They paid me ~$8700 to put ~50k miles on their vehicles?

Off-Ramp
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Some say the tax prep franchises aren’t exactly experts. Some say they’re more interested in repeat business and up selling other products by finding refunds to cover them - legal or not.

Most people don’t realize the tax preparer is basically liability free from the IRS perspective. You’re on the hook 100% for the accuracy when you sign them, no matter how many CPA’s and lawyers you hired to do them for you. Nearly all tax preparers, like financial auditors, have a disclaimer absolving themselves if they were provided inaccurate info (such as a form you might have signed where the $12/hr seasonal dufus marked you told them you bought the car instead of leased - so their “insurance” covers diddly squat.)

Some say I might know at least one such franchisee that paid some of her people under the table cash, made lots of bad advice (some on purpose, some incompetent), and who push auxiliary sales. Some say I might have had a derelict family member who worked at another tax prep franchise in two different states for many seasons despite being too inept to balance his own checkbook, but gave plenty of “expert” advice to happy refund recipients.

Caveat emptor

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I stopped using H&R Block 10 years ago because I found them to be Ill prepared to answer my questions and generally put zero effort towards understanding the tax law that applied to me. They always shrugged off complicated questions and have generalizations as responses to difficult questions. Never went back to them after using them twice. Felt as if I left too much open to scrutiny.

I use a certified CPA now.

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Whether OP gets caught (unlikely), he now knows and has committed fraud. I understand H&R Block said it was legit, and it’s reasonable for someone to trust their tax prepper. But once you become aware of something wrong, it’s up to you to fix it.

Instead, we’re all on the hook (through taxes elsewhere) for every EV/plug-in buyer who double-dips on tax credits. It’s not a hack. It’s a crime.

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I also use a CPA as I need advice for my next year’s taxes but I believe automated self-filing services ( Turbotax, H&R) would be more accurate as they would be tested more rigorously for changes on tax laws.

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Unless Caddy does a balloon like Owner’s Choice in Texas, you are not entitled to that $7,500…