Frequently Asked Questions

1. I just received a letter from the IRS and/or the State’s Department of Revenue. What should I do?

   In order for us to help you, we would have to know what is in the letter, so the best way for us to assist you, is to receive a copy of the letter by mail, fax, or e-mail.

2. If I don’t have my W-2 yet, could I use my last check stub to get my tax returns prepared?

   Not all check stubs contain the information that we need, and often times the information on the check stub is different from the W-2; so the best thing to do is to wait for your W-2.

3. Do you e-file?

   Yes, we do.

4. How can I get an appointment?

   Call the office and speak to one of our employees about setting up an appointment.

5. What information do I need to bring in order to prepare my tax returns?

   The basic information that we need is W-2’s, 1099's, mortgage interest, interest income, medical expenses, work expenses, property tax, and school/day care expense along with the address and federal id/social security number for the institution/person. However the more information that you bring the better we can service you, so bring anything that you think we might need.

6. I live out of state/country or just can’t schedule an appointment; can I still get my taxes done?

   If for some reason you can’t schedule an appointment, you can in turn drop off or mail your information to us. We will call you when it is completed or if we need any additional information from you.

7. When can I claim someone as a dependent?

   There are five (5) special rules that must all be satisfied to claim someone as a dependent on your tax return:

   1. Citizenship:  The person you want to claim as a dependent must be a citizen of the United States or resident of the United States, Canada or Mexico.  The child of a U.S. citizen is U.S. citizen even if he or she is born in a foreign country.  Any child born in the U.S. is a U.S. citizen even if the parents are not U.S. citizens.  If you adopt a child from a foreign country, the child becomes a U.S. citizen when he or she arrives in the U.S.  If you are adopting a child from a foreign country, the child must live with you in the U.S. the entire year to qualify as your dependent.

   2. Relationship:  The person you want to claim, as a dependent must either be related to you or live with you the entire year.

   3. No Joint Return Filed by Dependent:  The person you want to claim as a dependent cannot file a joint tax return, unless the person and his or her spouse did not have to file a tax return, and would not owe any taxes if he or she had filed separate form his or her spouse.

   4. Income Limits (“Gross Income Test”):  The person you want to claim as your dependent may not have had gross income of more than $2800 in 2000, except if the person is under 19 at the end of the year, or under age 24 at the end of the year, and is a full-time student for five calendar months of the year.  Also, nontaxable scholarship money spent of tuition, books, and required fees is not counted.

   If the person is permanently and totally disabled and earns money from a tax-exempt workshop or government program, that money is not counted toward this test.

   Gross business profit and total rental income is counted.  You can’t deduct the expenses of running the business or rental property.

   5. Support:  You must provide more than half the support for the person you want to claim as a dependent.

8. I own a business; could you prepare my company’s payroll, W-2’s, 1099’s, etc.?

   Yes, besides preparing personal tax returns, we also work with many companies in preparing a wide variety of services for them.

9. Do I need to schedule an appointment to prepare my company’s W-2’s or 1099’s?

   No, all you have to do is drop off your information.

10. Do I need to schedule an appointment to prepare my company’s tax returns?

    Yes.

11. Do you handle representation/auditing cases?

    Yes