So who Does their own Taxes (house, rain, work)

[Bored2Day]

My brother was audited after going to H&R Block. They found many mistakes made by H&R. They hire and train people just for tax season from what I understand. I think that the people who designed turbo tax have more knowledge than that. I say do it yourself.

[JERSEY MAN]

I go to my accountant and have for 25 years and I wouldn't send them stuff in the mail and wait for a return. I sit down for about 1 hour to 1 hr 1/2 with him. I bring any and all questions that I have that I'm been looking for answers for pretty much the whole year. Your best bet is an accountant that specializes JUST in tax returns. If I was sending papers out to one I would agree with most posters to just do it yourself. Lets face it all about deductions and you want to know each and everyone that's possible for you to utilize. You have to claim a couple i'll use. Phone expenses for a business, charity work(miles driven to your charity), church, dry cleaning,suits,uniforms,washing and drying. Make sure you donate to charities as your old clothing,furniture,bikes,toys,boots,shoes,coats. Stationary, insurance on your cars,mileage,tolls and so on. These are only a few that I listed. My federal return is 80 pages long, yes 80 pages. I would never ever go to a fly by night place like an H@R Block as they have part timers who barely know the complex tax code. And yes my accountant will represent me if I was audited. I laugh when I see some tax returns of 5 or 6 pages. Come on guys don't give your hard earned money away if you don't have to.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by oneone10

I am thinking of doing my own taxes using TurboTax Deluxe. Is this a good idea? About me:

Single, recent homeowner (purchased Dec '07), switched jobs last year, & work in NY so must recoop NY State taxes.

So what is the verdict? Do it.....or not?

If you currently do yours....I WANT TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT

I have used Turbo Tax Deluxe for the past few years and haven't been audited yet I seem to be getting larger refunds than with H&R Block for a fraction of the cost. Great program, easy to use, easy to eFile. Would not consider using an accountant, even though my brother is a CPA.

[RobRiguez]

When I was 18 and single I tele-filed everything. It was simple I had no deductions other than the standard.

Things are completely different now. The last 2-3 years we have been using Turbo Tax. When a tax accountant friend of ours decided he was going to start doing personal returns on the side (He has worked for E&Y, Lehman Bros, Goldman Sachs, and is now into Hedge Funds) we figured he has to know what hes doing and thought we would have him do ours. He not only found us some extra $$ that Turbo Tax did not even ask about, he is also helping us plan out some of our investments so it doesnt hurt as much as it did this year. After our experience with him I will never go aywhere else again. He now has a customer for life.

Jersey Man, ours was only 15 pages but I completely agree with you. ALWAYS good to have a tax accountant and an attorney in your breast pocket!

[fischfan13]

I have a great CPA. She takes her time and is great with advice. I cannot see using a computer or a program to do what a person with experience can do, and do it better.

[regarese]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

If you go to TaxAct.com you can do your taxes for free. That program also asks the kinds of questions Turbo Tax does. You can get an "upgraded" version of TaxAct for $10, I think. I've used for for two years. Also, NJ has a free State filing at their website: www.state.nj/treasury/taxation (http://www.state.nj/treasury/taxation - broken link).

This is what I used this year. It cost me $22 to be able to file both state and federal electronically. Had my refunds within 2 weeks.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by fischfan13

I have a great CPA. She takes her time and is great with advice. I cannot see using a computer or a program to do what a person with experience can do, and do it better.

There are many so called tax preparers out there and there are no regulations regarding who can prepare tax returns for others so be wary of fly by night tax preparers, also be wary of the block heads or any other mass tax preparers.

Using a good CPA is really the best way to go, a good one will maximize your deductions, minimize any errors and help with future plans. Unless you have a very basic financial situation that only requires a simple return I would recommend using a CPA.

[phillycheesesteak]

As a CPA (not a full-time tax accountant)...I think you could do your own taxes...I do mine now, but I also have an tax accountant look at it every few years to make sure I am not way off. It's best if you have a good relationship with a personal tax accountant/lawyer to perform a quality review from time to time. I never used Turbo Tax but it is highly recommended at my firm and I plan to use it this year. By the way, the IRS does not select who gets audited based on who completed the forms...it is really based around the "hot topics/deductions etc" for that tax year. So yes, if you are claiming alot of deductions, that will increase your chances of being audited.

[Lusitan]

I do my own taxes using TurboTax ... it's not perfect, but the software is pretty good. I have never had any problems with it.

[maritzaja]

Hi

I just moved to NJ last year and am still trying to find service professionals that I can rely on. I am currently looking for a good accountant that does not charge an arm and a leg. I know that a few of you mentioned that you really like your tax accountants, and I was wondering if you would be able to give me some suggestions. I live in northern Atlantic County, but anyone in the southern NJ area or Hudson County area would be feasible. Thank you.