DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PREPARER

Eight Tips to Help You Choose a Tax Preparer



If you are one that usually have your taxes prepared by a professional than this is for you...

IRS urges people to use care and caution when choosing a tax preparer. Remember, you are legally responsible for what’s on your tax return even if it was prepared by an another individual or firm.

Most tax return preparers are professional, honest and provide excellent service to their clients. However, unscrupulous tax return preparers do exist and can cause considerable financial and legal problems for their clients. Therefore, it’s important to find a qualified tax professional.

The following tips will help you choose a preparer who will offer the best service for your tax preparation needs.

1. Check the person’s qualifications. Ask if the preparer is affiliated with a professional organization that provides its members with continuing education and resources and holds them to a code of ethics.
2. Check on the preparer’s history. Check to see if the preparer has any questionable history with the Better Business Bureau, the state’s board of accountancy for CPAs or the state’s bar association for attorneys.
3. Find out about their service fees. Avoid preparers that base their fee on a percentage of the amount of your refund or those who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers.
4. Make sure the tax preparer is accessible. Make sure you will be able to contact the tax preparer after the return has been filed, even after April 15, in case questions arise.
5. Provide all records and receipts needed to prepare your return. Most reputable preparers will request to see your records and receipts and will ask you multiple questions to determine your total income and your qualifications for expenses, deductions and other items.
6. Never sign a blank return, Avoid tax preparers that ask you to sign a blank tax form.
7. Review the entire return before signing it. Before you sign your tax return, review it and ask questions. Make sure you understand everything and are comfortable with the accuracy of the return before you sign it.
8. Make sure the preparer signs the form. A paid preparer must sign the return as required by law. Although the preparer signs the return, you are responsible for the accuracy of every item on your return. The preparer must also give you a copy of the return.

You can report abusive tax preparers and suspected tax fraud to the IRS on Form 3949-A, Information Referral or by sending a letter to Internal Revenue Service, Fresno, CA 93888. Download Form 3949-A from IRS.gov or order by mail at 800-829-3676.

Junk it, Sell it or Give it away?

Recently one of our clients came into the office and asked, if it’s worth donating their son old car or should they fix it up and sell it? Well one of the things that is always taught in business is that if one of your clients asks a question than there are ten with the same question; for ever ten there is a hundred and for every hundred there is a thousand. So for our thousands of readers I wanted to examine the question of what to do with your old clunker and give you an answer that will empower you to make a good sound decision in the matters of your taxes.

I know that you have heard ads on the radio or have seen a notice in the newspaper that tells you about saving tax dollars by donating the vehicle to a worthy charitable organization. You want to do it but the question remains is that the right decision for you?

A donation of this type is just another form of a non-cash charitable contribution. As such, it's another component of your itemized deductions. If you normally itemize your deductions (including medical, interest, taxes, charity, and miscellaneous items) then the charitable contribution will certainly increase your deductions and reduce your taxes. Example: If you're in the 25% federal tax bracket, it means that you'll get tax relief of $25.00 for each $100.00 of contributions. So if you donate a vehicle that has a fair market value of $4000.00 you could save an additional $1000.00 in taxes.

But many people don't itemize their deductions. If your itemized deductions are less than your standard deduction, claiming the standard deduction is your best tax choice. If the contribution of your old vehicle doesn't throw you above the standard deduction limitation amounts, that contribution won't reduce your taxes.

Which begs the question: Why in the world would you not just sell the vehicle for $4,000 and put that money in your pocket (tax-free)? Here are several valid reasons:

1. You might really care about the charity to which you are making the contribution.
2. Perhaps you are busy and don't want the hassle of trying to sell the car.
3. You might not want to deal with trying to bargain with an auto dealer about the value of your car as you shop for a replacement vehicle.
4. Just maybe the clunker just doesn’t run, and you simply want the charity's tow truck to take it down the road.

Or... you may be inflating the value of the vehicle in order to stick it to Uncle Sam, and get your money out of the vehicle with no hassle. BE CAREFUL HERE! The law is clear on this point: The deduction is only valid if you apply the correct fair market value (FMV) to the vehicle. It's quite possible that your car is a piece of junk. It's not running because the engine has been torn apart. The paint is worn. The interior is ripped and shredded. You've already talked to a couple of people and they said they wouldn't pay $500 for your jalopy.

But you should still be OK, since you went on the Internet and found that the value of a similar vehicle was actually $4,000.00, right? Wrong! The IRS is aware of this ploy, and has (and will continue to) audited many of these tax returns (i.e., donation of auto). The IRS is well aware that most folks would be better off selling the vehicle and taking the tax-free cash. So the IRS is curious about how the FMV of the vehicle was determined. Certainly the charity picking up the vehicle will provide a value, right? Wrong again. It's not their job or obligation to provide the valuation of the vehicle. That's your job. And it's your job to obtain as much information as possible to support your valuation. A simple "blue book" value alone isn't nearly enough if you want your deduction to stick.

In order to make a valid valuation the IRS says that the FMV of a vehicle in this situation is the price at which the auto would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller when:

• Neither party has any compulsion to buy or sell; and
• Both parties have a reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.

In fact, IRS Publication 561 has this to say on the subject: Certain commercial firms and trade organizations publish guides, commonly called "blue books," containing complete dealer sale prices or dealer average prices for recent model years. The guides may be published monthly or seasonally, and for different regions of the country. These guides also provide estimates for adjusting for unusual equipment, unusual mileage, and physical condition. The prices are not "official" and these publications are not considered an appraisal of any specific donated property. But they do provide clues for making an appraisal and suggest relative prices for comparison with current sales and offerings in your area. So if you want your deduction to hold up under IRS review (read: audit), you'll have to prove that the FMV you used on your tax return is the real FMV, and not some inflated value. Here we find that just using the blue-book valuation isn't good enough. Mind you when it comes to validating your deduction it’s not really that difficult, but it might be time consuming.

Listed below are some steps you can take to make sure that your valuation holds up should the IRS want to take a peek:

• Attach a reasonably detailed description of the vehicle.
• Take pictures of the car, inside and out -- even the engine. Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words. Attach the photos to your return.
• Attach pages from your local Auto Trader or similar publication that advertises used cars for sale. Find vehicles that are similar to yours in looks and condition and factor those advertised sales prices into your FMV analysis.
• Get the blue-book information and attach it. While it's not the only source to prove valuation, it's one that will help with other sources.
• How about a testimonial from your local mechanic or auto dealer? A simple statement claiming that the vehicle is in running condition with no known or apparent malfunctions would be a good thing to attach to the return. Even if there are some problems with the vehicle, see if the mechanic will state the amount of money to fix the problem. You can then factor that into the correct FMV of the vehicle.
• Make copies of any documents that you affix to your tax return. Sometimes attachments get lost or separated.

Finally, if you do decide to donate your car, remember that there is additional information that you'll be required to disclose on the tax return in order to correctly report the contribution. Use IRS Form 8283 and follow the instructions for these additional requirements.

I hope this article helps our client to make a good sound decision on the matter of their son’s car and I hope that you, the thousands of readers, will come in next year ready and equipped.

If you have questions please call into the office (757)934-3725 Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. We are open all year long, your one stop service center; our family servicing your family.