Income Tax Preparation

We prepare returns for individuals, corporations, partnerships, estates and trusts, and non-profits. Both offices do the same work, and we take clients from outside Orange County.

A return is the record of a year, not a snapshot of April. Most of what sets the final number was decided months earlier — how the business is structured, when equipment was bought, which account a payment came out of. So we ask about the year, not only about the paperwork.

Before the appointment

Bring last year’s return and whatever forms have arrived. If you would rather come prepared, there is a checklist of what to bring.

A missing form is not a reason to put the appointment off. It is quicker to work out what is absent with the rest of it in front of us.

Planning happens the rest of the year

Filing season is too late to change most outcomes. Retirement contributions, equipment purchases, entity choice and estimated payments all have to be decided while the year is still running. We look at those with clients through the year, not in March.

If a letter arrives

Most IRS letters are not audits, and nearly all of them can be answered. We respond on your behalf and represent clients before the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board. That work is described under tax audit defense, and there is a plainer guide to what to do when a notice arrives.

For businesses

A business return sits on top of the year’s records. Payroll filings, sales tax and property tax all feed into it, and so does the state of the books. We handle payroll and bookkeeping for clients who would rather not.

Call for a free consultation and we will tell you what your situation needs.