The January 31st deadline for businesses to mail out your W-2s, 1099s, and other documents needed to file your taxes has passed! You’ve filed your taxes and gotten that out of the way, but you resolved that next year your going to be more prepared and go through the motions of verifying their PTIN, checking their BBB rating, and calling up their references. However, just because a tax preparer is certified to prepare taxes, doesn’t mean they’re the right person to prepare yours. Here are a few questions to ask your potential tax preparer to ensure that they are the right fit for you:

Industry Experience: Do you have experience working with companies in my industry? What are their annual revenues? By asking these questions you can ensure that the tax preparer is familiar with the types of credits and/or deductions most often taken by your particular industry. For example, a tax preparer who mostly prepares tax returns for large oil companies might not be aware of the deductions common to a self-employed plumber.

Service Offering: Do you offer paper and electronic filing? Will you retain my prior year’s tax data to make filing in the future quicker and easier? If I am audited by the IRS will you assist me with the paperwork? Electronic Filing is the safest and most efficient way to file your tax returns. You want to be sure that your tax preparer has the capability to do so.

Price: What is your fee schedule? Ensure that you know up front what the fee is for preparing your return before the tax preparer begins preparing your return. Review the fee schedule to see if there are separate fees for preparation, filing, and audit assistance. Compare their price to their competitors and see how they stack up. Remember the cheapest preparer is not always the best. Be leery of the individual who has just finished the H&R Block Tax Preparation Course and is willing to complete any type of return for $19.95.

Enrolled agents, tax attorneys, and CPA’s all have the training and certifications to file federal taxes. However, as with choosing any professional to assist you with the operations of your business be sure that they know your type of business. A tax preparer who understands your type of business will save you time and money as well as provide you with money saving tax planning tips.