I am a tax preparer. Don’t be fooled… I’ve caught many mistakes from H&R Block because people don’t have everything they need and it’s just easier to plug a number to save time… at the cost of the client. I’ve also had to fix clients mistakes from Turbotax. Unless you know taxes, even with the most user friendly software, you have a good chance of missing things or doing it wrong. I hired someone to help me this year. She took a course from H&R Block and passed with flying colors. The first four returns she did for me had to be re-done by me due to errors.
Think twice about “trying it” yourself… it could pose headaches down the road if done wrong. Not to mention the fact that you don’t know IF you cheated yourself. One return I fixed got the person back $300 more! So much for saving $100 to do it on your own huh?
Let a qualified independent professional prepare your return. Ask around to your friends and family. There a many private preparers (many are CFO’s of small businesses that came from CPA firms) out there that charge a reasonable rate for tax prep. Personally I think H&R is very expensive.
You should pay $125~175 for a standard return, including stock sales, itemized deductions, and e-file.
Mike
