Taxes are complicated. Although, some returns are fairly easy to do, with Congress changing the rules all the time, it really helps to hire someone who knows what they’re doing.
Okay, I’m going to toot my own horn here, but Enrolled Agents are licensed by the Department of the Treasury to represent people before the IRS in all tax matters. We have to pass a test. Actually, it’s nine hours worth of tests divided into three parts. You have to pass all three before you can call yourself an EA.
EA’s are also required to take 72 hours of tax training every three years to keep their certification. And we also have to pass a tax compliance check—meaning, the IRS takes a closer look at my tax return.
Most of those people at your big box chain tax stores are not EA’s.
There’s also a new preparer designation called a Registered Tax Return Preparer, or RTRP for short. They also have to pass a test, take continuing education, and they have the ability to represent taxpayers before the IRS but it‘s limited. At Roberg Tax Solutions, everyone who prepares returns is either an EA or an RTRP, meaning that we’ve all got the licenses to do our jobs. The most basic tax preparer designation is a provisional PTIN holder-but even they must do the continuing education credits.
It’s important to know that because most tax preparers out there don’t have any credentials. None. Every day I hear stories about people who used a so-called “professional” and got in trouble with the IRS because the “professional” didn’t know the tax law, or perhaps chose to ignore it.
Okay, the IRS requires that I say this: ‘The IRS does not endorse any particular individual tax return preparer. For more information on tax return preparers go to IRS.gov.’ Just wanted to make sure I got that in there.
Now I was going to write about how you don’t want to hire the guy in the crazy costume to do your taxes. But I’m not in a position to say that. You see, every Halloween, Roberg Tax Solutions dresses up and helps with the Maryland Heights Halloween parade. We used to dress up for the Pujol’s Foundation Winter Carnival too until they discontinued that.
So, go ahead and hire the tax person in a crazy costume. Just make sure that you check his or her credentials for doing taxes first. (By the way, the guy in the Shark costume is Mike, our new guy. He’s in the shark costume because, well–he’s the new guy. And the shark dance? Well, the little kids at the parade kept begging him to “Do it again!” For what it’s worth, he’s better at taxes than he is at dancing.)