I have done both. Last year was the first year that I used a tax preparer and he was great. He was able to find deducables that I never found by filing online (that was probably because I never paid to upgrade my software addition, which you can do for around $15 and it shows you everything that you can deduct). He charged me about $100 to prepare everything, and I had the option to get a 24 hour refund (which cost about $250) or to wait the 9-16 business days. I think I'm gonna do it online this year though, just pay to be able to deduct everything I need to, and file online (saves you paying someone to prepare everything!). I don't think they offer a 24 hour return, but I know it goes quicker if you have them deposit it right into your bank account, rather than waiting for the I.R.S. check to arrive snail mail. Oh, and I use TaxAct, it works great. |