Why not do it yourself? When it comes to tax time, is it really necessary ...

Why not do it yourself? When it comes to tax time, is it really necessary to pay a professional? Why can't we just file on our own? If your return is straight forward, a tax software program may work, but John Olds, franchise owner for Jackson Hewitt, an income tax service in Naperville, warns against them. "We've found that sometimes you don't get all of the deductions that you should," he said. "If you come to us, we probe and get every deduction that is possible for you. Online tax programs don't necessarily get all of the deductions that you should get and that could add up to hundreds of dollars." Another reason to go to a tax preparer like Jackson Hewitt is that you can get your return instantly. "People are out of work, and they need money, and they need it pretty quickly," he said. "We are not a bank, but we use a bank. We use a bank to give them money. Then the bank is paid back when the IRS sends a check a few weeks later. "For people who do their taxes on the Internet or on their own, they are generally not able to get their money right away. People come to us because we can provide them with money within 24 to 48 hours, and they can't do that online." The economy did take a toll on the tax prep business. "Last year, we did see a slight decline," said Olds. "I think it was because people really didn't have the money to come in and have their taxes prepared. I suspect this year we will be back up again." Susan S. Lewis, CPA, a Naperville-based tax preparer, has experienced the opposite. "We have not seen a drop in business," she said. "There have been so many changes in the tax law. It affected so many people that they've been scared to do a return on their own. They are worried about getting all the deductions they can." - Katie Morell