LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Major life changes and ever-changing tax laws make finding a trustworthy tax preparer important.
Henderson resident, Derek Collotta, has been doing taxes for almost three decades. He said that once you determine how complicated your tax needs are, get a referral for a tax preparer from family or friends. Then, review those credentials.
“The first thing I always tell people, you need to evaluate what you need,” Collotta said. “When you get the person’s name, Google their email address, look them up on ptin.org, it’s a website and on the IRS website you can also look up a person’s credentials.”
EA’s, CPA’s, and tax attorneys are all qualified to represent their clients.
Next, meet with your preparer and see if you get along. Consider their availability, if the IRS finds errors on your tax forms or decided to perform an audit, choose a tax preparer who is available to you year-round.
“Just be wary of large tax returns that are promised, especially if they are larger than say a competitor has promised,” Randa Haddad with Better Business Bureau Serving Southern Nevada, said.
Before you agree to any services, read the contract carefully and understand how much the tax preparer charges for the services.
“Does your preparer have ethics, might want to test them a little bit on that and see. If they stand up to you, it means they are doing their job,” Collotta said.
In addition to ptin.org and the IRS website, the BBB can always guide you to verify if a business is properly licensed as well, just head to bbb.org/taxtips.
