Anyone ever use a CPA for your taxes?

[Commander]

Due to several events last year, my tax situation got complicated so for the first time I need to seek the services of a CPA. However I have no idea how much that might cost. Does anyone have any experience with a CPA?

[RPB]

I did once, the guy had always done my neighbors, he said he'd do it for $100.00 per year, I took him about 20 big boxes of papers to do several years worth of them ... it was worth it. I used to use 2-weeks of vacation just to do taxes each year.

If it's way too complicated, it's certainly worth it. Then maybe next year you can see what he did, and figure it easier.
Anyway, it was worth it for me that time.

IRS screwed me out of $19,000 refund and tried to tell me I owed another $8,000, by the time it was all done, I owed them nothing and got $9,000 (They still screwed me out of $19,000, but it could have been worse) And, he left a bit of "leeway" ... didn't claim all I could, so if they were to audit, they'd owe me more.

That CPA was in Deer Park or Pasadena or Houston, I forget, it was long long ago.
YMMV

[Dagnabitblah]

I use one every year for personal and business. Average cost is around $150 for each return which can be deducted off the next year's return. So...if you get into a habit, you deduct it each year. I don't use the ones advertised on TV. Nothing against them really, I just like my accountant to be self-employed and have 30+ years experience.

[USA1]

I used a CPA for many years because I'm self employed and my tax preparation can be a chore.
It started out fine but his price went up so much each year, I ended up paying $500.00 and was doing most of the work myself.

I just switched to H&R Block. They give me better service for half the price.

BTW...Tax Preparation fees are tax deductible if you itemize.

[pcgizzmo]

We use one every year. He understands where he can cut corners and where he can't. We pay about $250 per year. We ALWAYS get money back. When I did it with a tax program we never go money back.

[cougartex]

I have used a CPA for the last six years. Last year the cost was $125.

[jmra]

My taxes are much more complicated than what I want to deal with - several LLCs. My CPA charges $200 per year which includes filing extensions (never get all the info I need in time to meet the april 15 timeline).

[C-dub]

We used one for a few years after our daughter was born. He charged about $150 each year. After he passed we went to H&R ripoff. They didn't even know what a flexible spending medical account was and that was the first and only year we have ever had to pay more instead of getting a refund. We tried another CPA the following year and when I went to sign something for him I saw that he was just using Turbo-Tax. I've been using Turbo-Tax ever since and loving it, but our taxes are fairly simple.

[karder]

I have used a CPA for the past 15 years. I am self-employed and in a business with a lot of expenses ranging from speciality equipment to travel. I have to itemize a ton of things. I pay $400 per year. It is a lot, but there is no way I would dare do it myself. The tax law is too complicated for my feeble brain.

[Teamless]

but our taxes are fairly simple.

I have used Turbo Tax for the past 3 years, as I thought it was just as good.
After starting my taxes this year on Turbo Tax, I felt that I was not getting enough back, so decided to take the H&R Block challenge, ($29 if you do not use them to file, or pay whatever the cost is if you do use them to file... but they show you how much you would get back if you used them)..
Well, I paid them $200 to get me an extra $1500 that Turbo Tax didn't give me, using the exact same figures.
Where Turbo Tax said I couldn't use my wifes tuition and the taxes on my new car, and the donations I gave last year, as I didn't have enough deductions, H&R Block somehow allowed them and boom, when I saw the difference, I filed, I came home cleared my form on Turbo Tax, and closed it out.

Next year, I am going back to H&R Block

I am not saying H&R is the best, but I would say, try one of the non-online ones if you have a somewhat simple, but could be's....
For instance, ours is simple as follows
Mortgage Interest
Tuition
New Car
A couple charitable's
2 W-2s (1 for each me and my wife)
Pretty simple, or so I thought.

[C-dub]

That's great Teamless! I hope they did it correctly and you don't get audited.

[Warhammer]

I've been using TurboTax for the last 10 years, and I thought about trying H&R Block last year. However, I talked to a friend who worked there (seasonally, of course) and found out something interesting: H&R Block just uses TurboTax. They have a version that Quicken makes for them that has all of the "TurboTax" branding stripped off so that it looks like your "tax expert" is using proprietary software. If you sit on the other side of the desk and watch, it is the same darn thing. BTW, your part-time, seasonal, temp "tax expert" attends less than a week of training on using the program before he/she is "certified" to do your taxes. If someone at H&R Block got you substantially more than TurboTax, I'd pull on my special audit-proof undies and pray that Uncle Sam doesn't look at me too closely.

[bigred90gt]

I used to use H&R block, and had to pay the last 3 times I used them, and was paying over $200. The last time I used them, I ended up owing the government $2300, and it cost me over $200. 3 years ago, we started using a CPA, and have gotten more back, and she charges us $150. My wife is easy, as she has a W2. I am "self employed", and must file with a 1099, schedule C, and other forms I know nothing about. We bring all of our paperwork in, the accountant asks us for some more paperwork, we scan it and email it to her, and a week later, we have our paperwork emailed to us. A couple of days after that, a folder shows up in the mail with the paperwork for us to sign. We've gotten back money the last 3 years, and she is a friend of my mother-in-law, so we are helping out a family friend in the process.

I highly recommend finding a good CPA. More personal, as you get to know them through the years, and you get more for your money. I plan to incorporate this year, so I definitely need her help with that.

[gigag04]

I use a CPA to keep track of all my off duty stuff and cop write offs. Runs about $200.

[Teamless]

That's great Teamless! I hope they did it correctly and you don't get audited.

they guarantee it for Audits, if I get Audited, they cover that cost as well as any penalties, so I am not worried.
And really with the amount of deductions I have I am a very low risk... but ya never know