Signs your current tax person is missing deductions you're owed

You've just received your tax refund and it's smaller than you expected. Or you're chatting to a colleague who mentions deductions you never knew existed, and they're wondering why your tax person never flagged them. That gnawing feeling—that something's been left on the table—is worth taking seriously. A tax practitioner's job is not just to file your return; it's to ensure you're claiming every legitimate deduction available to you. When that's not happening, you need to know the warning signs.

Your practitioner asks minimal questions about your work life

A red flag appears when your tax person takes your figures without digging deeper. If you mention you work from home, travelled for business, or bought equipment for your job, a thorough practitioner will ask follow-up questions: how many days a week do you work from home, what percentage of your home's costs can reasonably be apportioned, did you claim the vehicle expense or mileage, what professional memberships do you hold. If they nod, smile and move on, they're likely missing deductions.

The same applies if you're self-employed or run a side hustle. A cursory glance at your income figures, with no questions about supplies, subscriptions, training, travel, or home office setup, suggests they're not hunting for the full picture. Legitimate business expenses reduce your taxable income, and a passive approach costs you money.

Before you leave their office or end the consultation, ask them to walk you through every deduction they've claimed on your behalf. If they struggle to explain the logic or seem vague about eligibility, that's a prompt to seek a second opinion.

Your return looks identical to last year

Tax situations change. Your circumstances this year may differ from last year—a new job, additional income, home office equipment purchased, professional development courses, medical expenses, donations to registered charities, or investment losses. If your practitioner submits a return that mirrors the previous year's without asking what's new, they're on autopilot.

A competent tax practitioner begins each engagement by understanding what's different. Did you earn income from a new source? Did you incur capital losses? Did you pay for professional indemnity insurance or study fees? Did you claim deductions last year that you might have overlooked?

After you've received your filing, review it against last year's. If the deductions are suspiciously similar, or if you know things have changed but the return doesn't reflect that, it's time to ask questions. You can request a detailed breakdown of every deduction claimed and ask them to justify each one against your circumstances. If they can't, or if they're defensive, consider finding someone more engaged.

You never see a draft or explanation of what was claimed

Some practitioners file your return and send you a copy only after it's been submitted to SARS. This is poor practice. A responsible practitioner shares a draft with you, explains the main deductions and their reasoning, and gives you a chance to query or add information before anything is filed.

Without this step, you have no opportunity to catch omissions or errors. You might only discover weeks later that a significant deduction wasn't included—by which time a correction becomes more cumbersome. Insist on seeing a draft before filing and taking time to review it carefully.

If you're unsure whether a deduction is legitimate, ask your practitioner to explain it in writing. A good one will do so readily. If they're evasive or tell you not to worry about the details, that's a sign they may not be scrutinising the return as closely as they should.

Moving forward

Your tax return is too important to leave to someone who operates on default settings. The best practitioners are curious, detail-oriented, and proactive about maximising your legitimate position. If yours isn't showing those traits, a conversation might help—or it might be time to find someone who will. Strove lets you compare verified tax practitioners, read their profiles and client feedback, and reach out with your specific situation before committing. Taking time to vet your tax support now can unlock deductions you've been missing for years.