Filing your Tax Return in a Pandemic (COVID-19)

With rules changing on sudden notice and many businesses having to enforce limits & restrictions on their premises. It is with no surprise that the tax industry is going to be shifting as well, if you’re used to filing your tax returns in person. You may need to set your appointment ASPA (as soon as possible). With the federal government giving out stimulus checks to help those families/individuals in need; it is critical to file early so the IRS has your latest address or banking information. Many customers have had the miss fortune of having to switch their address or close the account they used on their previous tax returns, only to have a delay on their First and second Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payments.

Before the tax season begins and you start getting bombarded with tax ads, claiming to give you: discounts, vacations, file for free (but then ending up paying at the checkout!), and refund advance. You have to take into account these two things:

You get what you pay for

For those of you whole like to file your tax returns for free or DO IT YOURSELF online, you could be missing out on many credits that you did not know you could’ve claimed to either get a better refund or deduct your tax liabilities. In our agency, we have had many customers who had used a cheap “Do it yourself service” only have us fix their mistakes or amend their tax returns. If your car were to break down and have a major issue; even though you may have basic knowledge on how to fix your car. You do not have the experience to “fix it yourself”. Most people would just take to a mechanic to fix the problem, so why do so many people think they can file their tax returns with basic knowledge and articles they may have read on the internet?

Filing online or with a tax preparer?

Working in the tax industry, we have heard it all from a copious amount of consumers. The trend that we see is when a consumer has been using a “file yourself app” where they’re either use to paying very minimum or filing their tax returns for free, we see that this approach workes for many individuals who only have a W-2 from one employer. Where we see the shift for many consumers is when they start to work in multiple jobs, have a Roth IRA, own properties, go to college, or are part of the gig economy (driving for companies like Uber, Lyft, or Door Dash). These are the times consumers have the tendency of shopping around for a tax professional to help them file their tax returns. Filing with a tax professional will usually cost more (depending on your tax situation) than doing it yourself on a mobile app. You can learn more about this on the blog Certified Tax Preparer vz Online Tax Filing.

We hope you’re enjoying our informational content, as many of you know. We are a TAX AGENCY, just like many businesses have had to change during the pandemic. We decided to offer virtual tax services to all 50 states in the United States. We are tax professionals, therefore, we like to work one on with our clients. The best part of our business model is that we are open all year round, we don’t close after the season like many tax agencies. We also have reasonable pricing for all our tax services. If you would like to set up an appointment with a tax professional, there will be a link to our virtual calendar. You also get $20.00 off your service for supporting our content!

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