Tax software or CPA for filling taxes

[David Lopez]

Good morning all. I am looking for tax preperation advice. I am thinking of swithing from my CPA and doing everything online. I have never prepared my own tax returns. I have never used tax online software and it looks very useful today. I am a goverment employee and I plan to retire in the next few years. For the past 11 years I have  had a home based small business & own several rental properties in diffrient states. I have built a good realationship with my CPA and asked her questions from time to time and have had no problems. With all the great information provided for free online, i have seem to have less of a need for this service. I have looked at the software options and by the time I add up all the extras (home business, out of state rentals, ECT.....) to haddle my needs, it still looks like i will still be spending over $300.00. I curently pay over $600.00 now to get my taxes completed. I basicly track all my documents and fill in the information sheet (5 to 6 hours), and email it to her. There is a few follow up emails to finish up and I am done!!  Is it worth the few hundred saved to go to onlne? I always know i have  a backup in case  of any problems. Should i try it for one year? How would by CPA feel if cancel and i end up going back next year?

Thank you,

Dave

[John Warren]

@David Lopez I personally feel like this is a bad move unless you are an accountant yourself. A CPA that knows what he/she are doing will also provide audit protection and helps you make sure you are compliant. This to me is the main reason to keep using a CPA. Also, the $600 may seem like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things it is just the cost of doing business.