There is a major difference between a tax preparer and a tax advisor. Tax preparers, although many may advertise that they can save you money with your taxes or get you a better return, their actual job is really focused on the actual paperwork of filing out your taxes. A tax advisor is actually what you should look for if you are hoping to save money on your income tax.
Here are some tips you can use to choose a good Tax Advisor:
· Make sure that the advisor focuses specifically on tax advice, and is not just a general financial advisor. Many financial advisors, although they may be able to give some good advice, offer so many services that they can not keep up on all the new laws and information available about all of them. If you are looking to have your tax situation seriously considered than find someone who works only in the tax advice field.
· Find out a potential advisor’s credentials. There are Accredited Tax Advisors, and Enrolled Agents who are licensed by the government to represent taxpayers. These type of credentials as well as lawyers and financial advisors that focus specifically on taxes are most likely to be able to save you the most money.
· Shop around for fees and prices. Pick someone who has a competitive fee. However depending on your situation you may not need someone who is expensive, especially if you are looking for help with your individual taxes. If you are looking for help with a complicated business you may want to spend a little more because what they will be able to save you will be worth it.
· Choose a tax advisor that matches Tax Advisors your needs and personality. If you run a very conservative business and would rather stay out of the target range as being likely to be audited, you will want to steer clear of aggressive tax advisors, but if you are okay with the possibility of being audited and saving more money go ahead and work with an aggressive advisor. You will want to be careful though and make sure that you trust the advisors understanding and knowledge because if you are audited and a mistake was made, it can cost a lot of money.
· Make sure the advisor is available year-round.
· Stay away from advisors that you feel may try to sell you financial products. They may have a conflict of interest and not really save you all they could have because they were pushing the sale of a product.
· Beware of advisors that promise a guaranteed amount of money that you will save before they know anything about your financial situation or taxes. Look for someone who seems to have a firm grasp of their job rather than someone who is offering a sales pitch.
· Get multiple opinions from a few advisors you feel are professional, especially if a lot of money is involved this will insure that you are well-informed and can choose the plan that offers the best savings.