Tax Filing - Do I Need a CPA or Not - DM 101
- noemedagatan
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
Do I need a CPA to do my taxes? Hey, it's Jon from Financial MD and welcome to today's Didactic Minute.
This is a question we get a ton. Yesterday, I was doing a lecture at Henry Ford Hospital. We've had clients ask this all the time. It's tax season right now. So, what is the answer to the question? Do I need a CPA or can I do my taxes myself?
You may assume that I might be biased; as a financial planner, I'm going to suggest, “Hey, other professionals, get a CPA, get an attorney,” which I often do, but this has to be a question that you answer for yourself.
Number one, is TurboTax, or whatever platform I'm using to do it myself, is it asking me all the right questions? That's a hard one, because we don't know, but it might be. Your situation may be simple enough. But I would suggest you don't do it just to save a few bucks. Your situation may be complex enough where you need a CPA and here's what a CPA does: It gives you that peace of mind. It's like paying for insurance. It's kind of insurance saying, hey, I can kind of put that blame on somebody else to say they're taking care of it. They've looked at everything. They thought through various scenarios. They know my situation. They've asked all the right questions. Can you say that about TurboTax? No, not necessarily. And so you've got to ask yourself what's going to help you sleep better at night, what's going to give you that peace of mind to say, “My situation is good enough for TurboTax,” or say, “I would feel better and have some more peace of mind if I've got a CPA looking things over.”
So, ask yourself that question; the answer will determine which way you need to go. Reach out to us if you have questions, if something pops up, or if you want some CPA recommendations, we can always give that too.
Again, it's Jon from Financial MD, we'll see you next time.
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