Quote:
Originally Posted by Villagesgal
We always file married filing separately with both paying less this way. Taxaide will do it both ways for you to see which works out best, but they don't like to, you have to insist. Every year they tell us it's best to file married filing jointly, we tell them in our case no it isn't, they then do it married filing separately and always seem to be surprised that we are right.
So yes if you insist, they will do both ways and let you know.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
I wouldn't use a tax service that didn't determine the best way to file, even if they are free. That's their job.
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I wonder what percentage of married filers benefit from filing jointly. Apparently some do, but looking at the rules they would seem to be the exceptions. That being the case, what position should the paid preparer take?
1. The customer is always right even if they are wasting my time
2. If the customer had enough experience to make the call then they wouldn't need to pay me to fill out their taxes
3. I charge by the hour or by the return so it's no loss for me if the customer wants to pay me for twice the time or three times the number of returns
Obviously, a tax preparer won't know your special case the first time they meet you. It shouldn't be difficult to explain why you think filing separate will be more beneficial. At that point if the preparer disagrees or still refuses then it makes sense to find someone who will work with you. But, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the professional might question whether can't/won't fill out their own taxes really knows more about the tax code than he does.