6 Surprising Truths About Tax Preparers

6 Surprising Truths About Tax Preparers

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I was in a client's office one day getting her books closed out for the year so she could have her tax return prepared. I overheard a woman in the next office telling someone, "I'm just going to run out and get my taxes done." I was horrified. Having your taxes prepared is not something you just "run out" and get done like an oil change. Good tax preparers are like good hair stylists. They have followings. People pre-book them.

If you just "run out" and have your taxes done, who do you think you'll get as a tax preparer? The best and the brightest? Hardly. You'll get the first year preparers who haven't built up a following. The ones who are fresh out of tax class and generally have no experience preparing tax returns or running a business. The ones who don't have the expertise to know the ins and outs of interpreting tax codes to your best advantage while still keeping you within the law. Sure everyone deserves a chance to gain experience but do you really want to be the first patient a surgeon operates on?

6. Procrastination is your worst enemy.

It's April 14th. You think you probably should get your tax stuff together pretty soon. So, you work late into the night, gathering receipts, pawing through stacks of paper, digging under the seat of your car until finally you've got everything you need. Off you go on your lunch break on April 15th to get your return prepared. Your tax preparer, who has been working at a feverish pitch for weeks, has deep circles under her eyes, her hands are shaking from lack of sleep and too much caffeine, and you notice a small stream of drool running down her chin. "Oh look," she exclaims laughing maniacally, "Another return!". And you think to yourself, "What's her problem?".

You, my procrastinating friend, are her problem. Now she's got to frantically race around trying to keep you out of trouble because you didn't have the courtesy or forethought to be prepared well ahead of the deadline. And then she'll have to listen to you whine because now all of a sudden you have to come up with thousands of dollars that you didn't know you owed.

Do yourself a favor, get your return done early. If you owe money, you don't have to send it until April 15th. At least you'll know that your return was prepared by a tax preparer who wasn't fatigued, you'll know ahead of time what you owe, and you'll have it off your mind so you can focus on other important things. Like getting your oil changed on your lunch break.

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Caroline Jordan, MBA, is a veteran small business owner, accountant, consultant, trainer, and author. She is the owner of The Jordan Result, a company specializing in developing real world, practical resources to help small business owners improve cash flow and business operations. She is the author of Stop the Cash Flow Roller Coaster, I Want to Get Off! and Strength in Numbers. For more tips and articles to help your business succeed visit www.CashFlowRollerCoaster.com.