What is the best way to find a good CPA (for doing tax returns) in Boston? How do I know I'm hiring a good one

You can do your taxes yourself unless you are in a complicated situation - a sole proprietorship, partnership, lot of real estate deals with depreciation, foreign taxes and regulations, own a mutual fund
- along that line. If you are not comfortable, get on the National Association of Enrolled Agents - www.naea.org - web site. Click on "Find an EA". You click what you need: whether it be corporation, partnership, domestic partnerships, small business, estates and trusts, military, international, etc.You may want to select representation. Type in Boston or Boston your zip. You can type in Taxachusetts and get a whole slew of them. Enrolled agents do not work cheap, but your taxes will be done right and they will go with you if you are audited by the IRS. Not always are they lawyers but have the power of attorney with the IRS. In your income tax situation, you may need an EA who specializes in representation. Hopefully not, as it will cost you up to 3000, but if you are 4 years behind, the IRS may charge you with fraud, willful failure to file, or both. Enrolled agents do not charge by the hour. A few charge by number of forms, Many charge by complexity of income tax return. Enrolled agents are professional tax practitioners who have technical expertise in the field of taxation, and are licensed to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service at all administrative levels. Moreover, enrolled agents are the only tax practitioners required by Federal law to maintain their expertise through continuing professional education. Tax attorneys and CPA's used to have that requirement, but lobbied and no longer are required. It was too hard for them to pass the EA examination and to maintain their
EA certification through continuing professional education. A CPA is useless to you unless that CPA is an Enrolled Agent. Note all the scandals.
Ignore any and all answers that recommend the "fast food" of income tax preparation. Block has very few enrolled agents and they are restricted because block's motivation is NOT to help the client. Neither is Jackson-nitwitt. I've never even heard of an enrolled agent who has a franchise with that seasonal storefront menagerie. That outfit has no one who can do a complex return.

I had one lady come to me whom had Jackson-dimwit do her taxes. They said she owed 600 plus interest and they put penalty on her taxes. I did them and she had a refund of $900!!! And the scandals of the highway robbery refund anticipation loans have come out. Senator Schumer testified that the RALS are as high as 1700% APR.

Also, page D-3 of the April 4, 2007 the Wall Street Journal had an article about dimwit's fraudulent practices and the stock went way south. Those poor taxpayers have to pay extra tax and THE INTEREST AND PENALTY. Jackson dingbat was turning the taxpayers owing the IRS into refunds for the taxpayer and, the income tax refunds in to larger refunds in order to bleed their clients for more cash to work with for the refund anticipation loans {RAL}.

One Jackson-dilldock franchise stated on whether your baby qualifies for the Child Tax Credit if born by December 31: "A minor child has to be born six months before Tax Filing for that year" {!!}. Every enrolled agent knows that if your baby was born by 11:59PM, December 31, the parents could qualify for up to a $1000 Child Tax Credit dollar-for-dollar reducing your Federal income tax.

When my former spouse and I went to H&R dilldocks, we found we "owed" a large tax bill when we did not. They calculated penalty and interest for us! That's up to the taxpayer and the IRS!! We had claimed a few exemptions. Then the H& dumbbell rep said "drop 'em". That's what she said. All the things you can legally do to save on your taxes; all the deductions and credits;
all the ways you can save on your income taxes and you can find more ways every year. That's what she said: "drop 'em" {!!!!}. No questions; no time consuming, exhaustive, digging earnestly more and more and more diligently for deductions; no asking about receipts and diaries of expenses; no list to prepare to save on taxes in future years, no advice, no giving of their time to their clients - worse than worthless! In a subsequent year, the moron told us that we were employers and had to withhold social security from our baby sitter. The limit for reporting income then was $125 or $150 per quarter. We didn't have to file Schedule H!! So we didn't have to withhold Federal taxes!! H&Ripoff lying thieves are to make restitution for the double charges plus interest and penalty! We only paid around $50 to the babysitter for the entire year, if that much. Yet H&R dumb dumb told us that we were employers and had to withhold tax from this poor lady!! We were NOT employers!!! We did not have to fill out a W-2 nor did we have to fill out a 1099, for that matter. They did not tell us to get a second opinion!!! Those idiots did not know the tax law that they professes to know!! Further, the brain dead and thief told us that their company {H&R ripoff} would graciously amend our income tax return. We didn't need the return amended!! They didn't even know the tax law for child care providers!! Then they charged us the equivalent fee without any advance warning!! They said they would do it. They did not have to; they lied. then they made it appear as if they would do it without a fee, since there was only one entry to "change". They lied to us!! We did not need to file a Schedule H!!!! Whether we babysat or not was none of their business!! They had no business even asking that question !!! The nitwit added interest and penalty on that we were not liable for!!!!!! They certainly are not interested in you the client paying the least possible legal tax! The fact that they are still in business show how illiterate taxpayers are about their taxes. That's what started my business. I got tired of overpaying frightfully on my taxes. I went into
competition with H&dishonest and exposed them. If they had been right, they would have mentioned the state unemployment tax administration that employers are required to pay in to !!!! They did not mention the state nor FUTA!!!! H&R lying, abominable criminal thieves are the most lying, conniving, double crossing low-life on earth!! They have no business calling themselves "income tax preparers"!!

There are many horror stories regarding HR ripoff and Jackson-dimwit on this board.