The only time I'd use a tax preparer is to handle a specific situation and then I'd want exact copies of every form submitted. The last thing I need is a tax preparer who has things set up such that I can't figure out what was filed, knowing that if I file myself and use a different calculation method things will mismatch.
If I do it myself I can fathom it all out and maintain control over the whole thing. If I was confident that a professional would save me more in taxes than they charged me I'd look into it but at present I think I'm pretty good at reading the forms and calculating the best way to process everything. Once you've done the work to understand what goes on which form it's vastly easier in subsequent years.
