When Should I switch from Turbotax to a CPA for tax prep? Need advice for MFS status

The smaller refund you're seeing is likely due to your filing status change rather than Turbotax missing anything. Married Filing Separately (MFS) often results in higher tax liability compared to other filing statuses for most people. When you file MFS, you lose several tax benefits including the student loan interest deduction, education credits, earned income credit, and the child and dependent care credit. The standard deduction is also half of what married couples filing jointly would receive. Additionally, if your spouse itemizes deductions, you must also itemize even if the standard deduction would be more beneficial for you. Before hiring a CPA, I'd suggest comparing your results by running your numbers through Turbotax as both MFS and MFJ to see the difference. This might help you decide if combining finances (at least for tax purposes) makes sense. If your tax situation is otherwise fairly straightforward - W-2 income, basic investments, standard deductions - Turbotax should handle it adequately. A CPA becomes more valuable when you have complex situations like self-employment income, rental properties, complicated investments, or specific tax planning needs.

Hey there! I was in almost the identical situation last year. Got married and our refund dropped dramatically using TurboTax with MFS status. I was frustrated and spent hours trying different things in TurboTax before I finally discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was a game-changer for me. The site analyzed my tax documents and previous returns and identified several deductions TurboTax had missed. What I really liked was that it explained WHY my refund had changed and gave me specific recommendations for my MFS situation. It also ran a comparison showing what my taxes would be if we filed jointly vs separately - turns out we were leaving about $2,300 on the table by filing separately! Honestly, it saved me from paying for a CPA while still getting expert-level advice tailored to my new married status.

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai from my question above. I decided to try it despite my skepticism, and wow - I'm actually impressed. The analysis found over $1,800 in additional deductions that TurboTax hadn't prompted me for. The biggest one was properly classifying some of my freelance work expenses that I had incorrectly categorized. It also caught that I was eligible for a partial retirement savings credit based on my specific AGI that TurboTax somehow missed in its questionnaire. The detailed comparison between MFS and MFJ was super helpful too - made it really clear why my refund was so different. Definitely saved me the cost of a CPA while getting similar insights.

Have you tried calling the IRS directly to ask about the MFS implications? I did that last year when I was confused about a similar situation, but it took me FOREVER to get through to an actual person. I literally called 15+ times and kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold. Then I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. They have this system that navigates all the IRS phone menus and holds your place in line, then calls you when an actual agent is on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was actually really helpful and explained exactly why my refund changed with MFS and what specific credits I was missing out on. Saved me from paying for a CPA just to get that information.

I owe everyone an apology about my Claimyr comment. After continuing to struggle with my MFS questions and spending 3 hours on hold with the IRS yesterday (only to get disconnected), I broke down and tried the Claimyr service I was so skeptical about. I'm genuinely shocked - it actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 20 minutes with an IRS agent already on the line. The agent explained that in my specific situation, MFS was causing me to lose about $3,200 in tax benefits compared to filing jointly. She walked me through each specific credit I was losing and why my refund was so much smaller. That 15-minute call answered questions that neither TurboTax nor hours of Googling could solve. Saved me from unnecessarily paying for a CPA just to get this information.

I was in your exact position 2 years ago! My advice: it depends on the complexity beyond just your filing status change. For me, switching to a CPA was worth it because I also had some self-employment income and investment complications. The CPA found several legitimate deductions TurboTax never prompted me for and saved me about $1,700 compared to what TurboTax calculated. However, if your return is still relatively simple (W-2 income, standard deduction), the difference is probably just your filing status change. In that case, a CPA probably won't find much more than TurboTax. One thing to consider - run your taxes through TurboTax as both MFS and MFJ (before filing) and compare the difference. Sometimes it's worth combining finances just for tax purposes if the savings are significant.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that tax software has basically caught up to what most CPAs can do for standard tax situations. Most CPAs for individuals are basically just inputting your info into their professional tax software. Where CPAs really add value is: 1) Complex situations like business ownership, multiple rental properties, etc 2) Year-round tax PLANNING rather than just tax preparation 3) Representation if you get audited If you're just looking to maximize your refund for a relatively straightforward situation, I'd suggest trying a different tax software first. I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA and got slightly better results for a fraction of the cost. The smaller refund is almost certainly due to your MFS status rather than TurboTax missing anything.