I just saved myself money by doing my own taxes. Why do I need you when there is free online software X or even a mobile app that’ll do it and even GUARANTEES it is correct?

You’re right that doing a tax return has become so easy even a neanderthal can do it. You know the ad or there’s one about how you don’t have to be a genius to do your own taxes. So what’s the point of going to a professional? The point is doing your own taxes may be easy, but doing them RIGHT is a whole other story. Just in our own experience we have seen mass marketed free-mium services(you know the ones that say it’s free only to end up charging you a small fee in the end) do the following:

-“double dip” deductions – meaning place deductions that should have only gone on a Schedule A on both Schedule A AND another schedule that did not even apply to the client’s return.

-take a business loss for property that was not even owned by the client’s small beauty care business NOR was it even eligible for a loss on the personal level.

In both cases the client or prospective client saved a few hundred dollars in tax prep fees but ended up costing themselves thousands in taxes and penalties when the IRS came and challenged those so-called “100% accuracy guarantee” self-prepared returns. Even worse than the thousands of dollars owed is the fear and pain of getting those pesky letters from the IRS and not knowing why they were even sent in the first place or what they actually mean. And what happens with that so-called guarantee? They just tell you that it was your input error that caused the problem and you’re on your own. I mean the software did ITS job and made the calculations, even supposedly asked you all the right questions, but YOU still did it wrong and that’s what they emphasize when you go back to them for help on that “guarantee”.

This is why it PAYS to have a professional do your taxes right the first time. As the saying goes “pay a little more now or pay a whole lot more later.” If you want to know if you’re really costing yourself thousands versus savings hundreds please give us a call and we’ll be your financial and tax pain relief.