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Hiring an Accountant in Billings, Montana

Taxes3-300x224When it comes time to do your taxes, you have a lot of different choices. Some will choose to do their taxes on their own, others will go to a seasonal tax preparer, and still others will seek out an accountant in Billings, Montana. If you have not completed your taxes yet, here are the pros and cons of each method of tax preparation.

 

 

 

 

Choosing an Accountant in Billings, Montana

An accountant in Billings, Montana is always going to be your best bet for the most accurate information. We are on the job all year round. They are constantly learning about the latest tax laws, reading the latest tax books, and taking classes and attending seminars. Your accountant in Billings, Montana will be there for you not matter what time of year it is.

The pitfall of many accountants is that during tax season they are extremely busy. Because they are so busy, there are a number of them that raise their rates to make it more worth their time. This means that often an accountant in Billings, Montana will be more expensive than choosing one of the other methods. However, at Practical Taxes we don’t want to use you. We keep our rates low; in fact often lower than most of the seasonal preparers.

Choosing a Seasonal Tax Preparer in Billings, Montana

The biggest perk of using a seasonal tax preparer in Billings, Montana is there are a lot of them. They can file hundreds of returns every day because they have so many people working for them. Often you get in and out quickly, and they are generally cheaper than most of the accountants in Billings, Montana (see the caveat above).

The downsides, however, are big. These are usually not tax professionals. They have some basic finance training, but they have not devoted their career and life to learning about taxes. They are on the job for a few months out of the year, so if questions arise later, you have trouble getting in touch with them. Your visit with a seasonal tax preparer can end up taking longer than expected because they are not well versed in tax laws and filing requirements.

Choosing to Do Your Taxes Yourself

One method that has become much more popular over the years is doing your taxes on your own. With the fancy software advancements, programs like TurboTax have snatched up a huge market share. With good reason, they are incredibly cheap. The software is easy to use and cheap to buy (in fact if you have a basic return you don’t even have to pay for it).

The downside to doing your taxes yourself is that you have to go through every single step to make sure nothing is missed. That means several hours of your time is spent plugging in numbers, checking, double checking, and then wondering if you did everything right.

Choosing an Accountant in Billings, Montana

There are three basic methods to completing your taxes. If you have a simple return, then using a program and doing your taxes yourself is a great method to save some money. However, if you want to make sure that your deductions are maximized, then using an accountant in Billings, Montana is your best bet. If you are already taking the time to use a seasonal tax preparer, then you might as well choose Practical Taxes. You will be surprised at how affordable we are, and you will be in and out faster than if you choose a seasonal preparer.

Here at Practical Taxes we do more than just prepare taxes. We can help with all of your accounting, payroll, and business planning needs.

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