It’s best to find out if they have passed the CPA exam, which allows them to call themselves a CPA. You may want to find out how long they have been practicing as a certified public accountant, where they went to school, if they participate in continuing education courses, if they represent you in the event that you are audited, the type of software that they use to run their practice, what their rates/fees are, whether they handle clients in a similar financial situation, and do they have staff necessary to handle tax season.