Your income taxes cover your most important financial details. It’s smart to partner with a tax professional to ensure you’re covering all your bases and making the most of potential deductions available to you. With that said, there are a few key questions we think you should ask a tax accountant before making a commitment to work together:
- Do you file both Federal and State income taxes with e-file?
- Can you e-file an extension, if necessary?
- Can your prep fees be automatically deducted from my refund? If so, what’s the fee?
A lot of the “free file” programs will only let you file electronically IF you qualify. This is often 1040EZ only, and doesn’t include state filing. You have to pay for that separately. At Adams Accounting Solutions, we file both federal and ALL states with no additional charges. For additional customer confidence, we also get confirmation numbers for all returns to prove they were filed, along with a date and time stamp. This is the only acceptable proof for the IRS and State Departments of Revenue. Keep in mind, the IRS has become one of the most “Prove it or Pay” problems for the 2014 tax year.
As for extensions, we can help there, too. Many people wait until the very last minute to file an extension, and when they finally do, they mail a paper form. If you do not have proof of mailing (and at the last-minute, most do not), the IRS can deny your extension, noting it was not filed on time. As with e-filing, we can get a confirmation number, along with date and time stamp, for proof of your extension filing.
When you’re reviewing payment with potential tax preparers, you will find most require you pay for the returns before you get copies and they are filed. We are able to have your prep fees automatically deducted from your tax refund, so you don’t have to pay out of pocket for your returns. We charge a $15 fee, but that’s only because it must go through a third party (secure processor bank) to complete the transactions. If you find a preparer that offers this service, inquire for the fee. Most charge more than $15.
Want to learn more about our services? Give us a call! We would love to talk with you!
