Directory

Hiring guides

Educational notes on finding a CPA, comparing credentials, questions to ask, what changes a fee, and how to verify a license. Not tax advice.

This is educational information about how to hire, not tax advice. It does not tell you what to file, what you owe, or how to answer the IRS. Reading it does not create a client relationship with CPA Seek or with any CPA in the directory.

• How to find and choose a CPA

  How to find a CPA and how to choose a CPA: start from a state directory, read the license line on the profile, and ask what the engagement covers. Educational hiring notes, not tax advice.

• CPA vs. enrolled agent vs. tax preparer

  What a CPA, an enrolled agent, and a tax preparer are, and which kind of work each credential covers. Educational notes from IRS descriptions of preparer authority, not tax advice.

• Questions to ask a CPA before you hire

  Hiring questions for a first conversation with a CPA: who does the work, which returns are included, and how a later IRS letter is handled. Educational, not tax advice.

• How much a CPA costs

  The IRS does not publish a CPA fee. Scope, states, bookkeeping, and a later notice are what change a quote. This page explains those factors and does not invent dollar figures.

• How to verify a CPA license

  Check a CPA license with the state board of accountancy or NASBA CPAverify, and use the IRS preparer directory for credentials the IRS lists. A directory profile is not that lookup.

• Choosing a CPA when you live and work in different states

  How to hire a CPA when you live in one state and work remotely for an employer based in another. What the W-2 shows, what to bring, and which claims to treat as a warning. Educational, not tax advice.

• Choosing a CPA for an estate after a death

  How to hire a CPA after someone dies: the decedent's final Form 1040, the estate's Form 1041, what Publication 559 says to file, and which warning signs to take seriously. Educational, not tax advice.