A structured, predictable, relationship, with your CPA. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Everything starts with communication! We love texting, although we still use email more often. Clients and future clients are always able to text us and get a reply during normal business hours. Same with emails, we generally respond within 24 hours of any emails received.

Expect to get texts from us that convey simple, FYI-style information, whereas emails will contain attachments and more details. As much as possible, we keep our communications to you as low volume as necessary so we don’t become a nag or bother. We have heard that ignoring your accountant leads to negative financial consequences! We also occasionally record & send videos for our clients to answer complex questions or answer “how do I….” inquiries.

For file sharing, we store digital files in Google Drive, which is very easy to use. Clients are invited to access a Google Drive folder that limits access to only GP CPA staff and specific clients. Besides security and confidentiality, Google Drive is very portable and clients can download a copy of their Google Drive folder at any time. We even provide depreciation schedules and copies of recently filed tax returns, so clients can avoid a “data hostage” situation if they want to seek a different CPA’s services. As easy as it is to sign up with GP CPA, it is also that easy to decide we don’t need to work together and keep control over your financial and tax data. When we email documents, we will always make sure that all sensitive information is scrubbed from the file or PW protected and we ask our clients to uphold the same security standards. When in doubt, don’t email it!

How to Share Google Drive Files and Folders

That is saying a lot, as it’s tough to make a payroll software that is reliable, functional, and practical. Our clients are welcome to use any payroll platform they wish; although Gusto is the only one we will work with if we are processing payroll for our clients.

What makes our tax preparation process different from other firms is that we generally know what to expect for our client’s tax returns before we prepare and file them. See “Tax Planning FAQ” for additional bedtime reading. Our clients do not typically require an extension, so we complete most indie tax returns between Feb 15th and March 15th of each year. We take spring break as a firm during the first week or so of April, so we don’t work with last-minute clients or those who procrastinate until the bitter end. “I wish I would have extended” is not a phrase that is often uttered and it is not what the vast majority of clients prefer.

We receive all tax documents via email, text, or Google Drive. No exceptions. There are many reasons to be completely digital and not enough reasons to still use paper. At a minimum, your handy-dandy cell phone can be immediately transformed into a document scanner! We expect to receive all of our client’s tax information by March 10th of every year and we find 85% or more of our clients have no problem meeting that date. Once the return has been completed, each client will receive a copy to review and an opportunity to ask questions, although we will typically provide an analysis of any returns that were more than 10% different than expected. In general, we aim for our client’s tax planning to result in [+/-] within $1,000 of a refund for the IRS and state purposes, unless they have a different preference.

We finish all of our business tax returns in February of each year because we are also the bookkeepers for most of our business clients. We can file business tax returns in all states, but are most familiar with NC/SC and PA because that is where the bulk of our clients come from. Whether the business is complex with multiple owners or a straightforward consulting operation, our focus on business taxes translates to happy clients year round.