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Hi, I'm from Long Island and at a near by Walmart they have a Jackson Hewitt. I never did my taxes from them. What kind of information should I get from the person who is doing my taxes just to be safe? Is that all I can do? Would you recommend a place like this located inside a Walmart?
to be honest most all use some version of turbo tax , tax cut etc and unless you have some tricky financial stuff in your life there isnt going to be a whole lot of difference from you just in putting your info yourself into the software and saving a bundle.
i used to go to one of the tax chains and found they were no smarter then the questions in turbo tax. have only done my own now for decades.. we have all kinds of investments,rental property, k1's etc and it couldnt be easier just plugging the info in.
theres no magic here, everything in our lives is reported income and there isnt a whole lot most of us have wiggle room on. as long as you understand the questions the software asks they cover the same questions a tax preparer will ask you and charge you for. .
taxes can get complicated for those with business's and special situations that arent just about listing repoorted income and for those folks i dont recommend a local tax chain. get yourself a real pro or tax attorney and do it right.
to be honest most all use some version of turbo tax , tax cut etc and unless you have some tricky financial stuff in your life there isnt going to be a whole lot of difference from you just in putting your info yourself into the software and saving a bundle.
i used to go to one of the tax chains and found they were no smarter then the questions in turbo tax. have only done my own now for decades.. we have all kinds of investments,rental property, k1's etc and it couldnt be easier just plugging the info in.
theres no magic here, everything in our lives is reported income and there isnt a whole lot most of us have wiggle room on. as long as you understand the questions the software asks they cover the same questions a tax preparer will ask you and charge you for. .
taxes can get complicated for those with business's and special situations that arent just about listing repoorted income and for those folks i dont recommend a local tax chain. get yourself a real pro or tax attorney and do it right.
I am not able to do it by myself even with the help of those programs, etc..
In that case, OP, yes, the Jackson Hewitt in Walmart will be as capable as the H&R Block that has a storefront. Both are likely to be slightly cheaper than an enrolled agent and a CPA, but you often get what you pay for. If you have a fairly straight-forward tax return, go ahead and use the Walmart Jackson Hewitt (I wouldn't worry about security of information). If, however, you have a few complicated investments, partnerships, or other sources of income, go to a pro who knows taxes inside and out (ie, a CPA or enrolled agent). In addition, a tax pro can often help educate you about your tax situation and how you can legally reduce your taxes owed for 2011.
Most of the people who work in the Jackson Hewitts/H&R Blocks of the world have had a 1-2 week training course in how to use the software. They know very little about taxes overall, but the software is good enough that they can do most people's taxes with no problem. They have a place in the world of taxes, but they are not for complicated returns.
I am not able to do it by myself even with the help of those programs, etc..
I'm not trying to be rude, but have you actually tried using Turbo Tax or other similar program, or are you just intimidated by the thought of trying? Honestly, if you can follow directions you can use Turbotax pretty easily.
I'm not trying to be rude, but have you actually tried using Turbo Tax or other similar program, or are you just intimidated by the thought of trying? Honestly, if you can follow directions you can use Turbotax pretty easily.
someone else did it for me on turbotax and there were some questions that I didn't know the answer to, I'm not even sure if he knew the right answers. It's more than just typing the information from the W-2 form.
someone else did it for me on turbotax and there were some questions that I didn't know the answer to, I'm not even sure if he knew the right answers. It's more than just typing the information from the W-2 form.
Maybe if you can tell us what the questions are we can help. If you go to any tax prep company they will probably have the same questions that only you will be able to answer.
In that case, OP, yes, the Jackson Hewitt in Walmart will be as capable as the H&R Block that has a storefront. Both are likely to be slightly cheaper than an enrolled agent and a CPA, but you often get what you pay for. . .
If you take the time to educate yourself on the answers to the questions that Turbotax asks then you'll have a much better handle on your finances. Seriously.
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