There are many advantages to hiring a tax professional. These include understanding the financial contexts that may present you with deductions off tax returns, as well as ensuring that all your obligations are handled well. As such, none of us can afford the risks that come with hiring a questionable preparer or accountant. The wrong choice may expose us to more than just penalties, and end up wasting our time and faith.

There are signals that a less-than-ideal choice presents, and they all point to the wisdom of looking elsewhere. Some of them are:

Absence of certifications.Tax professionals must be certified by the regulating bodies in Western Australia for them to offer their services. Ask your tax person for his or her training and education, associations and affiliations, and regulatory commission memberships.

Over-the-top claims. A tax professional that promises refunds – without even having any preliminary idea of your financial situation – is best avoided. While the legal system accommodates many chances for deductions off your payables, there are no guarantees that you are privy to them – and your preparer must not tell you that before you even had a chance to show him or her your numbers.

Unsatisfied clients. History can always be traced, whether it is good or bad. Check your tax professional’s previous dealings, and – whenever you can, talk to previous clients. Unhappy ones can hold up warning flags that you will be wise to pay attention to, especially if their situation is similar to yours.

The good news is, there are a lot of good tax professionals – like the staff employed by ITP Western Australia (WA) Regional. Certified, ethical, and trustworthy, these preparers and accountants abide by the established rules in delivering their services. In this way, you do not have to worry about the legality of the solutions that you are receiving. More importantly, when you get deductions or refunds, you can trust in the fact that they were acquired by analysing the right taxation clauses, and going through the proper channels.

A good rule of thumb before hiring a tax professional, though, is to request a free initial consultation. This will be ideal for communicating your needs and requirements, and seeing how your potential tax person hopes to address each one of them. Also, you acquire an understanding of his or her practices, which will help you make a more informed decision as to whether you should be entrusting your financial documents to him or her.