Frequently Asked Questions

Our standard billing procedure is to bill as work is completed. We bill according to time spent. Payment is required upon receipt. All standard forms of payment are accepted including credit cards.

We are available during normal business hours, which are 8:00 to 5:30, Monday through Friday. Hours may be extended during tax season and we would be happy to make special arrangements for evening or weekend appointments.

We will spend up to one full hour with you at no charge, going over the return in question with you. After that, our regular fees apply.

We have taken materials in almost every imaginable form. Remember though, the better organized your materials are the more efficient and cost effective we can be. Contact us with any specific questions you may have.

Of course, we ask you to send us your information as soon as possible once you have organized and reviewed a complete set of information. Our work flow provides a faster turn-around time the earlier information is received. We work on “in-office” returns on a first in first out basis.  To insure your individual tax return is completed by the April 15th deadline, tax documents must “generally” be submitted to us no later than March 15th. If we receive your tax documents after the March 15th date we still may have your return completed by the April 15th deadline but it is not guaranteed.   If we cannot complete the return by April 15th  we will file an extension.

Filing an extension extends the time to file the return but not the time to pay your tax.  When filing an extension you should have your total tax liability paid in full for the year.  Since you probably will not know the exact amount of tax liability for the year you should estimate it based on the information you do have available.  We are available to assist you in calculating this amount so that you can eliminate or substantially reduce any penalties for late payment of tax.

In regards to businesses, the tax code in section 162 provides "ordinary and necessary expenses" are allowed as deductions. But the tax code is thousands and thousands of pages long, so please contact us for application of specific situations. The best approach for you is to be as organized and accurate as possible in accumulating financial information and to contact us if there are any questions or concerns as to a deduction prior to the expenditure.

We encourage electronic filing of tax returns and there is no extra charge to have it done. The benefit is that we receive confirmation your return has been accepted by the IRS, so electronic filing is as good as certified mail without the hassle of a trip to the post office. All we need from you is a signature on an IRS form authorizing electronic filing. Almost anyone is eligible to file electronically as long as the tax return is not being filed after its extended due date. If you are expecting a refund, it will be received much sooner than traditional paper filing of your tax returns. An electronically filed return can usually have the refund received in 10-14 days versus six to eight weeks for a refund from a paper filed return. If you would like direct deposit of the refund directly to your checking or savings account we will need your checking or savings routing and account numbers. Refunds can be split between accounts in certain circumstances. If you have a balance due, the IRS will allow you to have the tax drafted from a banking account electronically. If you ask us to process your payment electronically, we will need your bank account and routing number. We suggest the payment is scheduled for the due date of the return, unless you direct us otherwise. However, you do not have to submit a payment electronically if you owe tax. You are still able to submit payment with a voucher we provide you, Form 1040-V. Many state returns can be filed electronically and have the ability to direct deposit and draft for balances owed. We do not offer and do not advise the use of refund anticipation loans.

• Individual Returns :: April 15th
  { if extended, October 15th }
• Partnership Returns :: April 15th
  { if extended, September 15th }
• Corporations and S-Corporations :: March 15th
  { if extended, September 15th }
• Corporations and S-Corporations - fiscal year end:: due 15th day of the third month after close of the fiscal year.
  { if extended, due the 15th day of the ninth month after close of the fiscal year. }
• Payroll reports ::
  • Form 941
    April 30th, July 31st, October 31st, January 31st
  • Form 940 and Form 944 :: due January 31st
  • Form K-1 :: due either weekly, semi-monthly, monthly or quarterly
  • Form IT-501:: due either weekly, monthly or quarterly
  • Form WH-1:: due either monthly or quarterly
  • Local Forms:: due monthly or quarterly
  • Forms W-2 :: submitted to employees by January 31st
  • Form W-3 :: submit to the Social Security Administration by February 28th
  * Please be aware of your filing requirements for payroll whether weekly, semi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, or quarterly.
• Forms 1099  :: sent to individuals by January 31st
• Forms 1096 ::  filed with the IRS by February 28th

There are various negative consequences to filing and paying taxes late. They include (1) late filing penalty (2) late payment penalty and (3) interest on past due amounts. Quite often, overlooked or neglected filings incur all three of these assessments. We make every attempt to avoid penalties and interest. If you find yourself in a situation in which you can not pay tax you have incurred, please discuss with us in advance and we can advise you on the best ways to avoid as much penalty and interest as possible.  Generally you should file the return even if you cannot pay the tax to avoid the late filing penalty.

You may choose to enter into an installment agreement with the IRS. The IRS charges a one-time fee of $105 for this service, but it is reduced to $52 if you sign up to have the IRS process your payments electronically. Interest and late payment penalties will continue to accrue. The IRS will generally negotiate to a fair monthly payment such that past taxes are paid in full in a fair amount of time.

If you are a client of ours, please fax or email a copy of the notice to our office as soon as possible. If we prepared your return, quite often the notice can be easily resolved with no adverse effects. We may ask you to sign a Form 2848, Power of Attorney, such that we may discuss the situation directly with the IRS on your behalf. If we did not prepare your return, we will be glad to assist you in resolving the problem as quickly and favorably as possible. We will need you to sign a Form 2848, Power of Attorney, and provide us with copies of the tax return as filed with supporting documentation. If you are being audited, we can also represent you before the IRS.

For tax purposes, we generally recommend you keep your records for seven years. For records involving purchases of assets or investments, we recommend keeping those as long as you hold the asset or investment, and then, seven years after-wards. The reason seven years is suggested is because the IRS may be able to go back six years once a return is filed if certain deductions or elections were made.  If you own a business and have payroll, you are also required to have seven years of records.

Yes, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and most debit cards.