Tax Preparation Services in Texas

It swings widely, so be wary of a single average. What drives the cost is the work itself: how many forms and schedules, whether there's a business, rentals or investments, income from other states or abroad, past year problems, and how organized your records are. Since Texas has no personal income tax, most individual work is the federal return, but a business owner with multiple entities is still a bigger job than a W-2 household. Ask what's included, especially whether IRS notices are covered.

Texas doesn't require a general state license for paid preparers. At the federal level, anyone paid to prepare returns needs a PTIN from the IRS, and that's about it. That's why credentials are worth checking. An Enrolled Agent is licensed by the U.S. Treasury and can represent you before the IRS on any tax matter. Most preparers without a credential can't represent you in collections or appeals at all.

Start with last year's return, then your W-2s, 1099s and any K-1s. Add brokerage and bank statements, retirement distribution forms (1099-R), proof of estimated payments, and receipts for deductions or credits. If you own a business, bring the profit and loss statement, balance sheet and payroll reports. Got IRS letters, years you didn't file, foreign accounts or a stake in another company? Send those up front, since they change how we approach the return.

Yes. We list every missing year, request your IRS wage and income transcripts to see what's been reported, and fill in the gaps from your records. Late returns change the balance, the penalties and which payment options are available, so we line them up with any IRS debt or collection activity you already have rather than filing them blind.

Yes. The founder is an Enrolled Agent with unlimited practice rights before the IRS, which covers audits, collection cases, appeals and questions about a filed return, for individuals and businesses. Because the founder also leads the preparation work, there's no handoff between the person who filed your return and the person defending it.

A current year return with complete documents can be quick. It takes longer when there's a business, late years, missing records, or a link to an existing IRS debt or audit, because we may need to pull transcripts and reconcile figures first. The fastest returns are the ones where documents come in early and follow up questions get answered the same week.

Indirectly, yes. Getting returns filed stops the failure to file penalty from growing, and it's often a requirement before the IRS will consider relief. From there, you may qualify for First Time Abate relief if your history is clean, or reasonable cause relief if something serious kept you from filing or paying. Neither is automatic, so we check eligibility and, when it fits, submit the request alongside the return or payment plan.

Yes. We prepare business returns and, when the return is tied to back taxes, a payroll tax problem, an audit or an installment agreement, we handle the tax resolution side as well, so the numbers on the return and the numbers we give the IRS match. Texas companies that want more than a year end filing can also use our fractional CFO service, and federal contractors can get GovCon accounting.