Choosing the right CPA can make a big difference for you and your business in more ways than just the obvious one - keeping more of your money in your pocket and not Uncle Sam's.

A professional tax service and tax accounting service can save you lots of money and headaches. Tax audits are often very expensive, but preventable using good sound tax planning and skilled accounting practices. Consider having a financial tax liability performed by a expert tax service, through these tough financial times, it's a smart move on the part of any savvy business person.

When it comes to choosing a professional tax service or tax accounting service, get the best you can afford. The best tax accounting firms will save you a great deal more than they cost you over time.

Legislation changes every year, and the best tax accountants will know and comprehend these changes, and how to make use of them in the best interest of your business. Strategies like these are what will potentially save your business a good sum of money from year to year.

Here are a couple tips for picking the best suited CPA for your needs:

*Check with business colleagues, specifically those that seem to be doing well; ask them about their professional tax services. Find out if they are satisfied with their efficiency, and if they'd recommend them. Find out what factors in tax planning are most significant in your business sector.

*One very important question to ask is how the firm handles client audits. Do they cover the expense of an audit, or is passed on as an additional cost to you. If there's an additional charge, get a clear picture of such fees. Ask the firm how many audits they have managed and what were the outcomes If not, what's their fee schedule for this service? How many have they performed? What is their rate of success? How many of their clients have gone to prison? Kidding here!

*A professional tax service that focuses mostly on large manufacturing companies will have different skillset and experience than that has mostly small business clients. Get a good idea of what vertical markets your prospective tax accounts primarily serve.

*Timeliness and organization. Ask your prospective tax planning specialist how early they need to receive all your documents and receipts in order to file your forms without the need for an extension. How do they prefer to receive these documents from you. If you show up with a shoebox full of receipts, you will probably have that a tax professional will take a good deal longer to go through all the paperwork than if you provided them a well organized set of documents.

*Education - Ask about their continuing education process. Tax laws change often and keeping abreast of these changes and how they will impact your business is extremely important. This is an important question to ask If you want to make sure your accountants make sure you take advantage of every write-off available to you.

*And of course, ask what it will cost - this may differ from firm to firm. The secret is finding one that fits your budget offering value, not necessary the cheapest fee!

Best of luck and happy filing!