When to Hire a Tax Pro: The Age Most Americans Switch to a CPA

birthday cupcake with a question mark candle — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Paying taxes may be the last thing on your mind as you head into a busy season of turkey, stuffing, and televised football. You may even feel tempted to hand over your income return to a professional before tax season begins. And according to a new survey, that’s not a surprise.

Market research company, Talker Research, recently found that, at a certain stage in life, more than a third of taxpayers are “happy to just let professionals handle their taxes for them,” citing that finances may get “too complicated the more you age.”*

Age aside, there are several circumstances when professional tax assistance could be beneficial, like when you’re trying to navigate complex rules surrounding foreign-earned income or cryptocurrency investments. Yet there are situations where you may not benefit from hiring a tax preparer. Here’s more of what to know.

From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance

Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just ~~$107.88~~ $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues

CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/y99mlvgqmn1763972420.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

*The Talker Research survey was commissioned by TaxSlayer Pro, conducted online, and surveyed 2,000 U.S. taxpayers.

When to hire a tax professional for filing taxes

The Talker survey found that the “average American” turns to professional tax help by age 29 for a variety of reasons:

Investments. About 23% turn to professionals before 30 because they’ve begun investing.
Bandwidth. Almost one-quarter of respondents say they don’t have the time to handle their own taxes.
Life events. At least 20% of “younger” taxpayers look for a tax professional after getting married, and 15% opt for a tax preparer after buying a home.

“For many Americans, big life milestones like getting married or buying a home can make filing taxes start to feel overwhelming,” said Richard Marshall, Director of Sales at TaxSlayer Pro, in the survey’s press release. Research shows the average marriage age for men is around 30, and for women, 28. “...another motivator for people — especially this year — is when tax laws change.”

True, the big Trump/GOP tax and spending bill, also known as the “big beautiful bill,” made significant changes to tax provisions in 2025. Among other things, eligible taxpayers can now take an interest loan deduction for some cars, potentially claim a higher deduction for state and local taxes, and deduct tips and overtime pay on their federal income returns.

But do concerns about missed opportunities justify hiring a tax professional? Well, that depends on whether you have a complicated tax situation, regardless of age.

Are tax preparers worth the cost?

A tax preparer can be valuable when your financial situation is “complex.” Here are a couple of scenarios where attempting to manage your taxes without professional help could be complicated:

If you have several sources of income. Over 25% of Americans surveyed by Talker had multiple sources of income (this may include gig work, rental income, etc.). Several revenue streams can complicate the tax filing process, as different tax rules may apply to each additional source.
If you own a business. Almost half of self-employed taxpayers surveyed said they have consulted with tax preparers about how to manage business taxes. Business tax laws can present significant compliance issues or unique record-keeping challenges compared to individual income tax returns.

Tax compliance is a key issue when your income tax return is complicated. The North Carolina Association of CPAs found that an average IRS “mail” audit led to $6,000 in additional taxes for taxpayers. And in-person IRS audits averaged a whopping $21,000 to $22,000 in unexpected taxes.

Hiring a tax professional may help you avoid the risk of an IRS audit, thereby possibly saving you money. The cost of outsourcing your taxes fluctuates based on the number of hours your tax preparer spends and/or how many tax forms you need filed. The typical fee for a tax preparer, like a CPA, can range from $200 to over $2,500 for one income return.

However, you should steer clear of a “one size fits all” approach. As reported by Kiplinger, less than 1% of all individual tax returns have been audited in recent years, so not everyone is at risk of a costly mistake. You may opt for software to file your taxes instead if your tax situation is simple. For instance, some taxpayers use IRS Free File each year, while millions were eligible for Direct File last year.

Choosing between a CPA and DIY tax software

At least 60% of taxpayers surveyed by Talker said they still file their own taxes — so if you’re one of them, you're not alone. You may be able to skip the professional and do your own tax filing if you fall into at least two of the following categories:

Claim the standard deduction. IRS data show that about 90% of taxpayers choose the standard deduction over itemizing. This means you wouldn’t use your itemized receipts for medical expenses, charitable contributions, etc., for income tax purposes.
Only have one or two W-2s. Even if you’ve changed jobs in the last year, you may not need a professional’s help. (But residing in two or more states might make your tax reporting more difficult.)
You don’t have a business, rental properties, or tricky investment income. Significant or complex investments may warrant a tax professional’s help (e.g., cryptocurrency investing or investments that require you to pay net investment income tax).

If you meet none or only one of these criteria, you may wish to consult a qualified tax preparer, like a CPA. But in reality, your comfort level with taxes and the complexity of your situation dictates whether you need a tax professional.

Also, tax situations change. Reevaluate every year whether you would like a professional’s help. After all, more than half of do-it-yourself taxpayers from the Talker survey admitted they’d use a tax preparer if their situation got more complicated in the future. Although there’s no perfect “age” to hand over your taxes to a professional preparer, there’s certainly a perfect time to start tax planning: Now.

TOPICS

Kate is a CPA with experience in audit and technology. As a Tax Writer at Kiplinger, Kate believes that tax and finance news should meet people where they are today, across cultural, educational, and disciplinary backgrounds.