Skip to Main Content

When Is an Accountant Better than Tax Software?

DESPITE ADVANCES IN TAX AND ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, WILL THEY EVER REPLACE THE VALUE OF YOUR TRUSTED ACCOUNTANT?

The question of man versus machine is not unique to the accounting profession, but practically speaking, tax software, accounting applications and your laptop are merely tools.  In fact, your accountant most likely uses the professional version of one of the many tax and accounting software packages available today; one with all the bells and whistles that expedites his efforts to supplement, not supplant his knowledge.  While you may use Web MD to aid in self-diagnosis, only a fool would not go to his doctor for a proper evaluation. Web MD simply cannot replace the plethora of education, knowledge and experience of your doctor.  The same is true of your trusted accountant.

In fact, an accountant remains an invaluable resource when it comes to such issues as tax planning, proper accounting, the alternative minimum tax, deduction gray areas and red flags, tax filing protocol, financial statement preparation and tax questions that may arise.

An accountant is much better equipped to handle your specific changing circumstances such as marriage, divorce, college tuition, retirement and change in residence to name a few.  He is also generally in a better position to protect you by ensuring that your taxes are filed properly and in representing you in the event of an audit.

If you own a business, it cannot be overstressed how important it is to retain the services of a good accountant.  Not many laymen can prepare their books properly and are inviting error, omission and an eventual audit by simply not knowing generally accepted accounting principles, not to mention the many required federal and state tax filings in addition to the intricacies involved with the proper filing of their business income tax returns, as well as the underlying integrity of professionally prepared financial statements.

It is often forgotten that the accounting profession did not simply blink into existence when the United States permanently instituted the income tax in 1913.  Accountants have been around providing valuable services for centuries, predating even the existence of our country.  Tax and accounting software simply enhance the services that the accounting profession provides; they will not bring about its demise.

With an accountant that you can trust, you’ll have little or nothing to worry about when filing your tax returns or accounting for your business.  Rest assured that you can expect to have everything well taken care of on your behalf.

If you have questions, please contact Victor C. Belgiorno at 516-861-3704 or .

 
This entry was posted in Blog, News & Articles and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.