Tax fraud can be a big deal and usually tax professionals are involved. The IRS website has a great guide for how to choose a tax professional. If you choose based on their guidelines you’re much more likely to get avoid anything related to tax fraud!
There are three basic steps.
- What type of tax pro do you need? Did you commit tax fraud? Did you deceive and scam the government out of money? Are you just a regular Joe looking for CPA help?
- Check their info. Tax professionals are all regulated. If they don’t have the proper tax credentials, run away! There are also many tax associations that do due diligence on their members.
- Verify availability. Taxes are generally due April 15th. If your tax prep pro is too busy you could need to file an extension for no other reason than your tax professional has too much going on. If that is your situation you need to decide if that individual is worth the wait.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a tax professional. These are a few tips from Ian Leaf that should help avoid tax fraud and keep you scam free!