| With the proliferation of tax preparation storefronts | | | | your refund. |
| that are here today and gone tomorrow, the | | | | This is also suspect, since it may motivate the tax |
| prevalence of tax return scams or unscrupulous tax | | | | preparer to artificially inflate your return amount. Tax |
| filing practices is on the rise. While the government is | | | | professionals should charge according to the |
| attempting to buckle down on tax scammers, it's | | | | complexity of your return, not on how much you |
| incumbent upon you to sort out the bad apples from | | | | receive from the IRS. |
| the reputable tax professionals. To help you spot the | | | | The tax accounting firm doesn't have a history. |
| phonies, take note of these warning signs: | | | | The IRS may initiate an audit up to 7 years after you |
| The tax preparer won't sign your return. | | | | file your return. If that happens, you're going to want to |
| There's a designated area on your tax return for your | | | | talk to your tax preparer - make sure they'll still be in |
| preparer to sign. No matter what, you will be | | | | business if you have questions. Watch out for |
| responsible to pay fees and penalties if there are | | | | accounting firms that set up temporary store fronts or |
| mistakes, so there's no reason a tax prepare should | | | | just suddenly appeared right around tax time. |
| refuse to sign the return. By doing so, they put their | | | | One last bit of advice: You may be better off choosing |
| stamp of approval on it. By refusing to do so, it's clear | | | | a CPA. Aside from being the best fit for complex tax |
| that they have something to hide. | | | | situations, you can easily verify a CPA's license online. |
| The tax prepare promises you a specific amount on | | | | For example, you can check the status of a Bellevue |
| your return. | | | | or Seattle CPA's license at the Washington State |
| If someone says they can guarantee you X amount | | | | Board of Accountancy website with just a few clicks. |
| of dollars on your return, they are blowing smoke. No | | | | It's illegal to call yourself a CPA if you aren't one, and if |
| one can know for sure how much you will receive until | | | | they don't show up in your state's database, that's a |
| they've done all of your paperwork. | | | | deal breaker. |
| The tax professional bases the fee on the amount of | | | | |