I want to have fun with my FAQ so some of the answers might be a little snarky, but almost all will have the answer you are looking for. My blog is a great place to look for answers, just scroll on down the main page to find the posts. I am migrating my favorite posts from the old blog here, but you can still see the original here: https://supertaxgenius.blogspot.com/
What does STG Tax mean?
I got the name from The Department of Redundancy Department and it refers to my original blog: The Super Tax Genius (which was a veiled Calvin and Hobbes reference). So the company is: Super Tax Genius Tax LLC.
What information do I need to provide?
Click the “Documents Needed” link above
When will I get my Refund?
I don’t know. Seriously – Nobody Knows, not even the IRS. That said, the IRS says 90% of people get their refunds within 6 to 21 days, and a good rule of thumb is that an accepted tax return with no bad luck or issues will drop between 6 and 15 days after acceptance (this actually can depend on the day of the week you file so try to file on Wednesday or before). Certain returns with refundable credits are legally not allowed to be processed before February 15th, which means an expected refund date as late as early March, but experience indicates these often drop shortly after 2/15. I will warn you if this applies to you. You can check the status of your refund here: https://www.irs.gov/refunds
How much do you charge?
I’m not going to tell you, at least not right now. Okay, I’ll give you a hint…
Okay, let me be serious.
I do not provide specific quotes for tax preparation fees since I never know how complicated a tax return is going to be until I have dug into it. You might think your return is simple, but I may find ways to save you money, or discover that there are complexities you could not have anticipated.
You are NEVER obligated to pay for tax preparation until the following has occurred:
- I have prepared the return completely and accurately.
- I have provided you the results and, if necessary, an explanation (if the results are “normal for you” I might not provide an explanation, or the explanation might be short and non-detailed.)
- I have told you the tax preparation fee required for completion and filing the tax return
- I have provided any additional advice appropriate for your tax situation to help you plan or prepare for the future.
At this point, you can accept the results, pay the fee and file with me, or you can decide to file using another method or preparer. No hard feelings at all! I feel strongly that everyone should try a professional every few years, so I try to make it as easy and low risk as possible.
No tax preparer worth their salt can accurately predict their fee ahead of time. I feel like the right thing to do is to be upfront that you won’t be held hostage or charged a “sitting fee” if you are unhappy with the results or charges. I want even clients who did not want to pay the fee to be able to tell their friends that they can give me a try with no risk. I know my services are good enough, and my fees reasonable enough, that for every client who leaves due to not liking the fees, 10 will stay.
What is an Enrolled Agent?
From the National Association of Enrolled Agents (of which I am a member): “Enrolled agents (EAs) are federally-authorized tax practitioners who have demonstrated technical competence in tax law and are the only taxpayer representatives licensed to practice by the United States government. Only EAs, attorneys and CPAs may represent taxpayers without limitation before the IRS. EAs advise and represent taxpayers who are being examined by IRS, taxpayers who are unable to pay, and taxpayers who wish to avoid or recover penalties. EAs prepare tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts and any other entities with tax-reporting requirements. Unlike attorneys and CPAs, who may or may not choose to specialize in taxes, all EAs specialize in taxation and are required by the federal government to maintain their professional skills with continuing professional education.”
More to come…
STG Tax LLC 