It’s that time of year again and Dr. Gwennetta Wright of Xpert Tax Service has some free advice for tax filers this season. Beware of tax professionals advertising large refunds without knowing your individual situation. “That’s ultimately a red flag because no one can tell you what you’re going to get back based off the fact that they have to know what your income is, they have to know how many dependents that you have, they have to know your situation,” Dr. Wright said.
Dr. Wright said all tax professionals that file professionally through the IRS must also have a PTIN. PTIN stands for Preparer Tax Identification Number, and you should never do business with a tax preparer without one.
“I would tell people that professional tax preparation is really important even though there are a lot of do-it-yourself things and the reason why is because of the tax law.” Dr. Wright said people who file their own taxes often miss out on important credits or deductions. “I’ve seen so many DIY people do the taxes themselves, and they miss so many deductions and different types of expenses because they weren’t aware of the things they actually qualify for.”
A new deduction this year is the car interest deduction. People who have brand new cars are able to deduct their interest this tax season if they qualify. “So, a lot of people think that if they bought a new car in 2025, they can just write that off this year and there’s guidelines behind it. It has to be a brand-new car. It has to be a car that’s assembled in the U.S.A. It also has to start with a certain VIN number,” Dr. Wright said.
Dr. Wright said she is always surprised by tax filers confused about what age to stop claiming your dependent. “So many people think that when their dependent starts to work that they no longer can claim them. I’m shocked at how many people don’t know that their dependent still can file their own taxes and they still can file (claim) them as well.”
Dr. Gwennetta Wright’s office is located at 3604 Macon Road in Columbus. You can also follow Dr. Wright on Facebook at Xpert Tax Service LLC for more videos and free tax advice.
