{"id":274564,"date":"2026-02-11T12:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-california-law-only-approved-tax-preparers-can-file-your-taxes-heres-how-to-check\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T12:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:51:00","slug":"english-california-law-only-approved-tax-preparers-can-file-your-taxes-heres-how-to-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/english-california-law-only-approved-tax-preparers-can-file-your-taxes-heres-how-to-check\/","title":{"rendered":"California Law: Only Approved Tax Preparers Can File Your Taxes&#8211;Here&#8217;s How to Check"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p>The California Tax Education Council warns thousands of tax preparers do not have the required credentials to prepare tax returns professionally.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\">SACRAMENTO, Calif.<\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\">Feb. 11, 2026<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Tax season is here, and choosing the right tax preparer is more important than ever. Yet every year, many Californians select a tax preparer on a whim\u2014 risking their finances and personal information.<\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpgcbb4left\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"width: 100%; text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpgcbb4left\" title=\"CTEC Logo\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2868341\/CTEC_Logo.jpg\" alt=\"CTEC Logo\" align=\"middle\"\/><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;When people are stressed about taxes, it&#8217; s all too easy to fall for promises that seem too good to be true. Unfortunately, that&#8217; s exactly how many scams begin,&#8221; said Fernando Angell, chair of the <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=2559070574&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fctec.org%2F&amp;a=California+Tax+Education+Council+(CTEC)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">California Tax Education Council (CTEC)<\/a>, a state-mandated nonprofit organization that registers almost 40,000 tax preparers statewide.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike most states, California has strict standards for paid tax preparers. State law requires anyone who prepares tax returns for a fee to be either an <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=842784081&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.calbar.ca.gov%2Fattorney%2FLicenseeSearch%2FQuickSearch&amp;a=attorney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">attorney<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=2922428283&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.calbar.ca.gov%2F&amp;a=State+Bar+of+California\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">State Bar of California<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=2155642184&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dca.ca.gov%2Fcba%2Fconsumers%2Flicense-lookup.shtml&amp;a=certified+public+accountant+(CPA)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">certified public accountant (CPA)<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=3959881040&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dca.ca.gov%2Fcba%2F&amp;a=California+Board+of+Accountancy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">California Board of Accountancy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=484235437&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctec.org%2Ftaxpayers%2Fwhat-is-crtp&amp;a=CTEC-registered+tax+preparer+(CRTP)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">CTEC-registered tax preparer (CRTP)<\/a>, or IRS <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=626456436&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Firs.treasury.gov%2Frpo%2Frpo.jsf&amp;a=enrolled+agent+(EA)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">enrolled agent (EA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Preparing taxes without the proper credentials is illegal in California and can result in penalties of up to $5,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=959940329&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ftb.ca.gov%2Findex.html&amp;a=California+Franchise+Tax+Board+(FTB)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">California Franchise Tax Board (FTB)<\/a>, the enforcement arm of CTEC.<\/p>\n<p>Even though professional tax preparers are required to sign the returns they prepare, taxpayers are ultimately responsible for everything reported on their tax return\u2014 whether it&#8217; s correct, incorrect, or even fraudulent.<\/p>\n<p><b>What to watch out for:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Guaranteed refunds:<\/b> Reputable preparers never promise a refund before reviewing your information.<\/p>\n<p><b>Unsigned returns:<\/b> By law, preparers must sign your tax return and include their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).<\/p>\n<p><b>Suspicious fees:<\/b> Fees should be based on the complexity of your return, not the size of your refund.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If they base anything where they get a piece of your refund, that is a red flag,&#8221; Angell said.<\/p>\n<p>CTEC is a nonprofit established by the California State Legislature in 1997 to protect taxpayers from fraud and unqualified tax preparers. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=673645707&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fctec.org%2F&amp;a=ctec.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">ctec.org<\/a> for more information, or listen to the CTEC podcast at <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=186489656&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Ftaxpayerbeware.org%2F&amp;a=taxpayerbeware.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">taxpayerbeware.org<\/a>, also available in Spanish.<\/p>\n<p>Logo &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4616976-1&amp;h=2366143182&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F2868341%2FCTEC_Logo.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F2868341%2FCTEC_Logo.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2868341\/CTEC_Logo.jpg<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>SOURCE California Tax Education Council (CTEC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p>The California Tax Education Council warns thousands of tax preparers do not have the required credentials to prepare tax returns professionally.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\">SACRAMENTO, Calif.<\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\">Feb. 11, 2026<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Tax season is here, and choosing the right tax preparer is more important than ever. Yet every year, many Californians select a tax preparer on a whim\u2014 risking their finances and personal information.<\/p>\n<p>&lt;div id=&quot;prni_dvprnejpgcbb4left&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":274565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-negocios-y-finanzas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}