We’ve filed through Turbo Tax for years, and we like them. However, we’re at the stage where I sometimes have questions on more complex issues and I want to talk to a real tax expert.
Can I get piecemeal tax advice from someone if I don’t actually file my taxes through them?
Probably. Fixing taxpayer mistakes is a common job :). Though consider that they cannot access Turbo Tax data, so billable hours may be higher than if they already did your taxes in the first place.
Also check if you can get some advice from Turbo Tax. I think it depends on what tier you paid for, but they have forums (fora) and such.
You will probably also have a much higher chance of getting a response *after * April 17.
Thanks. It wouldn’t be necessary that they access Turbo Tax; I just have some general questions about new-to-me tax strategies and I need to pick someone’s brain.
Good point about the level of service/tier thing. I’ll look into that.
The question is going to be about back-door Roth conversion, BTW. There’s already a thread going on which brings up this subject, but there are so many people contributing and going off-point that I feel more confused than ever. Maybe a one-on-one conversation with a real tax person will help me to understand.
IRA conversion is something that I agree might be a good idea to talk to a pro, then.
H&R block did it for $120 consultation fee, which they walk you through their filling process as well with the hope that you will file through them, at the end having them filling was declined and a $120 fee was charged for the tax advice.
I recall a major tax prep chain advertising this very service on TV. File your taxes with turbo tax, then take it to them to review. They will amend it if they can find you more money.
Edit: yep, H&R Block Second Look, they’ll go back three years too!
Yeah, there’s a service, ingenio.com, where you pay by the minute to talk to someone to get tax advice.
There are profiles of the advisors and you can find ones that match the background of what you need. I have used this service in the past. Usually I end up spending $20.00 on average to ask a question over the phone to a tax expert. The other part about this I like, is you are completely anonymous. There is no reason to give these people your name, they don’t have your phone number, so there is no concern of them spamming you later on.