# How to choose a tax preparer in Canada > How to decide if you need a tax preparer, what a preparer does, the questions to ask before you hire one and where to find free help in Canada Most people with a plain return don't need a preparer, and the ones who do usually already suspect it. This page helps you sort out which group you're in and what to ask before you pay anyone. We don't prepare returns or send you to a particular firm, so there's nothing here to sell you. Our article on [tax preparation services](https://tax-services.ca/articles/tax-preparation-services) describes the work itself. Here the question is whether to hire one and how to choose. ## Do you need a preparer at all? If your income is a salary plus a few investment slips and you claim the usual credits, software or a free service can handle it. The [guide to free tax filing](https://tax-services.ca/articles/free-tax-filing-canada) lists the routes, and the [filing guide](https://tax-services.ca/guides/file-your-taxes) shows the steps. Help makes sense when the return gets complicated: business or rental income, a sale of property or shares, income from another country, or a return for someone who has died. A mistake there costs more than a fee. If you run a business, start with the [self-employed guide](https://tax-services.ca/guides/self-employed-and-small-business). Picture Dana in Winnipeg: one T4, a tuition slip and a few bucks of bank interest. Software does her return in half an hour. Her brother Marc sold a rental duplex and has a side contract. He's the one to call an accountant. ## What does a preparer do for you? A preparer collects your slips and receipts, completes the return, files it, and usually answers the CRA's questions about it. The CRA's page on [using a professional tax preparer](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/income-tax/personal-income-tax/how-file/tax-preparer.html) describes the same arrangement: they prepare the return and send it in electronically for a fee. An accountant can plan ahead too, like how to pay yourself from a company or when to claim a loss. No one can promise you a refund. If someone quotes a figure before they've seen your documents, or wants a cut of your refund as their fee, walk away, because a fee that rises with your refund rewards the preparer for the number and not for getting the return right. ## What should you ask before you hire? - What are you qualified to do, and who signs the return? - What's the fee in writing, and does it change if my return turns out harder than it looks? - If the CRA reviews the return later, will you answer for it, and is that included? - How do you store my documents and personal information? Fees vary with the work and the province, and there's no official price list to quote. Get two or three quotes for the same job. The article on the [cost of tax preparation by a CPA](https://tax-services.ca/articles/average-cost-of-tax-preparation-by-cpa-in-canada) explains how a quote gets built. ## How do you check someone? Ask for their name and credentials, then check a designation with the body that grants it. Our article on [certified tax preparers](https://tax-services.ca/articles/certified-tax-preparer) explains the terms people use. Never sign a blank form. You're responsible for what the return says, so read it before it goes in. ## What should you hand over, and what should you keep? Give a preparer copies of your slips and receipts, not your originals. Keep your own copy of the finished return, and hold on to the supporting papers for six years, which is how long the CRA's page says to keep them. If something looks odd, ask before they file. ## More about preparers and accountants --- Source: https://tax-services.ca/guides/choose-a-tax-preparer Last updated: 2026-10-05 Independent information site. Not affiliated with the CRA. No services, no guarantee of accuracy. See https://tax-services.ca/disclaimer