What will it cost to prepare my tax return?
“What are your fees?” is our most common question. While we might not be the cheapest option for price shoppers, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional value and accuracy. Our pricing is structured on a per-form basis. In our experience, many returns that seem straightforward initially have underlying complexities that require professional expertise. If you want the peace of mind that comes with expert preparation, we are here to help.
Just like a mechanic inspects a car to find the root of a problem, we need to understand the moving parts of your specific tax situation. Through our standard interview process, we will review your documents and evaluate your needs. Once this initial “inspection” is complete, we will gladly provide a rough estimate of the cost to prepare your tax return.
Do I need to make an appointment?
Yes, our office operates strictly by appointment. Because our experienced preparers book out up to a year in advance, availability during tax season is highly limited. Securing your appointment early ensures we can dedicate the proper time to your tax needs. To find an opening with one of our available preparers, please contact our front desk staff, and they will gladly assist you with scheduling.
Why am I prescheduled for next year?
To make tax season as seamless as possible, we utilize a priority pre-scheduling system. At the end of your current appointment, our front desk will automatically book your time slot for the following year—keeping your annual schedule consistent.
If you need to change your pre-scheduled appointment, we will do our best to find an alternative. However, because our preparers book out quickly, open slots during the tax season rush are extremely limited, and a new date may not be available for several weeks. We send advanced reminders to help you keep your commitment. Please make every effort to attend your scheduled time, as late cancellations impact both your preparer and other clients waiting for an opening.
What is an Enrolled Agent (EA) ?
An enrolled agent is a person who has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by either passing a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS employee. Enrolled agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards. Individuals who obtain this elite status must adhere to ethical standards and complete 72 hours of continuing education courses every three years.
Enrolled agents, like attorneys and certified public accountants (CPAs), have unlimited practice rights. This means they are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what types of tax matters they can handle, and which IRS offices they can represent clients before.
I thought you were e-filing my return, what am I picking up?
Yes, South Beach Tax electronically files your return with the IRS. What you are picking up is your comprehensive physical record packet. This includes a hard copy of your prepared tax return and all the original documents you provided. We recommend keeping this folder in a secure place, as you will likely need it for future financial milestones, such as applying for a mortgage. If you prefer a completely digital experience and do not wish to receive a physical paper copy, please let your preparer know.
Why do you require a signature to e-file my return?
We require your signature on Form 8879, which is the official IRS e-file authorization form. This document grants us legal permission to electronically file your tax return on your behalf. Although the IRS does not receive a copy of this specific form during submission, we are legally mandated to keep it on file. By signing it, you are officially verifying the accuracy of all the financial information contained in your prepared return.
I owe money, how do I pay the IRS if my return is E-Filed ? What if I can’t pay it all ?
If you owe taxes, the IRS offers several options where you can pay If you owe taxes, it is critical that you still file your return on time. The IRS penalty for failing to file a return is roughly ten times higher than the penalty for failing to pay. While you will be charged interest and penalties on any unpaid balance, filing on time minimizes your overall costs.
To help manage your balance, the IRS offers several payment options:
IRS Direct Pay: You can pay directly from your checking or savings account for free on IRS.gov. This method is highly recommended, as you will receive an immediate confirmation receipt showing that the IRS has processed your payment.
Mail a Check: If you owe, we will provide a payment voucher and anenvelope, along with mailing instructions when you pick up your tax packet. Please keep in mind that mailing a physical check does not provide immediate confirmation, and there is always a small risk of delays or lost mail through the postal service.
Installment Agreements: If you need to make monthly payments, you can apply online through the IRS Online Payment Agreement tool. All required tax returns must be filed before setting up a payment plan.
Electronic Funds Withdrawal: You can authorize an automatic withdrawal from your bank account when we e-file your return, allowing you to choose the exact date the money leaves your account.
Credit or Debit Cards: You can pay online or by phone via IRS.gov. Please note that while the IRS does not charge a fee for this service, the third-party payment processors do charge a percentage-based fee.
Pay with Cash: If you prefer to pay in cash, you can do so at a participating retail partner. To ensure your payment is credited properly, you must first visit IRS.gov/paywithcash to follow their step-by-step instructions.
How long should I keep my copies of tax returns?
- Keep records for 3 years if situations (4), (5), and (6) below do not apply to you.
- Keep records for 3 years from the date you filed your original return or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later, if you file a claim for credit or refund after you file your return.
- Keep records for 7 years if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction.
- Keep records for 6 years if you do not report income that you should report, and it is more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return.
- Keep records indefinitely if you do not file a return.
- Keep records indefinitely if you file a fraudulent return.
- Keep employment tax records for at least 4 years after the date that the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later.
When are the filing deadlines ?
If you’re a calendar year filer and your tax year ends on December 31, the due date for filing your federal individual income tax return is generally April 15 of each year. If you use a fiscal year (tax year ending on the last day of any month other than December), your return is due on or before the 15th day of the fourth month after the close of your fiscal year. If your due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the due date is moved to the next business day.
Your return is considered filed on time if the envelope is properly addressed, has enough postage, is postmarked, and is deposited in the mail by the due date. If you file electronically, the date and time in your time zone when your return is transmitted controls whether your return is filed timely. You will later receive an electronic acknowledgement that the IRS has accepted your electronically filed return.
Extensions to file* – If you cannot file by the due date of your return, you should request an extension of time to file. To receive an automatic 6-month extension of time to file your return, you can file Form 4868. File your extension request by the due date of your return. An extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay so you’ll owe interest if the tax you owe isn’t paid by the original due date of your return. You may also be subject to a late-payment penalty on any tax not paid by the original due date of your return.
Generally corporate filing deadline is March 15 which can be extended to September 15
Personal filing deadline is April 15 which can be extended to October 15. (* see extension to file guidelines above)
Do you need a copy of last year’s tax return?
If we prepared your tax return last year, there is no need to bring a copy with you. We securely store your hard copies on file and maintain your records within our software. However, if you worked with a different preparer or company last year, please provide a copy of that return. Reviewing your prior year’s filing allows us to verify your baseline data and gain valuable insight into your specific tax history.
Why can’t I get a hold of my preparer when I call / why haven’t they called me back?
Because most taxpayers file within the same three-month window, tax season is an exceptionally busy time for our office. Our preparers often meet with up to eight clients a day, six days a week, keeping their schedules booked back-to-back.
Please be assured that your inquiries are important to us. If you leave a voicemail, your preparer will respond as soon as they are out of meetings—which may be after hours or the following business day. For complex questions, we generally recommend scheduling a quick call rather than emailing, as email threads often require multiple rounds of clarifying questions to get you the right answer.
What information do you need to complete my return?
Follow this link to our Appointment Planner https://southbeachtax.com/client-center/appointment-planner-2/ . This will help you gather your information for your tax appointment.
What information do you NOT need/want to complete my return?
Please do not bring in your boxes of receipts or 12 months of bank /credit card statements. All of those documents are for YOUR records and should be kept to validate the information on your tax return. The more paper work and totals that WE have to compile, the pricier your return will be, and it will take longer to complete.
What is the preload/drop off for?
Our preload/drop off was set up to give our tax preparers time to enter your tax information into the program before your appointment. This allows them to contact your prior to your appointment and make you aware of information that you may be missing. It also takes advantage of the time that you have for your appointment to do a thorough interview, answer any of your questions and hopefully complete the return before you leave. We understand that you may not always have all of your information at the time, but it gets a lot of the housekeeping out of the way that needs to be done.
How can I get you my information?
There are numerous ways to get us your information. We strongly recommend that you make copies of your documents before you get it to us. Many times these are the only copies that are readily available. You may drop your info off at the front desk during our office hours. If you wish to drop the info after hours we do have a secure drop box that comes directly into the building. Many clients utilize USPS, FedEx and UPS to send their information in. We strongly suggest if you are using USPS that you send your info via Priority mail, which will give you a tracking number.
You may scan and send your documents via email. Many documents are available online and easy to send to us. If you are scanning and sending your information please be sure that your documents are flat and easy to read. PHOTOS of your documents taken with your phone are hard to read and cannot be magnified or printed. Please send only PDF’s of your documents. All cell phones have the ability to scan documents. Follow the corresponding link to your phone on how to scan on a cell phone.
iPhone or iPad: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210336
Android & Google: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9308884?hl=en
When you scan your documents please be sure that they are legible and flat. Wrinkled paper is very difficult to read.
When emailing your information please DO NOT SEND to your tax preparer directly. If you are unsure where to send your documents please contact the front office. (For the protection of our main email account we do not list it on our website)
Our support staff will print out emails, reply that they have been received, then log them into our system. If you send documents directly to your BUSY preparer, these steps may not happen. Each email user is confidential , therefore when you call to see if your preparer has received your documents we will not know.
If you utilize a mail delivery or private service to send your information to us, your tracking number will act as proof that it has been delivered. We stamp the date that we receive the information, how it was received and log it into our system. This ensures that when you call that we know when, where and how we received your information.
Additionally you may FAX your information to us. While fax machines have become a thing of the past, we still maintain a Fax line for your convenience. Most UPS, and FedEx stores still have fax machines that are available for a fee.
Finally, to maintain a secure IT environment, we do not prefer USB drives. However, if this is your only option we will accept thumb drives with your information on them. Please take the time to create a folder and place the documents for the tax year that needs to be completed with only the documents needed to complete the return. We strongly encourage you to have a back up of this drive. If for some reason there is an issue with your thumb drive and it is accidentally erased you don’t want this to be your only copy of your information. Please make sure that your name is printed on the thumb drive.
How long do I have to claim a refund?
You can only claim a tax refund you are owed for three years following the original due date. Once this date had passed, the money goes to the U.S. treasury.
This includes the years that the IRS April 15 deadline was extended, due to the pandemic. For example: The tax year 2019 deadline was extended to July 15, 2020 you only have until April 15, 2023 to claim your refund.
Helpful Hints for supplying us your documents.
When emailing or submitting documents, PDF format is highly preferred. PDFs ensure that files can be read by almost any device, can be printed clearly, and will not be accidentally altered.
To help us process your paperwork quickly and accurately, please keep the following tips in mind:
- Avoid Document Photos: Please do not send smartphone photos of your documents or hold papers up to your camera to scan them. This usually results in blurry, crooked images with shadows that obscure critical data. When printed, these photos often turn into illegible black boxes.
- Scan Flat on a Surface: For the best results, use a mobile scanning app (like Adobe Scan or Apple Notes) to scan documents while they are resting flat on a well-lit table.
- Review Spreadsheets: Multi-tabbed spreadsheets can easily lead to missed information. If your spreadsheet contains multiple tabs, please ensure each tab is clearly labeled so your preparer knows exactly where to look for relevant tax data.