How to hire a tax preparer
A tax preparer files returns for individuals and small businesses — where credentials matter, because who prepared a return determines who can represent you if it is questioned.
Can be done online. Many tax preparers work over video, so you are not limited to who is nearby. On Region Beacon, pick Online when you post a request and it reaches online businesses anywhere. All services
What the job usually involves
- Individual returns, including itemised deductions.
- Self-employment, contractor and gig income.
- Small business and partnership returns.
- Rental property income.
- Amended returns and prior-year filings.
What to ask before you agree to anything
- What credential do you hold — CPA, enrolled agent, attorney, or none?
- Do you have a PTIN, and will you sign my return as preparer?
- How are you paid — flat fee, by form, or a percentage of my refund?
- Can you represent me if the IRS questions this return?
- Who actually prepares it, and who reviews it?
- How do you handle my documents, and how long do you keep them?
Warning signs
- A fee based on a percentage of your refund.
- Refusal to sign the return as paid preparer.
- A refund promised before seeing your documents.
- Being asked to sign a blank or incomplete return.
- Deductions suggested that you cannot substantiate.
Common questions
What is the difference between a CPA, an enrolled agent and a tax preparer?
CPAs and enrolled agents hold credentials with continuing education requirements and can represent you before the IRS. Anyone with a PTIN can prepare returns for payment, but unenrolled preparers have limited representation rights. If a complex return or an audit risk is in play, that difference is the whole point.
Should I pay a tax preparer a percentage of my refund?
No. Fee structures tied to refund size create an incentive to inflate the refund, and the IRS warns about exactly this arrangement. You sign the return, so the exposure is yours regardless of who prepared it.
Who is responsible if my tax return is wrong?
You are, because you sign it — which is why you should review it before signing and never sign a blank one. A credentialed preparer may carry professional liability and may be able to represent you, but the return is legally yours.
How does Region Beacon work for tax preparers?
You describe the job once. The first nearby business that takes it gets your details and contacts you; nobody else does. You deal with whoever you pick directly, and you pay them directly — Region Beacon never handles the money and takes no commission, so nothing is added to your price for using it.
How do I know if a tax preparer's quote is fair?
Get more than one. A single quote tells you what one business charges; three tell you what the job is worth where you live. Ask each for the same scope in writing, and treat a quote far below the others as probably missing something rather than a bargain.
Get quotes from tax preparers near you
Describe the job once and the first nearby business to take it contacts you. Only that one gets your details, no commission is added, and your details are not sold on to anyone.