Three Top Tax Preparation Firms in Benton Harbor, Michigan

As the commercial center for Berrien County, Michigan, the bustling community of Benton Harbor has a full contingent of tax preparers, from the small mom-and-pop shops to some of the country's largest tax-house franchises.

Here are three of the city's best: Tri-County Bookkeepers; Jackson Hewitt Tax Service; and H & R Block Tax Service.

Tri-County Bookkeepers

When Doris Gard started her tax services company in her home's breezeway 50 years ago, she told neighbors and clients she didn't simply want to do tax returns. Beyond helping her friends and neighbors with the mechanics of filling out a 1040, she wanted to help them better prepare for their financial future. She wanted to help people save money by tax planning.

The three owners who've run Tri-County Bookkeepers in the past five decades have followed her lead, offering a wide range individual tax preparation and financial consulting services with a personal, neighborly touch.

From long-range education financing to medical emergency nest eggs to retirement planning, Tri-County Bookkeepers knows the advantages and disadvantages or each program, and keeps its 1,000 individual clients on top of changing tax laws all year long, avoiding last-minute surprises that can cost big bucks at tax time.

You'll find Tri-County Bookkeepers at 2056 Plaza Drive in Benton Harbor, MI 49022. Hours are by appointment. Phone them at 269-926-2191 or fax them at 269-926-7622.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service

Do you know the 50 tax deductions that you're most likely to overlook? The tax professionals in Jackson Hewitt Tax Service's four-season Benton Harbor office do, and they share that type of information, and more, with their clients all year long.

In addition to tax preparation and filing, specialties of this firm include electronic filings, tax-anticipation loans, late-filing assistance and tax-audit guidance.

The franchise operates one full-service main office in the community, and Jackson Hewitt serves hundreds of local taxes-only clients through three local offices they operate during tax time. The huge national firm itself is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. But its 4,500 franchise locations are usually independently owned, so residents who use the service will still enjoy that small-town ambience.

In Benton Harbor, you'll find Jackson Hewitt tax preparation assistance at 1394 Mall Drive, year-round. Hours vary, so call first: 269-927-3403. During tax season, the three J-H local offices are located at 1584 M 139, 1800 Pipestone Road; and 1400 Mall Drive. These three seasonal offices share a single telephone number that clients may call for times of operation at tax-time: 269-927-3403.

H & R Block Tax Service

H & R Block is another large franchise firm with multiple offices in Benton Harbor. And this highly effective national firm wants to see its clients coming and going.

Not only do they offer among the most complete tax preparation and filing services in the country, they actively seek new tax preparers from the communities in which they do business. Many local residents in the market for some extra cash at tax time learn the H & R Block techniques, work in an H & R office, and see money coming in, instead of going out, in an extra paycheck come April 15.

The community's three H & R Block offices and phone numbers are Mall Drive in the Kmart Plaza, phone 269-926-8838; 1044 East Napier Avenue, phone 269-925-6638; and 1960 Pipestone Road, phone 927-6855. Office hours vary, so be sure to call ahead.