Common questions

It depends on how you plan to take money out, whether you'll have partners or employees, and what your liability exposure looks like.

An LLC, an S-corporation, a C-corporation and a partnership are each taxed differently and carry different paperwork. Make the choice deliberately at the start. You can change it later, but rarely for free. Bring me the plan for the business and we'll work out which structure fits.

The rule is that an expense ordinary and necessary for your business is deductible. That covers more than most owners claim, and less than a few try to.

The gray areas are where it pays to ask: vehicle use, the home office, meals, travel that mixes business with personal, and equipment you could expense or depreciate. Small business is most of my practice, and finding the full set of legitimate deductions is a good part of what you're paying a CPA for.

By planning during the year instead of reacting after it ends. Once December 31 passes, most of the levers are gone.

The ones that matter most for small business owners are entity structure, retirement plan contributions, how owners take compensation, and the timing of income and big purchases. A conversation in the fall is usually worth more than anything anyone can do for you in April.

Some records you should never throw out. Property and formation documents, closing statements, records of improvements to real estate, retirement plan records and estate documents all establish basis or standing you might need decades from now.

For tax records, six years is the practical answer. The IRS can generally look back three, but that stretches to six when income is substantially understated, and if a return was never filed there's no limit at all.

Businesses should keep permanent files: formation documents, minutes, major contracts, depreciation schedules and asset records.

Software is good at arithmetic and bad at judgment. It won't tell you that you picked the wrong entity three years ago, that a transaction should have been structured differently, or that a deduction you're taking won't survive a look.

A CPA carries a license, continuing education requirements and professional standards, and keeps up with tax law as it moves. The practical difference is having someone to call in October when you're about to do something with tax consequences, instead of someone who fills in the form in April.

Yes. Clients come from around the Magic Valley, Jerome, Buhl, Kimberly, Filer, Burley and Rupert, and a few who moved away have stayed on.

Reviews can be handled by phone when coming into the office isn't practical.

Before anything unusual happens, if you can. Starting a business, selling property, taking on a partner, an inheritance, a divorce, a big change in income. All of those are easier to manage in advance.

For planning, late summer through fall is the window. For preparation, January isn't too early to get organized.

Last year's tax return, above everything else. It tells me more about your situation than a questionnaire would.

Past that: any tax forms you've received, business financials or QuickBooks access if you have a business, and any notices from the IRS or the Idaho State Tax Commission. If you're not sure whether something matters, bring it.