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5 Reasons To Never Use A Stripmall Tax Office

5 Reasons To Never Use A Stripmall Tax Office

As a team of professionally designated and trained tax advisors, it pains us each year to hear about the numerous issues that get reported regarding "strip mall" style tax preparers. Unfortunately, many of the individuals who work in these pop-up tax preparation businesses are minimally trained, inexperienced, and paid low wages. It should come as no surprise, then, that they don't always do the best job at preparing their clients' tax returns.

If you're even slightly considering using one of these services for your taxes, we strongly encourage you to be aware of some of the more common problems that are reported by people just like you.

1. They Make a Lot of Mistakes

Tax laws and codes change on a yearly basis, and tax experts (such as enrolled agents and CPAs) spend a great deal of time staying up-to-date on these changing codes throughout the year so we can best serve you. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of those working in a pop-up tax-preparation shop. These employees are often on-boarded during the fall and given minimal training before the spring tax rush; as a result, they make a lot of mistakes—mistakes that could cost you!

2. They're Usually Very Expensive

Many tax payers flock to these shops because they assume they'll be cheap and get the job done. However, these pop-up tax shops actually tend to be very expensive. If you're going to drop any of your hard-earned money on tax preparation, you might as well at least make sure that it's done right and take it to a trained professional.

3. They Don't Always File Returns

Believe it or not, we hear about this all the time. People show up for a meeting with their fly-by-night tax preparation "expert" and assume that he or she will take care of filing the appropriate paperwork with the IRS. Months down the road, they not only find out that their returns were never transmitted, but that they can no longer get into contact with anybody from the tax preparation company. By that point, you could be facing late fees, penalties, and interest on your back taxes owed. Who wants to deal with that?

4. They're Inexperienced

Approximately 80% of the "professionals" you see working in these offices are hired just for tax season. As such, they receive very minimal training and don't have the experience to handle unique tax situations. Instead, they typically are placed in front of a tax software package and instructed to plug in the numbers accordingly. In other words, that service you're paying for at a pop-up shop may be really nothing more than an expensive version of your typical tax-preparation software.

5. They Lack Advisory Services

Chances are, if you ask a tax preparation worker at one of these places for advice or guidance, they're not going to be able to give it to you. They're only there to ask you a few questions and plug in some numbers for you. Due to their lack of training and experience with tax codes and current laws, they won't be able to provide you with any type of tax advising service.

If you're going to spend the money on having your taxes prepared, you might as well spend it wisely. By meeting with a legitimate enrolled agent, CPA, or tax attorney when it comes time to file your taxes, you can enjoy greater peace of mind. Not only will your taxes be filed, but they'll be filed correctly; no worries about lost deductions or other mistakes. Plus, you can enjoy the advisory services you need to make the best financial decisions in the following tax year.

When it comes to your taxes, is it really worth taking a risk with a pop-up tax business? Turn to a professional you can trust and breathe a sigh of relief.

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Karen C. Drescher, CPA, CGMA

Karen C. Drescher, CPA, CGMA

Whether it is helping a individual or a Georgia small business with their taxes, or offering to be a backstop through their difficulties, Karen is always there for her clients. When you are a client of Karen's, she always tries to make you feel comfortable in a casual and friendly environment.

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