Intuit has introduced TurboTax CPA Select, an online system geared towards small businesses and consumers looking for someone to do their taxes for them.
To get started, small businesses and consumers visit an online portal to find a qualified CPA. They can choose from a wide range of CPAs, based on background information, qualifications and experience, as well as customer reviews and practice areas. Once they have read through the online reviews and selected an appropriate CPA, they correspond with their chosen CPA to agree on pricing.
Users receive an estimate of what their tax preparation will cost, and can choose to accept or reject the offer. With no physical locations or stores, TurboTax CPA Select can offer pricing up to 30 percent off market rates.
Next they upload their tax documents to the CPA’s attention. Clients can securely upload tax documents anytime, from anywhere, including the previous year’s return along with any documents for the current year’s taxes, such as 1099 and W2 forms, and the CPA can begin processing their taxes.
As small businesses look for qualified help this tax season, TT CPA Select is a way to help match small businesses and consumers with a CPA that fits their needs. Taxpayers get a secure, convenient online way to review and select a qualified CPA from their home computer, tablet or smartphone. CPAs will be able to grow their practice because Intuit will send highly qualified tax clients, including all their documents, directly to them online.
Pricing starts at $89.95 for taxpayers with simple tax returns and ranges up to $199.95 and above for individuals with more complex tax-deductible expenses and transactions such as stock sales. For small business owners and self-employed taxpayers, the service starts at $349.95.
For more information, visit www.turbotaxcpaselect.intuit.com.
9 Comments
Does Intuit check out qualifications/ability? Can clients now sue Intuit for bad work by a recommended CPA? And what about EAs?
For the record, I am neither, and would not sign up if I were. And of course the recommended pricing looks lower than HRB, and their hourly rate for phone help is ridiculous. I wonder who they are getting.
A once good company prostituting themselves. All to typical among businesses.
Posted by: tego@verizon.net | February 16, 2013 2:48 PM
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I'm not sure how useful this service is for those looking for a CPA. I used the Find A CPA feature which correctly identified me as being in Virginia. Then, I was offered a choice of one Virginia CPA plus two located in Indiana.
Posted by: wpbrown | February 15, 2013 8:23 AM
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Essentially this is how a scam operates. Intuit just wanted to take H&R Block's shine, but without the overhead of different brick and mortar locations. They started with TurboTax, and now are trying to filter people to their own CPAs. Where is the confidence to the consumer, in selecting someone from TurboTax that they never met? How can the consumer have their taxes done correct from someone they never met? How can the CPA trust the documentation is true and correct?
Intuit is pulling a bait and switch: Use their Turbotax software advertising and misrepresentations, to bring in unsuspecting customers, then sell them on a CPA "approved" by Turbotax, who presumably uses Intuit tax software, to prepare the taxes....
On a side note, word on the "Street" is Intuit is having major problems trying to retain EAs and CPAs to work as Tax Experts...
Posted by: admin@GoldingTaxSolutions.com | February 14, 2013 10:20 PM
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Intuit has forgotten who butters their bread
Move your business & enjoy the fail
Posted by: Terrim | February 14, 2013 6:02 PM
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Talk about ethics. This publication came up with all these negative stories about Tax Prepares with the Support of the IRS. That failed so now we see what the general direction really was..
TAKE THERE CUSTOMERS !!!!!
fyi.. The IRS requires physical proof so good luck with that !!!!!
Turbo Tax should be sued for Conflict of interest and it Advertisement against the very people that help build the software giant.
This is the same company that was getting kickbacks for each RAL(RAPID REFUND).
We should all join together and leave Turbo Tax and show them the power of relationships that we Tax people have.
This is the last straw.. I have had enough !!!!
Posted by: JDAVIS | February 14, 2013 3:39 PM
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Yes their marketing is a little strange. After convincing me that they have renovated their quickbooks proadvisor program and it would bring us more referrals, we signed up for the program again. A few months later they offering 24/7 unlimited support for $25 per month.
"With no physical locations or stores, TurboTax CPA Select can offer pricing up to 30 percent off market rates." So they are going to refer people that work at their dinning room table?
Posted by: WCSCPA | February 14, 2013 12:46 PM
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I agree with the conflict of interest issue posted by JimBuck. I have been using ProSeries since 1986 and I am dissatisfied with their direct competetion. I am also slighted by the glorification of CPA only. I am an Enrolled Agent & Certified Financial Planner with a master degree in taxation yet the program is CPA Select. Shouldn't it be Tax Professsional Select.
Intuit wants me to pay premium prices for their software yet they want my cleints from me.
A true conflict of interest!
Posted by: malone777 | February 14, 2013 12:22 PM
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Fully agree! Paid these blood-suckers $3,000 for the software and that doesn't include add-ons like a pay-per-return price for Partnership Federal and State returns.
Posted by: Soundchaser2000 | February 14, 2013 10:35 AM
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Is it just me, or is there a conflict of interest here? One of the biggest providers of accounting and tax software, Intuit, sells its products to accountants and tax preparers at premium prices and then it cuts the accountant's and tax preparers' throats by offering all kinds of programs (i.e. QuickBooks, Lacerte) to the public in direct competition with our services. This just does not appear to be an ethical way to conduct business.
Posted by: JimBuck | February 14, 2013 10:26 AM
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