Questions for Tax Pros

[Bob Foglia]

Awhile back I saw a post that linked to an article regarding the questions you should ask a prospective Accountant/CPA/Enrolled Agent before hiring them... I'm looking for tax help and would love to see that list. Does anyone have that info handy?

Thanks in advance.

Bob

[Michael McLeskey]

I don't have that list (nor have I seen it) unfortunately but I can provide some perspective on this.   Big picture what you are trying to figure is if you are 'sweet spot' client for this firm or CPA.  If you are a 'sweet spot' client there is a more likely probability that you'll get value out of the services you want.  Firms come in different shapes, sizes, and specialties and are often best suited to handle a certain type of client.  Some firms focus on individuals, some small business and some in specialty areas.  Some firms are compliance driven (file what needs to be filed and are more reactive) while others spend a lot of time on strategy.  Plan to pay more if you are looking for strategy on a regular basis.  That requires more expertise and creativity than just pumping out a tax return based on what already happened.  With that said it wouldn't be a bad idea to determine the following when evaluating a CPA firm: 1.  What is their ideal client? 2.  Do they have a minimum fee?  3. Who will you be working with primarily?   There's no silver bullet to this - sometimes even getting a referral can backfire - but all of those things should help in your search.