5 Things that Suggest You Need an Accountant

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I was thinking today that usually we think of the school year as being the busiest time of year but then summer rolls around and somehow we find ourselves even busier! Does that happen to you? I have finally concluded that in general, life is just busy! One particular time of year is when we need to files our taxes. It comes around every year, shortly after the holidays, but just before the end of the school year and somehow life always seems even busier! It comes right around state testing time too. Doing your own taxes can take hours and hours to do and there comes a point when either you are too busy or your taxes are just too complicated and you need to hire an accountant. Or maybe you just don’t have a clue what to do! Here are 5 things that suggest you need an accountant:

1. You have NO idea how to do tax returns. – Yep, this was my problem when I first graduated from college. What college student does their own tax returns? I certainly hadn’t! In fact I know older people who have never done their own tax returns and need help filing every year. If you’ve never done your own tax returns and you don’t have someone to ask questions to you may want to consider having someone else do them for you.

2. You have started a new business. – Just in the past few years of blogging I have had to claim taxes of course on any compensation that I make blogging. Do you have any idea how long it takes me to sift through receipts, expenses, income and deductions for my blog when it comes to tax time? UGH! It’s not like your “average” job where you get one or two paychecks a month. I have numerous forms by the end of the year with multiple checks a month coming from different places each month based on which campaigns I’ve worked on. It can get pretty confusing and tedious to have to sift through everything. If you are delving into a new business you very well might need someone to help you do your taxes.

3. You are having  problems with your computer. – This has got to be one of the most frustrating things EVER. And not just during tax season (although that makes things infinitely worse!) but anytime I have computer problems I just go batty. You would think with all of our technology now that they could prevent so many issues! Anyway, sometimes things just happen and you need to get your taxes done and right away!

4. You just moved out of state. – Trust me – we’ve learned this the hard way….more than once! Sometimes moving out of state can be VERY tricky – especially if you have a house or property in the state that you moved from and are renting it!

5. You are just plain too busy. – Not all of us have time or the desire to do our own taxes. There are a lot of pros to hiring someone to do your taxes for you although of course there is a fee. A professional accountant of course has more experience doing taxes and can not only ensure that your taxes are filed accurately but can many times save you money on deductions you may not have known about.

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