DC Ranks #3 in the Nation for Tax Help

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Worried about someone else handling your taxes? If you live in DC, no need to sweat it. The nation’s capital ranks #3 in the nation on WalletHub’s “Best States for Tax Help.”

Because who wants to spend 16 hours to do your taxes? (That’s the amount of time the IRS estimates it takes to do them ourselves, according to WalletHub). Like State & Local Tax Rates, the accessibility, affordability and effectiveness of tax help varies significantly, according to WalletHub’s new report on the Best & Worst States for Tax Help.

How did they come up with their rankings? WalletHub compared the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia in terms of six key metrics– ranging from the number of accountants per 1,000 people to their average workload and hourly compensation.

In addition, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue offers free help. OTR will prepare, for free, District individual income tax returns for anyone requesting this service.The AARP Foundation also offers free help with your taxes. You can locate an AARP Foundation tax aide here.

Here are the top 10 states for tax help, as ranked by WalletHub:

1. North Dakota
2. Massachusetts
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Minnesota
5. Colorado (tied for #5)
6. Connecticut (tied with Colorado for #5)
7. Oklahoma
8. Washington
9. New York
10. Maryland

Tax Facts

• There is an average of four accountants per capita in the U.S., with each handling roughly 225 returns.
• 57 percent of people pay someone to prepare and file their return.
• 2.3M filers made “math errors” in 2013.
• The percentage of filers paying for tax help is two times higher in New York than in Washington.
• The number of accountants per 1,000 people is 10 times higher in D.C. than in Mississippi.
• The number of accounting job openings per 1,000 people is also 66-times higher in the District relative to the Magnolia State.
• The number of returns filed per accountant is seven-times higher in Mississippi than in D.C.