Individual taxpayers find tax return preparation so confusing that many pay a professional to do it for them. But which tax preparer should you choose?

Different types of tax preparation professionals have varying degrees of training and experience. A few states regulate tax preparers. The Internal Revenue Service also has begun a system to track and, in some cases, test tax preparers.

But it is the responsibility of taxpayers to determine which tax pro is best for their personal tax situations.

Read on to find out about your tax preparer choices.