How To Find The Best Tax Accountants Near Me

It’s easy to recoil at the thought of preparing files for taxes. Instead, you may want to hire a Perfect CPA (Certified Public Accountant) to do the job. Guess what? You are not alone in this. When you hire accountants and tax CPAs, you take off the time-consuming burden and frustrating tasks from your shoulders. But if you hire the wrong person to do the job, you will have to bear the consequences also.

Importance Of Choosing The Tax CPA

Every year, the IRS compiles a list of tax scams. Although the tax scams that are shady are easy to pick out nothing is left to chance. Hiring a Tax CPA will improve your chances of minimizing the errors to none.

So anyone can become a tax preparer, do the handy job with the taxes, and give you the report that you want. This is the doom you need to avoid. Most states do not require a certification so finding a legit tax accountant can be troublesome for you if the IRS comes knocking at your door.

So how can you find the Best Tax Accountant Near You? Let us walk through some mainstream ideas that will help you.

1. Compile The List

Like with any other research that you may do. A great way to find a CPA or tax accountant is to research. You can ask for a referral.

The referral must consist of the potential names and location. So that if you do decide to give a call it will turn out a good reference. It’s always best to check with family and friends, colleagues, and business associates. If they have a positive experience with the person then you can pick them the easy way.

Each tax CPA specializes in a particular niche. For instance, some have the expertise to work with small business owners, startups, or even in a bookstore. So choose the one that fits according to your nature of work.

2. IRS Directory

If you want to know whether the CPA you want to hire is authentic or not. Search the IRS directory. Any preparer tax will have an identification number or PTIN.

Although anyone can apply for a PTIN online, so it really is not a sound key to look forward to authorization. But one thing you should know is that the IRS maintains the property directory of PTIN holders. So if your CPA is enrolled in the list, you are in safe hands.

You can enter the ZIP code to find information about the CPA or tax accountant near you.

3. State And National Associations

It's common knowledge that state boards of accountancy and state CPA societies also maintain a directory of members.

They can help you provide the list of the best tax accountants in the nearby area. Although not every CPA might be on the list, you can always do some research online. It’s a beneficial way for you to find out the relevant CPAs who can provide the services you desire.

There are certain tax service providers or consultants who help you find the right CPA for your business niche. You can always outsource the services.

4. Read The Reviews

The potential CPA will have the review on the tax preparer’s website and social media. Online reviews provided by popular platforms like Yelp, Google, Angie’s list, etc are your source of genuine information.

You can scroll through the pages, learn about their hourly rates, skills, and services provided. If your research raises some red flags then you better find out what it is. You will find a series of patterns with the complaints even if you can find one complaint means twenty or more will follow.

5. Interview The Prospect

Before hiring the tax CPA, you need to meet with the potential candidate. You can test them by giving a copy of your tax return. If they review the latest tax return, a pro can evaluate the scenario and suggest their charges.

Also, you can prepare a short but necessary list of questions you might be willing to ask them like

• How long have they been preparing taxes?

• Do they have any specialties or experience in a specific niche?

• How do you bill or how much you charge a flat fee? And so on.

Take your time to find the right CPA for your business. No matter who prepares your taxes you just need to remember that the outsourced help is a responsible person and knows what he/she is doing with your taxes in a legit way.