What’s the Difference Between a Charlotte Tax Preparation Expert, an EA, and/or a CPA?
“Well, they are all knowledgeable and experienced in the tax profession,” said the Charlotte, North Carolina Tax Preparer of close to two decades, Ms. Jackie Taylor. “And, they are all definitely required to maintain high ethical standards. But, basically Enrolled Agents (EA’s) do a lot of tax preparation and planning, and Certified Public Accountants (CPA’s) do more financial planning and money management. I myself am what’s called a Tax Preparation Expert, and I specialize mostly in doing tax returns for individual and married clients as well as businesses.”
The person you choose to do your tax returns every year (according to the Internal Revenue Service) you should trust with your “most personal information”, such as things about your marriage and your children. This is common sense (well, it should be), but the Office of Public Affairs (aka The United States Justice Department of Justice) pointed out a few cases from 2023 that stood out when it came to some majorly offending, unethical tax agents.
That being said, you will be happy to know that in her almost two decades as a well-known Tax Preparation Expert in Charlotte, Jackie has never had any infractions with the IRS or issues with her clients that she does tax returns for. In addition to being personally trusted every tax season by many locals in her community, her tax center at 2017 Beatties Ford Road, Unit F, has an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The Reason Ms. Taylor Gets Tax Training Every Year
Even with all of her years of experience, Ms. Taylor still gets refresher training. “I did eighteen hours of classes this year,” the Owner of Neighborhood Tax Center told me. “I do it every year, just to stay up on things in the industry.”
“What kinds of changes happened in the tax industry for 2024?” I asked.
“Well, the Gift Tax Limit for one; it’s the amount that can be cut out every year for gifts. It jumped a thousand dollars from last year to now.”
“Who pays the taxes on a gift, the sender of it or the recipient?”
“The sender, normally.”
The IRS indicates that whoever sends the gift is the person who should be the one filing the return, unless some sort of special arrangements are made where the recipient agrees to pay it (IRS, 2024). “How much was the Gift Tax Limit last year?” I asked.
“$17,000.”
“Anything else change since 2023?”
“Well, there are a handful of things, Limus,” Jackie said. “But, some of the more major ones are the Income Tax Brackets for 2024.”
According to SmartAsset, marginal tax rates were affected by inflation last year, and had to be updated (Hendricks, Conde and Cagan, Dec 2023). For instance, if you made $47,150 as an individual last year (double that amount if you’re a married couple who are filing joint returns) yours would be 22%.
Contact Neighborhood Tax Center on Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte for Trusted 2024 Tax Preparation
I’ll ask Jackie about the other tax changes for 2024 in an upcoming story. But, in the meantime, the IRS has been accepting tax returns for two or three days now (since January 29th), so don’t hesitate to contact her office today via text or call by using Neighborhood Tax Center’s Official Google Business Profile or by simply dialing (704) 391–3626 during business hours, which you can see at the Business Profile link.
