Your rights regarding tax preparers
Using a tax professional
Even when you use a tax professional, your rights are the same. However, we understand that sometimes you may have concerns about your tax professional. You may be able to resolve common misunderstandings about their services—or the quality or timeliness of those services—through direct and open communication with your preparer. If you cannot resolve a problem, and you believe your preparer violated New York State’s tax preparer regulations, we urge you to file a complaint with our office.
Office of Professional Responsibility
The Tax Department's Office of Professional Responsibility is committed to holding tax preparers to the highest standards of quality service. The Office works closely with professional societies, consumer advocacy groups, and law enforcement to ensure all tax preparers perform their duties in an ethical and legal manner.
How we protect you
The Consumer Bill of Rights Regarding Tax Preparers describes your rights and contains important information about how to protect yourself from unfair practices.
The Tax Department maintains a searchable database of persons who have registered with us as tax preparers or refund anticipation loan or check facilitators. Before you hire a tax preparer, you can search the database of New York State Registered Tax Return Preparers and Facilitators to see if your preparer has registered.
If you're aware of a tax preparer who has or is engaged in illegal or improper conduct, file a tax preparer complaint. The Tax Department will review your complaint promptly and, where appropriate, take corrective action, which may include sanctions.
You can notify us:
- online using our Tax Preparer Complaint service, or
- by phone at 518-530-HELP (select option #2).
