From Anxiety to Peace of Mind: Taxes Done with Confidence

When it came time to deal with her taxes, Ami S. felt the way most taxpayers do—she was anxious.

After having some bad experiences with tax software in the past and in need of a new tax professional, Ami was looking for something different. But she wasn’t quite sure where to turn. 

“I’m not an accountant and I have no desire to be one,” Ami said. “Between all the exemptions and deductions and rules, taxes are complicated. I just wanted someone to help me make sense of it all.” 

Last year, Ami decided to work with a tax professional through our Endorsed Local Providers (ELP) program. She was connected with Terri P., an accountant in her area. From the moment Ami and her husband sat down with Terri, she felt the anxiety melt away. 

“Terri was very personable and down-to-earth,” Ami said. “She really helped put me at ease and helped make all the verbiage around taxes easy to understand.” 

From Anxiety to Peace of Mind

Like most people, Ami thought that refund check she got every year was just a normal part of filing taxes. After all, who doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of a financial windfall? But after working with Terri, Ami learned that getting a big refund every year isn’t something worth celebrating. 

That big fat refund check from the IRS meant she’d been giving the government a loan with zero interest! Uncle Sam was just returning money that was already hers to begin with.

Terri showed Ami she was having too much tax withheld from her paycheck. To fix it, Ami needed to adjust her tax withholdings so she could take home more of her money with each paycheck.

“I’m not an accountant and I have no desire to be one. Between all the exemptions and deductions and rules, taxes are complicated. I just wanted someone to help me make sense of it all.”

—Ami S.

After Terri walked Ami through how tax withholdings work and explained how to adjust them with a new W-4 form, Ami started to see an extra $75 in her paycheck every two weeks. That might not sound like a lot at first, but some quick math shows that Ami brought home almost $2,000 more in her paychecks for the year. It felt like she had just given herself a raise! 

“I have never had someone try to help me understand how taxes work until we worked with Terri,” Ami said. “There’s an expression: ‘If you can’t explain it to a fifth grader, you don’t understand it well enough.’ She helped me fully understand it. We have found our new CPA!”

“There’s an expression: ‘If you can’t explain it to a fifth grader, you don’t understand it well enough.’ She helped me fully understand it.”

—Ami S.

Most importantly, though, Ami walked away with peace of mind about her taxes. That’s because she knows she has a tax pro with the heart of a teacher in her corner.

“I have an ally that I wouldn’t have if I had done this on my own,” Ami said. “It was totally worth it!”  

Don’t Wait to Get Help

Ami has one simple piece of advice for other folks like her who are looking for help with their taxes: Don’t wait. 

“Waiting until April 1 to get help might put you in a tough situation,” she said. “The sooner you reach out, the sooner you can get results and move on to other things.” 

Don’t settle for tax software with hidden fees or agendas. Use one that’s on your side—Ramsey SmartTax.

And with the new tax law impacting this year’s taxes, many taxpayers will be on the lookout for an expert to help them make sense of all the changes. Don’t be one of those tax-filing procrastinators who find out the hard way that it’s tough to get on a good tax pro’s schedule when the clock is running out! 

Like Ami, the best way to save yourself the hassle of filing a deadline extension is to schedule an appointment with your tax pro as early as possible.

Ready to take the stress out of tax season? We can help! We’ve vetted thousands of tax professionals around the country just like Terri who will sit down with you and walk you through your tax situation.

Find a tax professional who serves your area today!