Of the many things I do, Canadian Tax Preparation is the one I’ve done the longest. I started doing tax returns for me and family in the 70’s, which led to being paid to do it in the 80’s. But the time we hit the 90’s I had forgotten that it doesn’t come easily for people. So toward the end of the 90’s, or beginning of the 2000’s, I had the opportunity to work in the US division of a large accounting firm in downtown Vancouver. It took me 8 hours to do my first 1040. It no longer takes me 8 hours, but it still makes me think hard.
For most public practitioners, tax season – from January 1 when we start on reporting slips to June 15 when that last self-employed return gets efiled – is a long and grueling process. We strive to do the best for our clients and apply knowledge of the Income Tax Act that has taken us years, decades, to learn so that you pay the least amount of tax. We still make mistakes, especially the last couple of weeks of each deadline. The sheer volume and lack of sleep is enough to break anyone. But we struggle, and then look forward to matching season in the fall when CRA starts calling and saying “you missed a slip and we don’t care that it wasn’t in our system because you ought to have known…..” And then we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and do it again next year.
If you are a Canadian citizen and resident who prefers to have someone else prepare their taxes, or maybe has something beyond the usual T1 slip, do not be afraid to say you need help. It comes easily to me because I’ve been doing it for so long, but trust me when I say, I sure couldn’t do what you do. Unless what you do is tax preparation.
And if you are a US citizen too, or a person with a valid Green Card, or you’ve created a substantial presence in the US, or somehow triggered something that requires you to file a tax return in the US, well maybe I can help you too. One thing for sure, it won’t take me 8 hours.
My motto: file early, file often 😉
