BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Last year, Bakersfield resident Melinda Pola decided to get her tax return done by a professional company. She went to the Liberty Tax Service officer on Ming Avenue.

She figured since they were professionals, her taxes were in good hands.

But a year later, Pola got some mail from the Internal Revenue Service.

"I thought it was a joke," Pola said is what she first thought when the letter told her she owed the IRS $1,105.

The reason she owes the money is because Liberty Tax's preparer didn't put the amount from box nine on Pola's W-2 onto lines 60 and 61 of her tax return.

Pola went back to Liberty about the costly mistake who told her they would only pay interest and penalties, which amounts to only $42.

Owner of Liberty Tax, Dick Nelsen admits the preparer made an error, but they're not responsible for the $1,105.

Nelsen explained that box nine on the W-2 is for money Pola had already gotten. So when that amount didn't get put on her taxes, Pola got the money a second time.

But Pola got the tax refund a year ago, so the money's already been spent. She thinks liberty should be the ones to pay it back.

"I provided them all the right information," she explained. "It's not my fault (the preparer) didn't see or pay attention or doesn't know how to do her job."

Even though it was the preparer's mistake Nelsen said they won't pay for it because Pola received the money.

Nelsen assures that they will keep a closer eye on people's returns to make sure mistakes like this don't happen again. Pola hopes that's true. "This is somebody's taxes you're messing with," she said. "It's not a game. This is life and I have to pay this back."

Pola said she doesn't know how she'll pay back the money because she's currently not working.

Nelsen adds that he did not own the Liberty office that did Pola's taxes last year, but now that he does he makes it a point to check 90% of the returns before they are sent off to the IRS.