Planning is a calendar, not an event
By the time a return is being prepared, almost every decision that affects the number has already been made. Entity structure, how owners are compensated, when equipment was purchased, which state the work was performed in, how the retirement plan is designed. All of it is locked.
We run a planning cycle instead. Projections in the second quarter, a mid-year review with adjustments, a fourth-quarter session where decisions still have room to move the outcome, and then a return that holds no surprises.
Where the money usually is
- Entity structure: whether an S-Corp election, a C-Corp, or a partnership is the right wrapper for how profit is actually distributed
- Reasonable compensation analysis for S-Corp owners, documented well enough to survive examination
- Depreciation strategy across Section 179, bonus depreciation and cost segregation on real property
- Federal and state research credits for companies developing products, software or processes
- Accountable plans, augmented home office treatment and fringe benefit structuring
- Retirement plan design, including defined benefit and cash balance plans for high-profit owner-operators
- Multi-state apportionment and nexus planning where you operate across state lines
- Timing of income and deductions across tax years where the rate environment makes it worthwhile
Multi-state and nexus exposure
Remote employees, inventory in third-party warehouses, and online sales all create filing obligations in states you may never have visited. Economic nexus thresholds differ state by state, and the penalties for late registration compound quietly until someone notices.
We map where you have income tax nexus, where you have sales tax nexus, and what it costs to register versus what it costs to be found. Where there is historic exposure, voluntary disclosure agreements usually cost far less than waiting.
Representation when the IRS writes
Notices, examinations, penalty abatement requests and collection matters are handled directly. You forward the letter and we take it from there. Most notices are resolvable at the correspondence level if they are answered properly and answered on time.
Frequently asked questions
When should we start planning for this tax year?
The useful window is roughly March through November. A January conversation about the year that just closed is a compliance conversation, not a planning one.
Do you prepare the returns as well?
Yes. Federal and state returns for the entity and for the owners, prepared from books we maintain or review, so the return ties to the financials without reconciliation work.
Are the savings figures on your site typical?
They are actual outcomes from specific engagements, and they are not a forecast for any other business. What is achievable depends on entity structure, profit level, asset base and state footprint. The first consultation is where we establish whether there is anything meaningful to find.