I’m a nonresident alien and it’s my first year earning income here – barely $20k, part of it as a freelancer – so my situation is pretty complicated: Long 1040NR, 8843, schedule C, tax treaties… not to mention an 843 I need to turn in. And no software supports NR filing with all its nuances.
But I’m a stubborn autodidact… after 30 hours or so of tax immersion, I’m done preparing everything, but mostly fear the unknown: what if I missed something small, or big? Some people tell me not to worry, others tell me IRS horror stories… and considering my income, I don’t wanna spend hundreds of $’s on an accountant!
H&R’s “second look” service seems just like what I need… for $30 they verify your return. Can I trust them? Yahoo Answers is full with unsatisfied customers. Am I better off shelling out another $40, to get their audit&penalty guarantee?
Liz, thanks for the careless and irrelevant advertising… taxslayer, like any other software, doesn’t do NR taxes.
Due to the amount of money that you made the likely hood of the IRS doing an Audit would be very slim. HR Block is really expensive.
tax pro
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Man I wouldn’t do H&R at all.
I have used TAXSLAYER.com for several years now & love them. Because I’m military or was, it was free but their rates are like $10 or $20 that’s it! …so worth it.
http://www.taxslayer.com
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I wouldn’t take any kind of complex return to a storefront mill. Ever. And NRA returns are some of the most complicated returns going. The typical Block, Hewitt or Liberty “tax pro” would be clueless.
The truth is that with your 30 hours of immersion, you probably know more about NRA returns now than any 50 Block employees — and that includes the more experienced staffers a that.
If you want a review you’ll have to seek out a CPA or EA who specializes in NRA matters. Folks with that specialty tend to cluster where the work is, around schools with large international student populations and in major cities.
An EA would probably be a better bet than trying to cold-call large numbers of CPAs though, and you should be able to get a direct line to one fairly quickly through the National Association of Enrolled Agents website at http://www.naea.org/MemberPortal/ . Do be prepared for some expense, especially this late in the season, though an EA would generally be less costly than a CPA.
And don’t be too terrified with the IRS. With $20k in income you’re not a “big fish” to the IRS. If your numbers are reasonable and there are no glaring errors or mis-statements of fact on your return it should proceed through without issue.
http://www.taxslayer.com
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It’s unlikely anyone at Block has someone qualified enough. You can call to see if your branch staffs an Enrolled Agent but only a handful do. If you are really that concerned you’ll have to spend the money and go elsewhere. It sounds to me like you have a pretty good handle on what you’re doing and you must have taken the time to read the irs publications relevant to your situation. Maybe you’re a little too worried.
http://www.taxslayer.com
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Its not only HRB that offers this service. Turbotax also offers this.
Besides there are several online tax filing companies too.
http://www.qcktax.com/online-tax-websites.php
http://www.taxslayer.com
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