A High-Tech Way To Manage The Stress Of Tax Time (NAPSA)—Both individual taxpayers and small-business owners can find tax time a stressful season—and with good reason. It’s estimated that selfemployed people spend about 57 hours each year complying with the tax code. That’s time they could be spending growing their business or tending to their family. According to the IRS, individual taxpayers can find return preparation so overwhelming that about 60 percent now pay prepar- ers to do it for them. An additional 29 percent use tax software, with leading software packages costing $50 or more. For many, just choosing the right accountant can be stressful. That’s because, according to the Government Accountability Office, there are about 90,000 tax and accounting firms out there to choose from. Fortunately, there are practical steps individual and smallbusiness owners can take to reduce stress—and possibly their tax burden as well. Here are sometips: * Don’t put it off. According to the IRS, more than 10 million taxpayers procrastinate every year andendupfiling a tax extension. Misery may love company, but you don’t have to keep putting off filing, particularly since there is a new online service that can help find the expert assistance that’s right for you. The right expert can make a difference. According to the National Taxpayers Union, in 2007, nearly 37 million taxpayers forgot to claim a tax credit due to overwhelming tax regulation & | A new online service can help you find an accountant and file your taxes without ever setting foot inside a tax preparer’s office. changes. Many taxpayers recognize that finding an accountant they can trust may actually save them money. Take advantage of the latest technology. Much in the same way that online services help consumers select movies to rent or a travel destination, there is a new online service designed to help taxpayers select the right accountant or tax preparer. Called Teaspiller, the company also employs an individualized accountant reviews system. Main- tained by the communityitself, the reviews system ensures that both accountants and customers are matched based on a host of critical factors, including unique tax preparation needs, specific industry characteristics, location andsize. In addition, the service allows users to transfer essential tax files, conduct conversations with the accountant, file and securely exchange payment for fees—with- out ever stepping foot into a tax preparationoffice. To learn more, visit the website at www.teaspiller.com.
