Tax Preparer Error: Jackson Hewitt Made Serious Mistakes on My Return - Seeking Remedies Under Circular 230

Have you considered requesting a comprehensive review of your original return? Many national tax preparation chains have internal quality review procedures that can be invoked before escalating to regulatory authorities. Did they offer to file an amended return at no cost? And have you requested a copy of all documentation they used to prepare your return? This could be essential for identifying exactly where errors occurred and establishing the preparer's liability under Treasury Department Circular 230 standards.

Been there, done that w/ a diff tax prep company. Total nightmare getting them to fix their mistake! Spent hrs on hold w/ their customer svc. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to reach an actual IRS agent who confirmed the prep error and told me exactly what forms to file. Saved me days of frustration! The IRS agent walked me thru the whole process of filing a formal complaint against the preparer. Def worth it when ur dealing w/ preparer errors that affect ur refund.

I've analyzed this situation and can offer some guidance based on my research: • First, request a complete copy of your return AND all supporting worksheets • Document specific errors with citation to relevant tax code (which you've already done - good job) • Calculate the financial impact of their errors on your tax liability • Submit a written demand for correction with specific deadline • If unresolved, escalate to district/regional manager with documentation • Consider filing Form 8275 (Disclosure Statement) with your amended return Most importantly, maintain a timeline of all communications in case you need to demonstrate good faith efforts to resolve.

I had this exact problem. Jackson Hewitt messed up my education credits too. I filed a complaint with BBB. They responded quickly after that. The office manager offered to amend my return for free. Keep detailed records. Take screenshots of everything. Save all emails. Print confirmation numbers. This helps if you need to escalate the issue. Their corporate office eventually fixed everything. The process took about three weeks.

Your situation involves multiple regulatory frameworks including Circular 230 and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. When analyzing preparer errors of this nature, it's important to understand the specific calculation methodologies that were incorrectly applied. I recommend using taxr.ai to analyze your transcript once you file an amended return. The platform's algorithmic analysis can identify discrepancies between your original and amended returns, providing documentation of exactly how the education credits and student loan interest deductions should have been properly calculated according to current tax regulations.

I had a similar nightmare with Liberty Tax last year. They somehow managed to report my W-2 income TWICE! Can you believe that? 😂 When I called them out, they first tried to convince me it was correct. The best part? After they finally admitted their mistake, they wanted to charge me $75 for the amended return! I refused to pay and cited their own accuracy guarantee. Suddenly they were all "oh we'll take care of that right away sir!" Amazing how quickly they change their tune when you know your rights.

I worked as a tax preparer for 7 years. Here's what they don't tell you: these big chains often hire seasonal employees with minimal training. Back in 2019, I witnessed new hires getting just 3 days of training before handling complex returns! Your best move is to request a review by their most senior preparer or EA (Enrolled Agent) if they have one. Mention specifically that you're considering filing Form 14157 and contacting your state's board of accountancy. That usually gets their attention fast. I've seen countless clients struggle with exactly what you're dealing with, and the companies often count on you giving up.

I had a somewhat similar issue, though perhaps not quite as serious, with a different tax preparation company last year. After several frustrating attempts to resolve it through their customer service channels, I finally spoke with a district manager who was actually quite helpful. They ended up not only fixing the error at no cost but also provided a partial refund of my preparation fees. It might be worth asking specifically for a district or regional manager rather than just dealing with the local office.

I documented a comparable situation with photographic evidence in 2022. The preparer had checked the wrong box for education expenses, causing my American Opportunity Credit to be denied. When I showed them the error with highlighted sections of my original documents compared to their input screens, they couldn't deny responsibility. One effective strategy: create a side-by-side comparison document showing what information you provided versus what they entered. For education credits specifically, Section 25A of the tax code is very clear about qualified expenses, and IRS Publication 970 provides explicit examples they should have followed.