Skylar Dubrow CPA On Reclaiming Control Over Your Taxes
April 28, 2014
Skylar Dubrow, CPA
Blog
April 28, 2014Skylar Dubrow, CPABlog
Ahhh, spring in Thousand Oaks.
When the temps are rising, and the trees don’t seem so desolate … and am I right that the angle of the sun is a bit less harsh?
Or maybe it’s just because tax season has finished and I’m getting more sleep? 🙂 (Team Dubrow CPA probably thinks so!)
Well, speaking of which … a fair number of our Thousand Oaks tax preparation clients were graciously invited to send their final “investment” to the IRS (and the state) a couple weeks ago.
And some of our Thousand Oaks tax preparation clients also received (or will be receiving) a payment from the Treasury, as a sort of “thanks for letting us have your money for a year!” gesture. No interest paid out, of course.
Both of these circumstances are problematic in their own way.
In the following weeks, I’ll be sharing with you how you can fix that — but one of the first (and often overlooked) methods is … well, allow me to elaborate in my Note.
Skylar Dubrow CPA On Reclaiming Control Over Your Taxes
“Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
Our Thousand Oaks tax preparation clients who filed with us this year already feel the peace-of-mind that you were able to claim every possible deduction which is legally allowed in the tax code for 2013. After all, we put each return through an extensive review process to ensure you keep as much of your hard-earned income as the IRS allows.
But what about your Thousand Oaks friends? And what about your previous years?
Well, since the filing deadline is already upon us, they (and you) might think that the proverbial “fat lady” has sung on 2013 returns (and 2012 and 2011). Not so.
Because according to the most recent report on the matter, issued by the General Accounting Office, taxpayers overpay the IRS almost $1 billion every year due to incorrect itemization and preparation.
What’s worse is that those who prepared their own taxes (with a software or on their own) are the most vulnerable, according to the report. But did you also know that taxpayers who used one of the “big chain” preparers (which can be found around the Thousand Oaks area) are almost as bad off?
An excerpt from an additional report from the GAO: In a Limited Study, Chain Preparers Made Serious Errors
In GAO (United States “Government Accountability Office”) visits to chain preparers, paid preparers often prepared returns that were incorrect, with tax consequences that were sometimes significant. Some of the most serious problems involved these preparers…
1. Not reporting business income in 10 of 19 cases;
2. Failing to take the most advantageous post-secondary education tax benefit in 3 out of the 9 applicable cases; and
3. Failing to itemize deductions at all or failing to claim all available deductions in 7 out of the 9 applicable cases.
More clippings from the report:
* The 19 paid preparers we visited arrived at the correct refund amount only twice. On 5 returns, all for the plumber, they understated our refund amount by a total of $3,465.
* All 19 of our visits to tax return preparers affiliated with chains showed problems. Nearly all of the returns prepared for us were incorrect to some degree, and several of the preparers gave us very bad tax advice, particularly when it came to reporting non-W-2 business income. Only 2 of 19 tax returns showed the correct refund amount, and in both of those visits the paid preparer made mistakes that did not affect the final refund amount.
So what can your friends do about this? And what could YOU do about it, if you didn’t have us handle your taxes in prior years? Simple: file an “Amended” Return.
Many tax businesses don’t provide this service, but even though we’ve completed our clients’ returns, we WILL review any of your friends’ returns — at no charge.
See the below special message, for more details…
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“No Charge” Return Review Special Gift Certificate
As a complimentary service this year, we will provide a Return Review To Any Non-Client. We will also review prior year returns from clients who did NOT have us handle their taxes during the year under question. No charge will be made, unless we have to file an amended return. Email our office or call (818) 889-7285 to set up this complimentary service!
Deadline May 9th
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To more of your money in your wallet!
Skylar Dubrow CPA
(818) 889-7285
Preparing a correct and accurate tax return is our priority. We proudly stand behind our work and if a mistake does happen that is our fault, we will immediate correct the mistake and gladly refund your money if requested.
If any penalties or interest are incurred due to our mistake, we will do everything we can to fix the problem and cover any penalties should they arise.
We feel so confident in our processes to account for all deductions and uncover hidden deductions that we guarantee that you will pay the lowest amount of taxes legally possible. We spend a good amount of time correcting and fixing other so called tax pros mistakes and oversights.
We are so committed to giving out clients the best service. We do this by taking thte time to understand our clients situation and asking the right questions to make sure every deduction is accounted for. And remember we work for you, NOT the IRS.
Not only do we prepare an accurate tax return, we will inform you of tax saving strategies and best record keeping practices should we see fit.
Starting January 1, 2017, all our returns come with our “Silver” Stress Free Audit Insurance, FREE with paid tax preparation. Our Silver package includes our full support when handling IRS and State Notices for the 2016 tax year. If you receive a notice, send it to us and we will work with you to organize the required documentation and we will respond to the IRS on your behalf.
“Many tax experts are predicting an increase in IRS audits (because of the system automation), as well as an increase in audits by the state”
Our Gold Package adds our representation for an actual IRS audit for the current year. Whether it be an “audit by mail”, or an actual audit at one of the IRS locations, we will work with you to compile all the necessary documentation and represent you in front of the IRS for no additional charge. Our fees to represent our clients in an audit scenario can range from $1000- $2500 & up depending on time and complexities.
Our Gold option is an optional add on service & not included with regular tax preparation. Gold protection covers the current tax year only regardless of when you get audited.
The IRS and state authorities are behind in auditing tax returns and matching reporting documents to tax returns.They are currently working on 2012 & 2013 years.
Our Platinum level package covers you for a period of 7 years. It Is just like our Gold package, but it includes the currtent year and 6 prior years. We will provide audit coverage for prior years tax returns, even if we did not prepare them.
How is that for taking care of our clients! Once the Platinum level package is purchased, only the gold level will be required in future years as the previous years have been protected by the one time Platinum purchase.
