Ready to file? First learn how we measure up!
We know that you have many choices when it comes to your tax preparation needs so we'd like to give you a side by side comparison to help you decide what type of tax preparation service fits your needs.
Major Tax Chains
Tax Software
Return prepared and signed by a tax preparer who meets registra-tion requirements of the state of California and the IRS?
Minimum educational requirements for tax preparers:
Multiple locations for your convenience?
Available year-round to serve you?
Average time for tax preparation:
Approximate fee to prepare and file a federal and state return for a homeowner with two children and investments.
No
You prepare and sign your own return with the help of a computer program.
Yes
Yes
Either 5 years of tax preparation experience or an accounting degree from an accredited college PLUS 500 hours of tax, finance and ethics education courses.
75 hours of tax and ethics educational trainning.
N/A
You prepare and sign your own return with the help of a computer program.
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
N/A
Yes
N/A
Most offices will close after April 15th, but select locations remain open.
1 Hour
1 Hour
2 to 8 Hours
$450
$128
Click Here To Get Started On Your Taxes!
Or keep reading for more information about our tax preparation service.
A Higher Standard
Everyone knows the tax code is complicated. In fact, if all of the federal tax laws were printed on regular 8 ½ X 11 paper, it would fill nearly 74,000 pages! While it’s impossible for one person to understand every nuance of every law, we believe every professional tax preparer should work hard to expand his or her tax knowledge continually. The standard of education our tax preparers are held to greatly exceeds what is expected from tax preparers of the top tax preparation chains in the country and we are commited to treating you with the respect you deserve.
The Price Advantage (Click for Details)
We understand that many people equate price to quality and when it comes to tax preparation
most people assume that the more they pay, the more accurate their return will be. This isn't true. In fact, the majority of those high fees you could pay at the major chains go towards the multi-million dollar ad campaigns, paying rent on multiple offices that are only used four months out of the year, upper management salaries, and corporate profits. Very little of the fee you pay goes towards assuring your return is accurately filed. Since we don't have all of those extra expenses to worry about, we can charge a fee that is fair to our customers and be upfront about pricing.
We’ll Be Here When You Need Us
When it comes to taxes, April 15th isn’t the only day that matters. No matter how diligent your tax preparer is, audits happen. Wouldn’t it be nice to know your tax preparer is available year round to help you? The majority of professional tax preparers only work on a seasonal basis from mid January until April 15th and can’t be reached afterwards. Free Financial won’t abandon you after your return is filed. We can easily be reached year round right here in Santa Clarita any time you have questions by phone, email, or even Facebook.
Best Practices
It’s important to file your income taxes right and that means with integrity. Lots of tax preparation services focus simply on fast and easy returns. While we can file many returns in as little as 30 minutes, some returns might require several hours. We'll take the time neccesary to make sure your tax return is accurate and complete.
Other tax preparers might try to convince you that they're doing you a favor by stretching the truth to get you a bigger refund. They are not doing you a favor!! The truth is that the taxpayer(you) is held accountable when there are mistatements on your tax return, not the tax preparer. Besides, the whole idea of you trusting someone who thinks it's a good idea to lie to the IRS is kind of silly isn't it? We’re here to help you pay the least amount of taxes legally possible and give you the confidence of knowing your taxes are done right.
Affiliations
Each of our tax preparers is registered with the IRS and will include his or her personal preparer tax identification number as well as sign every return they prepare. In addition each of our tax preparers has exceeded the strict education and bonding requirements set by the IRS.