Tax season 2023: IRS warns of questionable tax preparers ahead of tax filing deadline
Asher Notheis
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With the end of this year’s tax deadline in sight, the Internal Revenue Service has increased its warnings regarding scams targeting taxpayers, this time with its latest alert on “unscrupulous” tax return preparers.
When dealing with these types of tax preparers, taxpayers should keep their eyes peeled for any potential warning signs, which include preparers charging taxpayers a fee based on the size of their refund and “ghost” preparers refusing to sign the tax return or asking taxpayers to sign a blank return. To ensure one’s information is secure, a person should rely on a trusted tax professional with their taxes, the IRS advised Monday.
TAX SEASON 2023: MISTAKES TO STEER CLEAR OF TO AVOID BEING AUDITED BY THE IRS
“Most tax professionals offer excellent advice and can really help people navigate complex tax issues,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “But we continue to see instances where taxpayers are ‘ghosted’ by unscrupulous tax preparers with bad advice who quickly disappear. We encourage taxpayers to check out the tools and resources available to them to ensure they find the right tax professional for their needs.”
When choosing a tax preparer this year, taxpayers should check several things before selecting who will prepare their taxes, including if the professional has an IRS preparer tax identification number, which is required for them to prepare taxes. Ultimately, the best tax preparer comes down to what the taxpayer needs and should be selected on a case-by-case basis.
This latest warning from the IRS is a continuation of its “Dirty Dozen” series that it has been doing to warn taxpayers of scams that proliferate during tax season. Previous warnings by the IRS in this series include warnings of phishing emails and scammers offering “help” to set up an online IRS account.
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Federal tax returns are due by April 18 this year. This deadline also applies to filing for an extension to file one’s taxes.
More information on the tax scams the IRS has warned about can be found on the IRS’s website.