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CPA Seek

Hiring guide

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.

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.

Ask before you send a year of records

The useful questions are about scope, the credential, and who will actually do the work. They are not tax positions, and this page does not suggest how anyone should answer them. Start from how to find and choose a CPA if you still need a short list.

Credential and who does the work

  • Which credential do you hold, and which state board, state bar, or IRS enrollment can I use to confirm it? The comparison is on CPA, enrolled agent, or tax preparer. How to check the claim is in how to verify a CPA license.
  • Who prepares the return, who signs it, and which preparer tax identification number will be on the copy filed with the IRS?
  • If someone else on the team does the day-to-day work, who answers questions after the return is filed?

What the engagement includes

  • Which federal returns are included, and which state returns are included or billed as separate work?
  • If there is a business, a rental, or payroll, is that the same engagement as the household return?
  • Are bookkeeping, payroll, or estimated-tax vouchers inside this engagement?
  • What would change the quote, and what will you not accept by email?

Those questions make two quotes comparable. They do not produce a price. How much a CPA costs explains the factors. The IRS does not publish a fee schedule, and this page does not invent one.

A later letter from the IRS

Ask whether a notice after filing is included, or whether representation is a new engagement. Preparing a return and speaking to the IRS are different work. The IRS describes who has representation authority on Understanding tax return preparer credentials and qualifications. This page does not tell you how to answer a notice.

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask a CPA in the first conversation?

Ask who will do the work, who will sign, which returns and states are included, what would change the quote, and whether a later IRS letter is part of the same engagement. Ask which credential they hold and where you can confirm it.

Do these questions tell me whom to hire?

No. They are a way to compare scope. A directory listing and a clear answer are not a ranking, and they are not tax advice.

Should I ask for the preparer tax identification number?

Yes. Anyone paid to prepare a federal return needs a preparer tax identification number on the filed copy. The IRS says the preparer does not have to print that number on the copy they give you, so ask for it. A PTIN is not a CPA license.

Where do I look after the conversation?

Confirm a CPA license with the state board that issued it, or with NASBA CPAverify. Read the license line on the profile, then open the state directory for the place where you need the work.