Category: Taxes

  • Sample Tax Services Agreement

    This page is outdated. A more recent version is available: Sample accounting services engagement agreement 2021 Each year I’ve modified my tax services engagement agreement as circumstances and technologies change. This is the current version of the individual tax service engagement agreement. The primary goal of the engagement agreement remains the same: to document our mutual understanding…

  • Income earned in multiple states creates tax filing difficulties

    Income earned in multiple states can pose a serious problem at tax filing time. I borrowed this example from a tax professionals online post: “Client walks in a $10,000 W2 and has about 20 states on it, with between $150-$800 wages for each state, but zero withholdings in those states. Total AGI (self employed) is…

  • It’s not too late for professional tax filing services!

    It is still possible to get fast and efficient late season tax services with the full professional attention that your important tax and financial details. I reserve some time late in the season to accommodate new clients and, in fact, this has become a primary marketing tool of my tax practice. Timing: I offer a…

  • LinkedIn ProFinder to market low cost tax services

    LinkedIn ProFinder to market low cost tax services

    updated November 9, 2017 I tested a new marketing tool using LinkedIn ProFinder to promote my low-cost online tax filing service. This blog post explains my project and hopefully serves as a basis for further marketing discussion among peers and advisers. This post documents the process I used to develop and test the online lead generation…

  • Our plans to widen the US wealth gap

    Our plans to widen the US wealth gap

    The United States is an amazingly rich nation. Our net worth of about one hundred trillion dollars works out to about $300,000 for every person across the country. Of course we know that wealth is not distributed evenly like this. Most of that wealth is held by a few people. Half of our nation’s wealth is controlled…

  • Petty Pennsylvania tax penalty

    Petty Pennsylvania tax penalty

    Tax professionals seem to love sharing bizarre stories of the trade especially when the taxpayer or the government acts in some silly manner. I am no exception. Recently I settled a multi-year complex tax problem for a small business client in Pennsylvania. I figured that, as happened in this case, if I can negotiate a…

  • The push for release of the president’s tax returns

    The push for release of the president’s tax returns

    New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell has taken a lead role in pushing Congress to legally obtain a copy of Trump’s tax returns as permitted under Internal Revenue Code section 6103(f). The initiative is likely to ultimately be successful since apparently a strong majority of Americans support the initiative and the Republicans blocking the disclosure are weakening in…

  • A tale of two tax penalties 

    A small business client – a small charity – had an open wage tax penalty issue when I started working with them three years ago. I looked into it, got the amount decreased by a little bit and advised them to pay it ASAP. Then over the next two years they received two more tax penalty…

  • CPA sends ultimatum to small businesses

    I regret that  had to send a few small business clients an ultimatum this morning over what appears to be an unwillingness to address new tougher IRS tax filing requirements. This follows after I notified clients of the new filing requirement a few months ago, offered to handle the flings, but they declined. While the business tax…

  • Free online tax return preparation offer

    Free online tax return preparation offer

    I will offer one free online tax filing service per day (subject to limitations) as a promotion of the advantages online remote professional accounting services. In this second week of February 2017 my peer accountants with brick and mortar offices were already reporting tax season work overloads. Meanwhile in my virtual online office I am now caught…