"Tax Preparers Near Me"? There's a Better Way to Find a Tax Professional

Here are 5 tips for weeding out the fly-by-night tax preparers and zeroing in on the best tax professionals in your area.

picture of tax form line where preparer signs
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The easiest way to find a local tax return preparer is to search online for "tax preparers near me" and randomly pick someone from the list. But that's certainly not the best way. If you want a tax professional who's qualified, honest and reliable, you need to put in a little more work.

So, how do you go about choosing the right person to prepare your tax return? It's really not that hard. Following these 5 tips for picking a tax preparer will help you weed out the fly-by-night preparers and zero in on the best tax professionals in your area. With a little bit of time and a few targeted questions, you can find a competent and dependable preparer to complete and file your return.

Rocky Mengle
Senior Tax Editor, Kiplinger.com

Rocky was a Senior Tax Editor for Kiplinger from October 2018 to January 2023. He has more than 20 years of experience covering federal and state tax developments. Before coming to Kiplinger, he worked for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting and Kleinrock Publishing, where he provided breaking news and guidance for CPAs, tax attorneys, and other tax professionals. He has also been quoted as an expert by USA Today, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Reuters, Accounting Today, and other media outlets. Rocky has a law degree from the University of Connecticut and a B.A. in History from Salisbury University.