August is a wrong time to be looking for CPAs

[Michael Plaks]

Somehow, 6 out of the 10 most recent posts on this forum today are all looking for CPAs. 

Now. In August.

Guys, this is like looking for a caterer on Thanksgiving or looking for a beach AirBnB the week before Spring Break.

I understand that you were too busy to do it earlier. Please understand that now most of us are too busy to take you as a new client. You might get lucky, but most of the more established and experienced tax people are fully booked by now. 

Yes, there's still a few weeks left before the extended IRS deadline of October 15th. Except that investors' tax returns take time to prepare, and we accountants have to first finish the work that was submitted to us earlier. For a lot of us it means no room left for new work, sorry.

If you cannot find good help now, it may be best to avoid hiring the untested people just because they happen to be available. Doing the job wrong can cost you more in the end, just like when hiring the cheapest or the first available contractor for your rehab.

Here is what happens if you miss the October 15th IRS deadline. If you end up with a refund - pretty much nothing bad happens. The IRS penalties are figured off of the amount you owe them. If you owe them nothing - there should be no penalties. If you end up owing the IRS - then missing the deadline will indeed cost you extra in IRS penalties and interest. However, filing an incorrect tax return can cost you even more, especially if you later have to redo it or if it is audited by the IRS.

Also, if you have not filed an extension in April - you're already late anyway, so the October 15th deadline does not change the game all that much for you.

In short, you may want to consider missing the October 15th deadline and having a competent accountant do the job after the deadline if your only alternative is filing a poorly prepared return.

Important caveat: missing the IRS deadline technically puts you in non-compliance with the IRS, even if you get a refund in the end. It can potentially cause problems with your immigration status, with your professional licenses if you're an attorney or an accountant, or with the IRS if you owe them money from prior years. 

Another important caveat: for partnerships and S-corporations, the extended IRS deadline is September 15th, a month earlier. Missing this deadline does trigger harsh penalties of $200 per month per partner, so missing this deadline is much riskier.