarantee that your taxes are done correctly, then hire a CPA.

How Much Does Performance Matter to You?

If you want to feel secure that your taxes were done right, and also that you received the maximum number of tax benefits, consider hiring a CPA. While a tax return preparer is trained to do your taxes the right way, in many cases they are civilians working as volunteers with the IRS. CPAs are in some cases certified at a higher level to help with tax preparation.

Which do you prefer: CPA or tax return preparer? Leave your comments below.

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