Tax Preparation Services in Rockville, MD

Bring last year's federal and Maryland returns, photo ID, Social Security numbers for everyone on the return, W-2s, 1099s, records of any estimated payments, and receipts for deductions or credits you plan to claim. If you own a business, add your income and expense reports, payroll summaries, equipment purchases and entity documents. Got an IRS or Comptroller of Maryland letter, or a year you skipped? Bring that too, so we can deal with it alongside this year's return.

Yes, and we see it more often than you'd think. First we figure out exactly which years are missing, pull IRS wage and income transcripts to fill gaps in your records, and confirm what has to be filed for each year. Then we prepare the returns and file them in an order that makes sense for your overall situation. Getting caught up is usually required before the IRS will consider a payment plan or penalty relief, so it's the right first move.

Yes. The person leading your case is an Enrolled Agent licensed by the U.S. Treasury with unlimited practice rights before the IRS. If a return we prepared, or one from years ago, draws a notice, an audit or a collection letter, we can step in with a Form 2848 and handle the back and forth. We can't promise any particular result, but you won't be dealing with the IRS on your own.

It depends on the work. A couple of W-2s and a standard deduction takes much less time than a return with a side business, rental units, K-1s, foreign accounts or records in a shoebox, and unfiled years or open IRS issues add more. We look at your situation first and quote the scope before we start, so there are no surprises when the return is done.

As soon as your W-2s and 1099s arrive, usually by early February. That leaves time to chase missing forms, reconcile business books, and sort out anything odd before the April rush. If you're waiting on K-1s, run a business, missed a prior year or have IRS mail sitting unopened, start even earlier, because those always take longer than people expect.

Complicated business records are where our background helps most. The founder spent years in corporate finance and federal government contracting finance, and a lot of our Rockville area clients are contractors working with agencies along the I 270 corridor. We match income, expenses and entity activity to what the return needs, and for contractors we can make sure the books also line up with DCAA expectations and indirect rate structures. Some clients keep us on afterward as a fractional CFO.

File on time anyway. The failure to file penalty is far steeper than the failure to pay penalty, so getting the return in limits the damage. Once the balance is set, the realistic IRS options include an installment agreement, penalty abatement, an Offer in Compromise if you qualify, or Currently Not Collectible status if paying would cause real hardship. We handle that tax resolution for you, so the return and the payment plan come from the same place.

Yes. Beyond preparation, we represent clients on audits, back taxes, payment plans and penalty requests, and on enforcement actions like bank levies and wage garnishments. Those last two are time sensitive, so send us the notice right away. With your notices, account details, income information and past returns, we can confirm the facts quickly and lay out a practical plan.