Attention all you CPAs!!!!!!

[Alexander215]

I haven't taken offence at all as I have no concept of books nor would I ever want to, the family accountant has always done my taxes and will do the books for my business if I open one. I think I was confusing CPA's with something else related.

[Phantom]

Go to a local college that has its students do a work term, find the college that trains cpa's, get a student for a work term and pay nothing.

There are no colleges that "train CPAs".  You can earn a degree in accounting and typically that includes two courses on taxation - one course for individual taxation and another for corporate taxation.  Both are just general overviews and do not even begin to cover what needs to be known to do what GASlick needs to have done.   

This is true. I'm a recent graduate with a BS degree in accounting (ha, pun!), and there is no way I am prepared for this type of assignment. Some of the students in my courses, who had previous work experience, might have been able to do it though. I'm finding that there is no substitute for on the job training, and getting that training can be very difficult.

[bludger44]

I'm not a CPA yet...I'm on my way. I have one section passed, three more to go.

As far as $700, I don't think it is that unreasonable.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Another caution, when you do select the CPA for the work, even if they're quite good, their work is defined by your input and so it is ESSENTIAL that you completely check their work to make sure they understood in detail what you gave them.  Case in point, I put my apartment building back in service this year, March, after a long and tedious rehab after Hurricane Katrina and the flooding and fighting w/ the insurance adjusters, etc.  My CPA didn't pick up the rehab costs in excess of depreciated value, and I would have had to refile an amended return to pick up the new depreciation resulting from the costs of renovating the structure.
Lesson:  Check the return completely and ask questions if everything you provided is not reflected in the return.