What actually happens when a letter arrives
Most letters from a tax authority are routine and resolve with one documented response. Here's how to tell what you're holding, and what to do first.
ReadWRITING
Plain answers to the questions we get most.
No jargon, no scare tactics, and no promises about outcomes. Just the explanations we find ourselves giving on the phone, written down.
START HERE
The ones people read first.
If you're new to working with a tax firm, these three cover most of what comes up.
CPA, Enrolled Agent, or tax preparer: who does what
The credentials behind tax work are genuinely different from each other, and the distinction matters most at the moment you'd least want to discover it.
ReadWhat to bring to your first tax appointment
A practical checklist for a first meeting with a new preparer — what actually matters, what can wait, and why the missing pieces are rarely a problem.
ReadEVERYTHING ELSE
All articles.
Audit & NoticesBookkeepingBusiness TaxTax PreparationWorking With Us
Your first year self-employed: what nobody warns you about
The tax surprises in a first year of self-employment are predictable, avoidable, and almost universally experienced anyway.
6 min read
Paying yourself from your own business
How owners take money out is one of the most consequential decisions in small business tax, and one of the most commonly handled by instinct.
6 min read
What an examination actually involves
Audits are less common, more procedural, and more survivable than their reputation suggests — particularly with representation and documentation.
7 min read
What to look for in a tax professional
Beyond the credential, a handful of questions separate a firm that will serve you well from one that will file your return and disappear.
6 min read
Why year-round planning beats the April scramble
Nearly everything that changes a tax outcome has a deadline, and most of those deadlines fall before the year ends — not when the return is prepared.
5 min read
Organizing records for a rental property
Rental property generates more tax complexity than most owners anticipate — and most of it is manageable if the records are set up correctly from the start.
6 min read
Recordkeeping: what to keep, and what you can let go
Most people keep either everything or nothing. The useful approach is neither, and it turns on which records prove something that can't be reconstructed.
6 min read
Life changes that quietly reshape your return
The events that most affect a tax return don't arrive with a form attached. They're the ones you have to mention.
6 min read
Filing in more than one state: what changes
Remote work, a move, or property in another state can create filing obligations people don't expect. The rules are state-specific and the defaults are not intuitive.
7 min read
What catch-up bookkeeping actually involves
Years of unreconciled books feel like an unsolvable problem. They're a known quantity with a defined process, and they're more recoverable than people expect.
6 min read
Estimated taxes: who actually needs to think about them
The tax system assumes you pay as you earn. When income arrives without withholding, that assumption becomes your responsibility — and the penalty for missing it is avoidable.
6 min read
When changing your business structure is actually worth it
Entity structure gets discussed as though one option is simply better. It isn't — it's a trade, and the trade only pays above a certain point.
8 min read
Why your books matter more than your tax return
The return is a report on decisions already made. The books are what let you make better ones while there's still time.
6 min read
Rather just ask someone?
Most of these questions are quicker to answer on a call than to read about. No obligation, and a clear quote if you want one.