To make a visit to a tax professional go as smooth as possible, it is important to make sure that you have all of the documents needed to file your return. Taking the time to prepare everything beforehand will eliminate the need to make multiple trips to the tax professional and will speed up the process of getting your taxes filed and the refund in your hand. Of course, the actual documents you need will depend on your personal situation and what business was conducted in the previous tax year. A simple call to your local tax professional will help in figuring out which documents you will need to bring to your appointment.

At the basic level, what you need to bring to the tax professional are any documents that pertain to your income and expenses as well as a form of identification. For income purposes, there are two main forms that are needed and a host of others that are applicable in special situations. Standard working arrangements frequently use a W-2 form, which is essentially just a statement of how much money the employer paid to the employee over the course of the year. The W-2 also documents how much money has already been paid in taxes and other contributions, such as Social Security and Medicare. Another common income document is form 1099. There are actually several different versions of the 1099 form that are used to show diverse income streams, such as interest, dividends, stock trades, Social Security benefits that were received, and income derived from self-employment.

As far as expenses and deductions you plan to claim, the best situation is to keep all receipts throughout the year and an updated spreadsheet so that calculating your deductions at the end of the year will be a snap. If you don’t have a spreadsheet, the actual receipts can be brought to the tax professional and they will determine which ones are valid for a deduction and which ones are not. Some common deduction expenses that are used include real estate taxes, expenses for medical care, charitable donations, expenses related to employment, vehicle registration fees, and gambling losses. A good practice is to keep a receipt if you are unsure whether it can be claimed and let the tax professional decide if it can be used or not.

In addition to income and expense statements, many people have other documents that will be involved in filing their taxes. If you have moved in the past year or were enrolled in higher education, there may be some special benefits that could be used to get a higher return. Documents noting these expenses should be brought to the tax professional. IRA contributions, child care expenses, or interest from student loans are other areas where a deduction could be made. When in doubt, you should bring the receipt or document and rely on the tax professional’s knowledge of tax codes to see if it can lower the amount of taxes that need to be paid or increase the refund total.

In contrast with the many tax preparation services that show up during tax season, R&G Brenner is a full time operation, with consultants that work around the year preparing tax statements and providing valuable tax advice to clients. With some of the more famous national companies, the person completing your taxes may be fresh out of training, learning only the minimum of how to work a specific computer program to calculate taxes. At R&G Brenner, all consultants have at least two years of experience in the field and know much more than what can be learned in a quick and basic training course. To add to the expertise of R&G Brenner consultants, a senior tax consultant will also be involved in the preparation of your return.

To show how they are better than competition, R&G Brenner offers a check of your taxes for the past three years. Although many people are not aware, you can amend tax returns and the company uses this little known rule to find errors in previous returns that will return more money to their customers. The three year review is provided free of charge with any tax preparation service and can turn into a large windfall for people that previously did their own taxes or used inferior preparation services.

The way that R&G Brenner is able to lower your tax expenses is twofold. Firstly, the basic cost of the tax preparation services is lower than competitors, meaning that your out of pocket expense will be lower. In addition, the dedication with which the team examines each and every return will find possibly hidden deductions where other services may just rush through this process. By having a personal interview to fully understand a customer’s tax position, the consultants are able to gain a deeper insight into which deductions may be relevant.

One of the biggest testaments to the success of the R&G Brenner company is their history in the business and the repeat business they often get from loyal customers. Since the year of 1941, R&G Brenner has been active in the state of New York and has expanded their operations to be available for anyone that needs to file a tax return in the United States. Their teleconferencing appointments make it possible to use the latest computing technology to complete a tax return within the comfort of your own home while still keeping a personal feel to the experience. The company was one of the first to offer this service and have been an industry leader in bringing personal tax preparation to customers from all over the country.