Americans find taxes confusing. 48% don’t even know what tax bracket they’re in.
That’s understandable — the tax system is vast and complicated, leading people to seek professionals to handle their taxes for them. That way, they can have confidence that everything is filled out correctly, and they don’t need to worry about knowing the tax laws.
Not all tax services are equal, however, and you need to do your research when using one. Here are some tips for hiring professional tax services.
1. Find Out What Past Clients Thought
One way to find out how good a company’s accounting services are is to find out what its previous clients thought. There are a few ways you can do this:
- Reading online reviews
- Looking for client testimonials
- Asking for references
Online reviews are usually the quickest way to suss out how well a company handles its client’s taxes, but if you can’t find any online, you can ask to speak to previous clients or look on the website for testimonials.
Overall, you want a sense that the previous clients felt their paperwork was mistake-free and the company got their taxes done in a timely manner.
2. Find Out About Their Experience
Whether looking for tax planning, tax resolution, or general accounting services, you need to find out what the accountant’s experience in that specific area is. Someone might be incredible at planning ahead for business tax but may not know the ins and outs of resolving taxes that have been left unpaid for years.
While finding out how long they’ve been in business is a good idea, you also need to be reassured that they’ve handled situations just like yours. Be upfront about what you need and ask directly if they’re familiar with handling such situations and how confident they are in dealing with it.
3. Ask About Their Availability
When someone’s handling your taxes, you’ll need them to be available at the same time you are for meetings — especially if a lot of discussions are needed. You may only have certain times you can meet someone, or you may be in a bit of a rush and need the meetings to be fast.
Making sure an account has ideal availability for you is key. While popular accountants who are good at what they do may be very busy, there’s no point in hiring someone if you’ll never be able to get on the same page.
4. Ask About Fees
Most accountants charge by the hour, but some may also charge a flat fee for certain kinds of tax services. Regardless of how or what they charge, you need to ask what it is before you commit to anything and make sure that it’s within your budget.
At the same time, you may not want to automatically hire the cheapest accountant. The cheapest may be that way for a reason — for example, they may not be as experienced as others in the area, or they may not save you as much money in the long run.
Make sure you consider the quote you get but think about it alongside all the other factors.
5. Ask About Follow-Up Support
As well as asking about fees and availability, you should check if they offer follow-up support — for example, what happens if you get audited?
Audit rates are dropping every year, with only 0.4% of returns being audited in 2021, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. If you want to be safe, ask your accountant about audit representation. While they may charge an extra fee, it’s good to have it just in case.
You should also ask what happens if you end up with more questions after the taxes are filed or if you want to use them again. Having an accountant who deals with your taxes every year is great because they get to know your situation well.
6. Ask About the Timeframe
If you’ve left your taxes a little late or there’s a lot of paperwork to get through, double-check that your tax professional can handle getting everything in by the deadline.
This includes allowing time for back-and-forth questions and any last-minute delays. If they plan to submit at the end of the day on the tax deadline, it could be a red flag.
7. Consider How You Feel About Them
As well as fees, availability, and all of the other important factors, you also need to think about how they make you feel.
They’re going to have to explain a lot of financial and tax terms, as they’re the expert who knows their way around the law. However, they should be able to do it in a way that makes you feel informed and on board and not in a way that makes you feel patronized or uncomfortable.
They should never be judgmental or rude and should strike the perfect balance of warmth and professionalism. If you walk away from a meeting feeling reassured and sure that your taxes are in the right hands, you’ve found the accountant for you.
Do Your Research When Looking for Tax Services
While it feels easy to grab the first result from Google when looking for tax services, it’s better to do some research first.
Look at reviews, ask about their experience and qualifications, and make sure you’re on board with their availability and fee structure. That way, you’ll be able to make your decision with complete confidence, and your taxes will be filed correctly and on time.
Are you looking for tax services? Whether you’re international, a business owner, paying quarterly, or in a different situation, we can help. Contact us today, and let’s see what we can do for you.