Dear Friend,

As we get ready for tax filing season, it is important to avoid tax scams and pick a tax return preparer with the skills, education, and expertise to prepare your tax form properly. There are many types of tax preparers, such as certified public accountants (CPAs), enrolled agents, attorneys, and others. With many options out there, I wanted to share some tips to help you choose a reputable tax preparer: 

Before you hire a tax preparer:

• Check the preparer’s history with the Better Business Bureau. You can also verify an enrolled agent’s status on IRS.gov.  
• Ask about fees. Avoid tax preparers who base their fees on a percentage of the refund or who offer to deposit all or part of their refund into their financial accounts.  
• It may be a red flag if the preparer claims they can get larger refunds than other tax preparers. 
• Ask if the preparer plans to use e-file. The fastest way to get a tax refund is by e-filing and choosing direct deposit.  
• Choose a firm or individual with a track record. Preparers may need to answer questions about the tax return months or even years later. 
• Ensure the preparer signs the tax return and includes their Preparer Tax Identification Number. Paid tax return preparers must have a PTIN and include it on any tax return they prepare. 
• Consider the person's credentials. Only attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in tax matters. Other tax return preparers who participate in the IRS Annual Filing Season Program have limited practice rights to represent taxpayers during audits of returns they prepared. 

Watch out for tax preparer scams:

Tax returner preparer fraud is a common tax scam. You can find some tips from the IRS on avoiding tax preparer fraud here and you can file a complaint if you have been impacted by tax preparer misconduct here. 

As always, my office is here to help. For assistance with the IRS or any other federal agency, please contact my team by calling 856-427-7000 or visiting my website.  

Sincerely,



Donald Norcross
Member of Congress

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy