Posted by pat/WA on 1/7/13 12:53pm
Msg #449330

Income tax time

Our CPA has just informed us that he is retiring. I need a recommendation for an accountant in Washington State, preferably western Washington State, to do our taxes. I will appreciate any recommendations I receive.

Do you use tax preparers or CPA's ?

Reply by Les_CO on 1/7/13 2:29pm
Msg #449335

I use a cpa/attorney....he tells me..."Taxes are now easy, just take your total gross income, quadruple it and send it in. Then double that for 2013. Don’t worry it won’t even make a small dent in the debt."

Reply by desktopfull on 1/7/13 2:37pm
Msg #449337

Great sense of humor! n/m

Reply by pat/WA on 1/7/13 3:00pm
Msg #449339

Re: Great sense of humor!

I need a recomendation for a cpa/tax preparer in western Washington?
thanks for your help

Reply by Les_CO on 1/7/13 3:09pm
Msg #449340

Re: Great sense of humor!

My guy is good, but that’s not any help to you. Try: http://www.wscpa.org/content/home.aspx

Reply by Les_CO on 1/7/13 3:10pm
Msg #449341

Re: Great sense of humor!

Why no one is is laughing? My friendly IRS agent is now at my MD’s office? But I’m a dinosaur, that is slowly coming around to the new way of thinking. For many years I thought it my patriotic duty to pay my fair share of taxes and I did. I’m now seeing the error in my ways, I what to be like Al Gore, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama’s I want to get more FROM the Government than I pay IN. Today get little a from SS, but I pay in less (not counting property/sales tax) Thanks DIA tax free Municipal Bonds! But I still don’t know how to get that free phone? Anyone know? I need that.

Reply by HisHughness on 1/7/13 3:23pm
Msg #449343

Re: Great sense of humor!

I note that all those named are Democrats. So what we have once again is a conservative who does not think the rules of the forum apply to him, that anything slamming progressive is okay anywhere in any forum of Notary Rotary.

Reply by jba/fl on 1/7/13 3:26pm
Msg #449345

Oh, oh - forum police, forum police out in force. n/m

Reply by HisHughness on 1/7/13 4:48pm
Msg #449363

Conservative applause section in full clap n/m

Reply by bagger on 1/8/13 7:11am
Msg #449399

Take it over to JP>>>>>

As in Just Progressives.

Reply by Les_CO on 1/7/13 5:03pm
Msg #449366

Re: Great sense of humor!

I apologize for some of the content of my last post….Long story, I was trying to edit, and somehow sent, then could not send edited version?? So there are mucho typo/grammatical mistakes. Sorry!! I was also trying to inject some humor, but yet again I failed, and apologize for the attempt. As for Hugh…I personally believe that only a very few in the Senate, or the Congress, or our Government today have the best interests of those they represent at heart. I believe that their only interests are in their personal gains. My last response was un-researched, but I’m sure there are many Republicans that also fit this criteria, I just stated a few glaring examples of hypocrisy that came immediately to mind.JMO

Reply by JanetK_CA on 1/7/13 3:53pm
Msg #449349

Les, you know this is inappropriate here; s/b in JP ;>) n/m

Reply by jba/fl on 1/7/13 3:25pm
Msg #449344

There are a couple of people here who do taxes - why not scan everything and send to them? I'm sure someone could help you.

As for the rest - you aren't really defining western WA - not exactly a small state there. Perhaps Google will be your friend? Asking others from all over the US is really not the best way I would think.....Did you think to ask your guy who he might recommend now that he is leaving the business? He may have a better grasp than we.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 1/7/13 3:34pm
Msg #449346

Aww, c'mon now, jba!

Where's the fun in being sensible???

Reply by Jessica Ward on 1/7/13 3:58pm
Msg #449352

Pat, I use Dwight Littlefield, formerly of Yelm, but I think he just moved his office to Olympia. I'll PM you his info. He's a helluva long drive for me, but I really like working with him.

Reply by Philip Johnson on 1/7/13 4:27pm
Msg #449356

Paying taxes are for little people, way overrated. n/m

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 1/7/13 4:55pm
Msg #449365

Yes, Leona, I hear you! LOL! n/m

Reply by JulieD/KS on 1/8/13 8:56pm
Msg #449509

Find an EA

For your edification:
Using a CPA for tax preparation is not the smartest thing to do.
CPAs tend to charge three times as much for tax preparation....take three times as long....and they typically don't do as good a job.

An EA is the person you want to go to for tax preparation. A CPA has little to no continuing education requirement in tax. A CPA is an ACCOUNTANT first and foremost. People think because they work with numbers, it's all one & the same. It's not.

Taxes and accounting are completely separate functions. You wouldn't ask a plumber to do your electrical work, would you?

An EA (Enrolled Agent) is a federally authorized tax professional. A tax expert. An EA is required to have 72 continuing education credits each three years, and if the EA is a member of NAEA, the requirement is 30 CEUs each YEAR in tax.

An EA can represent you before all levels of the IRS. If you get a letter from the IRS, an EA can handle it. An EA can represent you, just as a tax attorney or a CPA can. The difference is, the IRS has more respect for EAs because we tend to be less arrogant.

There is a new designation for tax preparers called RTRP (registered tax return preparer). This designation was created to protect taxpayers from people who hang out a shingle but really have no clue what they are doing. Having a RTRP designation shows that a person has the MINIMUM required knowledge. They take one test, and it is an open-book test. They are required to have 15 CEUs in tax per year.

An EA, on the other, has demonstrated maximum competancy by passing three closed-book tests. We are required to have 72 CEUs each three years.

So, when choosing a tax professional, my recommendation to you is: Find an EA.
If you can't find one or choose to not use one, then in the very least, ask the tax professional that you use how much continuing education in TAX they get each year. Ask to see their CEU certificates.
Taxes are complicated....find someone who knows what she is doing. You will be very glad you did.
Julie B. Dailey, EA (I've got 68 CEUs in tax for 2012)
juliestaxservice.com