My name is Barry S. Thompson and I am a CPA. My office is in Cullman, AL but I have clients as far away as Carson City, Nevada. I have clients that I have never met face to face. How is this possible? First and foremost my relationship with these "long distance" clients started because they found me on this web site. Most asked questions which I promptly answered and they developed trust in me. They requested that I prepare their income tax return and I agreed to perform the service. I directed them to the "Tax Return Check List" which they print and use to organize and collect the data needed to prepare their return. They mailed me their information and I prepared the return. These clients often write that this is much simpler for them and less time consuming than dealing with a local person where they have to visit the office multiple times. That is my shameless plug now on to the "5 Secrets Professionals Usually Don't Share With Their Clients".
1. You can save money on tax preparation fees by gathering all your information and presenting the complete package the first time. This is true because tax professionals (I am no exception) take into consideration the complexity of your return, some hourly rate structure, and the "hassle factor". The hassle factor goes up every time they have to stop working on your file because they need additional information. We offer organizers that are customized to your prior year income tax return. Our clients often tell us how useful these are.
2. The early bird gets more attention. This is not to say that one gets a better tax return but strategically speaking a professional has more time to consider strategies when you have submitted your information early. These strategies are seldom retroactive and they probably apply to the current year more than the year that is being prepared. So the sooner you get started the sooner the new strategies can be implemented to save you taxes.
3. We do not like last second rush jobs - you shouldn't either. I want to spend an adequate amount of time to do the job right. I will not attempt to prepare a new client return after April 10. I will have all the work I can hope to complete at that point and my best offer will be an extension. SEE ITEM 4
4. Extensions are not a problem. Some people really worry about filling extensions. The truth about extenions is that the later one files the less chance the return has to selected for random audit. Red flag issues are not affected by extensions.
5. You should make sure that your attitude about taxes matches that of your preparer. I personally feel that the Federal and State governments are way too deep in our pockets. I thrive on minimizing my clients tax bill. I believe that about 20% of the federal income tax code is black and white and the other 80% are shades of grey. I consider it my job to take those grey areas for my clients best advantage. Read more about selecting a tax preparer. I am sad to say that many of my peers think that strict compliance is more important than a lower tax bill. Don't misinterpret what I am saying, compliance is important. I want to lower your tax bill not send you to jail. But, compliance is often determined by how a transaction is perceived and my perception will always favor my client.
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