When you choose a tax advisor, you are not just choosing a contractor or service provider, you are placing all or part of your company in another professional’s hands. Here are some top tax advisor qualities to look for.
They Work from Your Perspective
As much as we’d all love for taxes to be more straightforward, they’re just not. And a good tax advisor will work to understand and create a tax prep strategy that takes your specific industry and business needs into account throughout the tax prep process.
Since most tax laws are written to explain how you can reduce your taxes, having someone who understands these laws and how they can benefit your own taxes is a must-have trait when it comes to choosing the right tax advisor for you.
One of the best ways to tell if a tax advisor is going to dive in eagerly and be committed to seeing the tax world from your business’s point of view is to ask them about their approach. If they want to know everything about you and your business, the ins and outs of your products, services, and operations, they are definitely off to the right start!
They Want to Share Their Knowledge
Gatekeeping may be a way to separate the experts from the amateurs, but this should not be a practice your tax advisor puts a lot of stock in. The eagerness to understand your situation is one-half of a coin that also includes an eagerness to educate.
Your tax advisor should feel very comfortable sharing their expertise with you. This does two things: it helps you better understand what they are doing and what your taxes will look like, and it helps the tax advisor understand where you are at from a comprehension standpoint. Why does comprehension matter? If your tax advisor can help teach you how your taxes work, it will create opportunities throughout the year for you to implement initiatives that improve your tax outlook for the future.
Availability, Availability, Availability
A phenomenal tax advisor isn’t worth much to you if you can never get in touch with them. Proactive and plentiful communication is a must. Your tax status or circumstances may change drastically year over year (looking at you, 2020), and having an advisor who has high availability and open lines of communication increases your chances of getting your taxes finished early and flawlessly.
Do You Need a Full-Service Tax Preparer or Just a Better Way to E-file?
Tax prep preferences range from “I want to input every detail myself” to “I just want to pay someone to do everything for me.” But full-service tax prep can be pricy and is often overkill for your business.
That’s why eFile360 exists – to help those businesses who need tax guidance, but don’t want to pay for a full, top-to-bottom tax pro. We are here to help you with questions and concerns, and our tax platform securely stores your 1099, 1098, ACA, and W-2 forms for auditing, e-filing, and organization. You can contact us any time and reach out with questions or concerns whenever you need us.
Sign up for a free eFile360 account to help keep your tax season stress-free!