In this modern age, there are many ways of completing your taxes, from sitting down with pencil and calculator to utilizing specialty software programs that do all of the math for you. Still, many people wonder each year whether they would be better off going to a tax professional who knows all the ins and outs of tax code and how to get the best possible refund or advise the best tax decisions. In short, the answer is yes, a tax professional can often deliver results that make it a good decision to use them instead of doing your taxes online or by hand.

With Internet tax preparations becoming commonplace, the big question is what does a tax professional offer that cannot be found in websites dedicated to online filing. The answer is that a real tax professional is human and will take the time to make sure you understand everything about your taxes. Instead of simply moving on to the next question, he or she will see when you don’t completely understand and make sure everything is crystal clear before going forward. Tax laws change each year and only a professional that deals with tax concerns all the time will have a full understanding of the latest laws and how they may apply to your personal situation. In addition, using the right tax professional will mean that you don’t have to worry about your taxes being correct. Every good professional will stand by their work and ensure that all calculations and use of credits and deductions are correct.

Because computer programs only deal with your tax facts, they are unable to see your future plans that may change your tax status. They cannot understand that your tax needs may be different if you are planning on buying a house or other major purchase or if you are planning a career change. A tax professional will be able to take these types of factors into account, as well as many more, to make sure you have the optimal tax setup. The claims that you can file your own taxes are certainly true, but the main advantage of using a tax professional is that your tax situation will be based on your needs instead of a cookie-cutter design that fails to take into considerations any individual characteristic of your life.

One thing to remember about going to a tax professional is that they are not all created equally. At the bottom level are the nationwide chains that use undertrained employees who have little tax knowledge. Essentially, these preparers do your taxes by entering your information into the same computer programs you could use at home and cannot offer any additional services. The difference is that you pay money to have them do it for you. The best tax professionals will be the ones that actually investigate your tax situations and advise which deductions and credits you can take advantage of. The easy way to recognize a true tax professional is that they will be open all year-round and not just pop up during the busy season from January to April 15th.

Have a tax question? Ask one of our tax professionals.