Tax preparers gave me completely opposite results - $3k tax due vs $6k refund? Something's wrong!
I visited two different tax preparers last week to get quotes for my 2024 return. I'm completely baffled by the results. The first person reviewed my documents and said I would owe around $3,000 to the IRS. I was pretty shocked, so I decided to get a second opinion. The second preparer looked at the EXACT same documents and told me I would receive a $6,000 refund! That's a $9,000 difference! How is this even possible? I'm really worried about moving forward with either of them now. Has anyone experienced something like this? What should I do? Go with the bigger refund or play it safe? Should I try a third preparer or software?
42 comments
Miguel Herrera
Tax professional here. This is a HUGE red flag. That kind of discrepancy indicates someone is making significant errors or possibly even being unethical. Here's what I recommend: • Ask both preparers for a detailed explanation of how they arrived at their numbers • Check if they're including the same income sources, deductions, and credits • See if one preparer is missing documentation the other one has • Verify their credentials - are they CPAs, EAs, or just seasonal preparers? • Consider getting a third opinion from a CPA My guess is the one promising the huge refund might be taking questionable deductions or credits you don't qualify for. This could trigger an audit later. The IRS is cracking down on improper EITC and child tax credit claims. Don't just go with whoever promises the biggest refund!
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Ava Thompson
Thank you so much for the detailed response! The first preparer is an EA and the second one just works at a chain tax place. I'll definitely ask for an itemized breakdown from both. Do you think using tax software myself would help clarify things?
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Miguel Herrera
Yes, using a tax software as a third check is smart. But honestly, with that big of a discrepancy, I'd recommend trying taxr.ai - it can analyze your specific situation and explain exactly why there might be differences. It's like having an AI tax expert review everything and point out what might be missing or incorrectly claimed.
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Zainab Ali
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Miguel Herrera
It's way more than just reading transcripts! Taxr.ai actually analyzes your full tax situation, identifies potential errors, finds credits you qualify for, explains IRS notices, and shows you what's happening with your refund. Completely changed how I deal with taxes - no more guess work or hoping my preparer didn't miss something!
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Connor Murphy
Ok so I had an almost identical situation last year. Two different preparers, completely opposite results. I was so frustrated trying to figure out who was right. I ended up using taxr.ai and it was a total game changer! It analyzed my documents and showed me exactly why there was a discrepancy - turns out one preparer missed some business deductions and the other was claiming credits I didn't qualify for. Saved me from a potential audit nightmare! The tool walks you through everything step by step and explains it in plain English. Check it out at https://taxr.ai - honestly the best decision I made last tax season.
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Yara Nassar
is this some kind of ad? sounds too good to be true tbh
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Connor Murphy
Not an ad lol, just sharing what worked for me when I was in the exact same situation. Was beyond frustrated with contradicting advice from 'professionals' and this actually cleared things up. 🤷♀️
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StarGazer101
I actually tried this too after my nightmare with H&R Block last year. Surprisingly helpful - showed me that my preparer had filed my rental property completely wrong which would've been a huge headache if audited.
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Yara Nassar
Wow actually just checked it out and it's pretty impressive. It explained my 570 code better than 3 hours of googling did. Makes the whole tax code thing actually make sense for once!
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Keisha Jackson
After spending 10 days trying to get through to the IRS about a similar issue (kept getting disconnected), I finally found a solution! Used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 25 minutes. The agent went through my whole situation and confirmed which tax preparer was correct (spoiler: neither was totally right!). The few bucks I spent on the service was totally worth it to finally get answers directly from the IRS instead of random preparers giving me different stories. Highly recommend if you need to actually talk to someone official!
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Ava Thompson
Wait really? I've been trying to call the IRS for days with no luck. How does this work?
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Keisha Jackson
It basically navigates the IRS phone system for you and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is about to pick up. No more sitting on hold for hours! I was super skeptical but desperate, and it actually worked perfectly. The agent I got was super helpful and walked me through the discrepancy.
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Paolo Romano
Sounds sketchy af. Does it need your ssn or anything?
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Keisha Jackson
No lol it just holds your place in the phone queue. You talk directly to the IRS agent yourself when they connect you. Best money I've spent on tax help ever, saved me days of frustration.
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Amina Diop
Can confirm this works! Used it when I had a similar issue with contradicting info from tax pros. Getting straight to an IRS agent was the only thing that resolved it. Worth every penny after wasting 3 days trying to call myself.
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Oliver Schmidt
this happened to me before too. the place giving you the bigger refund is probably committing fraud tbh. they make more $ when your refund is bigger (percentage based fees) and they know most ppl won't get audited. when i got a huge refund quote it was bc they were falsely claiming I had a home business to jack up deductions. RUN from that place!
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Natasha Volkov
The whole system is a scam. We have a tax code so complicated that "professionals" can come up with completely different results from the same information. And then we're supposed to know which one is right?? And if we get it wrong WE get penalized?? Make it make sense 🤡
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Javier Torres
facts 💯 im convinced half these "tax pros" are just guessing and hoping the irs doesnt notice
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Emma Wilson
Literally this. Last year I got 3 different answers from 3 different professionals. The IRS should just send us a bill if they already know what we owe anyway.
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QuantumLeap
Most countries DO have the govt calculate taxes for you. US makes it complicated so TurboTax and H&R Block can make $$$.
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Malik Johnson
Just go with the bigger refund lol. The IRS is too busy to check everyone's returns. My cousin got like 20k back using some shady tax guy and nothing ever happened. Just sayin 🤷♂️
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Isabella Santos
Terrible advice. When (not if) they catch this kind of stuff, you'll owe the original amount PLUS penalties and interest. Not worth it.
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Malik Johnson
Whatever man the government takes enough of our money anyway
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Miguel Herrera
Tax professional here - this is absolutely awful advice. The IRS has a 10 year statute of limitations to come after you, and they're increasing audit rates. Penalties can be 20% or more of the underpayment plus interest.
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Ravi Sharma
File with both of them. Double the refund! 🤑🤑🤑
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Freya Larsen
that's... not how that works lmao. Filing twice will just get OP in trouble.
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Ravi Sharma
it's called a joke bro 🙄
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Omar Hassan
Get your W2s and documents together and go to a reputable CPA. Those chain places hire seasonal workers with minimal training who just punch numbers into software. A real tax professional will explain how they arrive at your numbers and what deductions/credits you qualify for. Worth the extra money for peace of mind.
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Chloe Taylor
I had this EXACT situation last year where two different preparers gave me wildly different results. I ended up using taxr.ai and it was honestly a lifesaver. It analyzed my forms, explained exactly what was happening, and showed me where each preparer was going wrong. One was missing legitimate deductions and the other was doing some sketchy stuff that definitely would have gotten me in trouble. The tool walks you through everything so clearly - check it out at https://taxr.ai
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Ava Thompson
I'll definitely look into this, thanks! Did it explain why there was such a big difference between the preparers?
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Chloe Taylor
Yes! It showed exactly what each preparer was doing differently. In my case, one was incorrectly classifying my side gig as a proper business with tons of deductions, and the other wasn't including all my qualifying childcare expenses. The tool laid it all out super clearly.
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ShadowHunter
As someone who used to work at one of those tax prep chains, I can tell you they're incentivized to find you the biggest refund possible - even if they have to stretch the truth to do it. They literally trained us to "find money" for clients. Run from anyone promising suspiciously large refunds.
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Diego Ramirez
I always just use TurboTax and call it a day 🤷♀️
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Anastasia Sokolov
TurboTax is fine for super simple returns but if OP has something complicated enough that professionals are getting wildly different results, software might miss things too.
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Diego Ramirez
fair enough. i just have a W2 and some basic stuff so it works for me
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Sean O'Connor
After 3 hours on hold with the IRS trying to solve a similar issue, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connected me with an actual IRS agent in like 20 minutes. Best thing ever! Agent answered all my questions about the discrepancy and even helped me fix some issues with my previous return. Talking to an actual IRS person was the only thing that solved my problem. Whatever you pay for the service is worth getting immediate answers instead of playing the guessing game.
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Zara Ahmed
If yur looking for a definitive answer, you need to speak to someone at the IRS. but good luck with that lol I tried for WEEKS to get through. Finally broke down and used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to someone in about 45 min. the IRS agent was actually super helpful and explained everything to me. Definitely worth it to talk to someone official when your dealing with something this confusing.
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Luca Conti
Honestly what is the point of paying taxes if the IRS can't even answer the phone to tell us how to correctly pay our taxes?? 😡
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Zara Ahmed
fr the whole system is so broken. still blows my mind that the only way to reliably talk to someone is through a third party service. but hey at least it works
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Nia Johnson
Ask both preparers to walk you through their calculations. One of them is either missing something major or deliberately inflating your refund. The tax code is complex but not THAT subjective. Sounds like the second preparer might be claiming credits or deductions you don't actually qualify for, which could lead to an audit.
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CyberNinja
omg i had the literally same issue last year!!! first place said i owed $1800 and second place said i was getting back $4700. turns out first place forgot to enter my student loan interest and child tax credit, and second place was claiming some shady home office deduction i didnt qualify for. ended up using taxr.ai after seeing it reccomended here and it showed me exactly how to file correctly. got a legit $2300 refund without any sketchy stuff.
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