Topic 08 · 4 min read
Getting Help — and Avoiding Bad Help
You sign the return, so you own what is on it.
Free help exists for simple returns, and paid professionals are worth it once life gets complicated. What matters is checking credentials, understanding the fee, and reading the return before signing, because responsibility never transfers to the preparer.
What to know
- Free options
- Volunteer programs serve lower-income taxpayers, seniors, and students, and free filing software exists below certain income levels.
- Credentials
- Certified public accountants, enrolled agents, and tax attorneys can represent you before the IRS. Anyone paid to prepare a return must have a preparer tax identification number.
- Fee structure
- A fee based on a percentage of your refund is a red flag. Flat or hourly fees quoted in advance are normal.
- Review before signing
- Check the bank account, the dependents, the income totals, and the deductions you do not recognize.
- When to upgrade
- Self-employment, rental property, equity compensation, multi-state income, or a life change usually justify professional help.
The tax benefit
The right preparer usually pays for themselves once income sources multiply — and prevents the far larger cost of an aggressive return unravelling later.
Worked example
The refund that was too good
A preparer promises a $6,000 refund before seeing a single document, then claims fabricated business losses. Two years later the taxpayer — not the preparer — owes the tax, penalties, and interest.
Watch out for
- Never sign a blank or incomplete return.
- Refunds should go to your account, never the preparer's.
- A preparer who refuses to sign the return they prepared is acting illegally.
Terms from this topic
Enrolled agentPreparer tax identification numberVITADue diligence
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