I did our family’s tax return this weekend.

First a hat tip to our readers at the Internal Revenue Service, who get hammered by a public who doesn’t understand the importance or difficulty of your work.  This is not a “bash-the-IRS” post.

It IS a post to tell you that I’m reminded of a truism that my dad told me: “there are some things you should let an expert do.”  I recently was talking to Ed Zurndorfer, one of the financial experts that we have on The Federal Drive and Your Turn with Mike Causey.  I told him I was about to do my taxes, and asked him if he would check them over for me.  He generously agreed.

He looked them over and asked me if we had sent my son to any day care in 2007.  “Summer camps, classes, anything like that?”  Turns out we had—and thanks to Ed’s tip, we got an extra refund that we weren’t expecting.

Getting tax returns prepared can be like selling a house: it might cost you more, but you may well come out ahead.  Many tax professionals will do a free or low-cost quickie review of your tax situation to give you an idea if they can help you save money.  The catch: they can’t do it now, when the customers they KNOW are going to pay them need their work done, and it can’t wait so they can pay attention to customers that MIGHT pay them.

So make a note:  about the middle of May, six weeks from now, start shopping around for a tax professional to at least look over your return.  Because sometimes, you don’t know what you’re missing.

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Reminder:  I’ll be at FOSE the next few days at the Washington Convention Center .  Mike and I will be hosting the “Mike Causey Pay and Benefits Rodeo,” and we would love to meet you.  Stop by the Federal News Radio booth near the