How do you handle your taxes? (Pittsburgh: loan, employment, live)

[Bizarbus]

I'm thinking of actually having somebody else do my taxes this year, but I've always done it myself.

Do you take it somewhere? To a big firm (H&R / Jackson Hewitt / ETC. )? A smaller one? Are there any good local firms in the Pittsburgh area? Or do you do it yourself?

[Copanut]

I've been using a CPA for the last 30 years, being self-employed, I think it's worth it to avoid an audit. Plus, I can always blame him.

[Pitt Chick]

Independent guy with a specialty in taxation laws.
He is worth every dollar we pay him

[I_Like_Spam]

Whether or not you should hire a professional or not depends on how complex your tax situation is.

Self employment people, people with complex investment instruments, as well as those who just make beaucoup bucks should definitely hire a CPA.

I just do it mine myself, its just adding up columns of numbers, none too difficult

[greg42]

I do my own, using an online outfit. So that helps, I don't have to do the math, although I do that anyway too as an initial estimate usually.

Unless you have a new compelling scenario that you're concerned about handling properly, I wouldn't pay someone else. There isn't likely to be thousands of dollars in refund that you're missing. The people at large chain outfits are not worth paying for a lot of the time, plus they like to do things like loan you your refund right away at ridiculous rates. If you want a little help relatively inexpensively, you might try a software package like Turbo Tax. It's a little friendlier than the one I usually use online and more likely to prompt you to look at things you might not otherwise know about.

[raubre]

I live by myself and rent, so I use Turbo Tax. I went with H&R Block one year and wasn't crazy about it. I would rather have it done for free (but that's me)

[Hopes]

I find way more deductions, etc., doing our taxes myself. Nobody cares more about your money then you do.

[ML North]

I just guess.

Kidding! I used to send them, along with my parent's returns, to a CPA. A few years ago I decided that, being that I don't itemize, it wasn't worth it. Now I do them myself in about 2 hours.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

TaxSlayer.com

[Tinare]

Turbo Tax. I agree with others above, unless you have something complicated or an issue you're not sure how to deal with, I don't think it's worth paying someone. I have very average tax issues.