We charge by the form. Your cost will vary depending upon the complexity of your tax return. Complete and submit the New Client Appointment Data Worksheet or the Returning Client Appointment Data Worksheet to request a quote.
We schedule consultations for a minimum of one hour and charge an hourly rate. Tax consultations are most often scheduled for estimating/forecasting tax liability and tax planning purposes. We do not schedule appointments to review self-prepared tax returns. Consultations are scheduled during the months of May through January. All fees are payable by cash or check at the time of service. Call or email our office for more information.
The tax professional must go through the same process whether they are completing a new return, amending or reviewing a return for you. We charge by the form. Your cost will vary depending upon the complexity of your tax return. Complete and submit the New Client Data Appointment Form or Returning Client Appointment Data Worksheet to request a quote.
Our Prepaid Audit Service is optional and available for an additional fee. This option can save you significant representation fees should your return be audited. It gives you peace of mind knowing that if you get audited your representation fees are pre-paid. This fee will only cover the calendar year tax return for which you have paid. This service will not cover audit representation services for any other tax year. The form is located under Important Documents. You may complete the Prepaid Audit Service form and submit it to our office prior to arrival. If interested, your tax professional will discuss this option with you. They will determine if you qualify for the service, discuss the cost and answer any questions you may have.
Our Prepaid Audit Service can save you significant representation fees should your return be audited. The form is located under Important Documents. Complete the Prepaid Audit Service form and submit it to our office prior to arrival.
Refer to the document Record of Retention Requirements for the suggested retention period by document. PLEASE contact our office before you shred anything.
In general, we are required by law to keep copies of your tax returns for three years. In some instances we have been able to keep client tax returns and supporting documents in electronic format beyond the required three-year period but this cannot be guaranteed in all cases.
We have access to electronic tax return copies but must generate password protected PDF files for email purposes. Generating the PDF files and creating the emails take time which we must fit into our schedule.
Please reference our Record Retention Requirements brochure to determine which documents you should keep and for what period of time.
Generally, the statute of limitations for the IRS to assess taxes on a taxpayer expires three (3) years from the due date of the return or the date on which it was filed, whichever is later. The three-year limit is doubled to six years if the IRS finds that a taxpayer omits from gross income an amount that exceeds 25 percent of the stated gross income. The IRS has no time limit when an audit pertains to assessment of tax if a return is false or fraudulent, reflects a wilful attempt to evade taxation or when no tax return at all is filed.
For most of the year, the easiest way to reach your tax professional is either by calling our office or sending an email.
During tax season (roughly February 1st to April 15th), getting in touch with your tax professional may be more difficult due to a high volume of client meetings at that time. The best way to reach your tax return professional is by email. When sending an email we suggest waiting 24 hours for a reply before following up with a phone call.
If you are a client communicating with one of our tax professionals regarding a specific tax-related issue (ex. If I withdraw money from my IRA how will this impact my tax return, etc.), you will use their email address ending with @defilippisfinancial.com. When in doubt please contact our office to obtain the correct email address.
If you are a client communicating with one of our financial advisers regarding a specific investment-related issue (ex. If you have a specific question about one of your investment accounts), you will use their email address ending with @ceterafs.com. When in doubt please contact our office for the correct email address.
If you need to schedule a tax appointment, confirm/change a tax appointment or communicate regarding a tax-related administrative matter (ex. change of address, etc.) you should send your email to admin@defilippisfinancial.com. This is a general mailbox for tax-related email messages only. If your message requires an immediate response please call our office.
If you need to schedule a financial appointment, confirm/change a financial appointment or communicate regarding an investment-related administrative matter (ex. change of address, etc.) you should send your email to defilippis@ceterafs.com This is a general mailbox for investment-related email messages only. If your message requires an immediate response please call our office.
The first thing to do is get a copy of your notice to our office. You may fax it in, scan it and email it to our general mailbox admin@defilippisfinancial.com or drop it off. If you have taken advantage of our Prepaid Audit Service, you will not be charged for our services acting on your behalf in response to the notice(s). If you did not purchase our Prepaid Audit Service for the tax year in question, you will be charged at our normal hourly rate.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) conducted a study of IRS’ AUR system (the system that triggers notices to taxpayers proposing additional taxes based on the IRS matching program). They found that 5.1% of the samples in the study were sent incorrect notices. The errors resulted in $18,968 of over assessed tax and $1,146 of under assessed tax. Based on this information, TIGTA estimated 243,345 taxpayers would be over assessed and 97,430 would be under assessed over the next 5-year period. In our experience, the incidence of incorrect IRS notices is higher than that demonstrated in the TIGTA study. Unfortunately, most taxpayers pay-up for fear of further trouble or because "It's from the IRS, it must be correct!” Contact us before paying any additional tax due to an IRS notice.
How long after I file my return do I have to amend my tax return (for this year or a previous year)?
Generally, for a credit or refund, you must file Form 1040X within 3 years (including extensions) after the date you filed your original return or within 2 years after the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. If you filed your original return early (for example, March 1 for a calendar year return), your return is considered filed on the due date (generally April 15). However, if you had an extension to file (for example, until October 15) but you filed earlier and the IRS received it July 1, your return is considered filed on July 1.
The majority of our clients take advantage of our pre-scheduled appointment program. Consequently, the later you wait to schedule your appointment the fewer the number of available appointments. To secure the most convenient appointment, we highly recommend pre-scheduling your next year’s appointment at the time of pickup.
Pre-scheduling allows us to manage our workflow and it offers you the opportunity to lock in the most convenient appointment.
As a courtesy to our tax professionals, as well as to our clients who have arrived on time, we ask that you arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment. This guarantees that you are in our office and on time for your scheduled tax appointment. It ensures that time is not taken away from your actual appointment with your tax professional. We have found this provides enough time for you to check in and complete the necessary paperwork. Clients arriving 10 minutes or more after their scheduled appointment time will be considered late. We have gone to great lengths to minimize any wait time in our office and make your visit as efficient as possible. Consequently, if you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your scheduled appointment time, we reserve the right to reschedule your appointment, based on availability. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
During check in we verify the accuracy of the contact information that is to appear on your tax return. You must complete our tax appointment questionnaire (which is updated every year as the tax laws change) to make sure we don’t miss any deductions or credits pertinent to your tax situation. You may complete the form in the privacy of your own home. The form is located under Important Documents. Complete the Tax Return Appointment Questionnaire and submit it to our office prior to arrival.
Yes, please contact us as soon as you realize you will be late for your appointment. Clients arriving 10 minutes or more after their scheduled appointment time will be considered late. After completing the 10 minute check-in process you could be over 20 minutes late for your scheduled appointment. We have gone to great lengths to minimize any wait time in our office and make your visit as efficient as possible. Consequently, we reserve the right to reschedule your appointment, based on availability, if you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your scheduled appointment time. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
The tax laws are constantly changing. This questionnaire is designed to uncover deductions, credits and other items that will help us make sure you are legally paying the lowest possible income tax. You may complete the form in the privacy of your own home. The form is located under Important Documents. Complete the Tax Return Appointment Questionnaire and submit it to our office prior to arrival.
We always strive to make your interactions with our office as stress-free as possible. We typically have pickup appointments scheduled every 15 minutes. By scheduling your pickup appointment we are able to minimize the wait times when you come to pick up your tax return.
After 30 years in the business, we have tried to develop a system that works for us and our clients. All of the documents in your tax return folder have a purpose and we want to make sure you understand that purpose.
The IRS and state taxing authorities will not allow you to sign for anyone without a valid power of attorney.
We recommend that you keep your appointment. Bring in all of the documents you have received so far. Get us the missing information as soon as it is available so we may complete the return.
We must limit this request to once per year. Repetitive rescheduling limits the openings available for our clients waiting for an appointment. During tax season we have a finite number of appointment slots available. If you reschedule your appointment and we are unable to fill that time slot, we will never be able to recover the lost revenue for this time. Accordingly, we request that you refrain from rescheduling appointments unless it is absolutely necessary. We send appointment reminders in January each year and also call or email you the day before your appointment as a reminder.
Because you must pay late payment penalties and interest on any unpaid tax after the April 15 filing deadline, when you file an extension you want to estimate your tax liability as accurately as possible. Consequently, we need as much information as possible to accurately estimate your tax liability. Extensions that are filed based upon inaccurate estimates can be ruled invalid by the IRS.
We charge an additional flat fee for each extension prepared (one for federal and one for each state). The fees will be explained when you meet with your tax professional.
The earlier the better; this gives us the proper amount of time to make an accurate estimate.
No. An extension is an extension of the time to file not an extension of the time to pay. Any tax unpaid beyond the April 15 filing deadline will be subject to late payment penalties and interest.
