Credentials and standing
- What is your PTIN, and will you sign my return? The only acceptable answer is yes, with a number.
- Which credential do you hold — CRTP, CPA, EA or attorney? Then verify it yourself rather than taking their word for it.
- How long have you been preparing returns, and how many like mine do you do a year? Relevant experience beats raw years.
- Who actually prepares my return? At larger firms the person selling is often not the person preparing.
Fees
- How is your fee calculated? Flat fee per form, hourly, or a single quoted price are all fine.
- Is your fee tied to the size of my refund? It should not be — see warning signs.
- What is not included? State returns, extra schedules, amendments and audit support are often priced separately.
- What do you charge to fix an error that was yours? A confident preparer has a clear answer.
Process and what happens afterwards
- Where is my refund deposited? Into your account. Never theirs. This is not negotiable.
- Will you give me a complete copy of the filed return? Yes, every time.
- If I get a letter from the IRS or the FTB, what do you do? Find out whether help is included, extra, or not offered.
- How do you handle my documents and data? Ask about secure upload rather than emailing your Social Security number around.
Before you sign anything: read the return, or at least the income and refund figures and the bank details. You are legally responsible for what is on it, even when someone else prepared it and got it wrong.