The things people ask before they call

Book a free consultation — by phone, video or in person at our Azusa office. We look at your last return, understand what you need, and quote a fixed fee before any work begins. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you somewhere better.

Yes, and there is no obligation attached to it. We use it to understand your situation and scope the work. You will leave it knowing what we would do, what it would cost, and whether it is worth doing.

Your last filed tax return is the most useful single document. If you have a business, add the most recent bookkeeping file or bank statements. That is enough for us to give you a meaningful assessment and an accurate quote.

Yes. Our Enrolled Agents hold federal licences with unlimited practice rights in every state, and the entire engagement can run remotely through our secure portal and video calls. We file returns in multiple states regularly.

Yes, and it is common. We request your file and prior returns, review them, and take over from wherever things stand. You do not need to have an awkward conversation first — we handle the professional hand-off.

We quote fixed fees, agreed before work starts, rather than billing by the hour. The figure depends on the complexity of your situation — a single-owner Schedule C is not a multi-state partnership — which is why we look at your actual documents first rather than publishing a price list that would be wrong for most people.

Because a published price for "a tax return" is almost always wrong, and firms that publish one usually adjust it upward once they see the documents. We would rather look first and give you a figure that holds. The consultation where we do that is free.

Only if the scope changes, and only after we tell you and you agree. If we open the file and find two years of unreconciled books nobody mentioned, we stop and re-quote rather than sending a surprise invoice at the end.

No. Send us the notice and we will read it and tell you what it actually says and what the deadline is, at no charge. If it needs a response, we will quote that separately before doing anything.

Yes. You are assigned a named accountant who learns your business, with a senior reviewer behind them and a partner accountable for the engagement. You will not be routed to whoever answers the phone.

No. Most of our clients work with us entirely remotely through the client portal and video meetings. The office at 1151 W 5th Street is open if you would rather meet in person, and many local clients do.

Through our TaxDome client portal, which is encrypted in transit and at rest. You can upload straight from a phone camera, and you get a personalised checklist so nothing is missed. Please do not email tax documents — email is not a secure channel for Social Security numbers.

We aim to respond to portal messages and calls within one business day, and same-day for anything with a deadline attached. During filing season, turnaround on new work extends — which is why we start early with existing clients.

Spanish-language service is available through the whole engagement, not just the first call — this entire website exists in Spanish for the same reason. Across our team we also serve clients in Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu and Armenian.

An Enrolled Agent is licensed directly by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and specialises exclusively in taxation, with unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS in any state. A CPA is licensed by a state board and covers a broader field including audit and assurance. For tax work and IRS representation the practice rights are identical. We have both on the team.

For most individuals, 15 April 2027. Partnerships and S-corporations are due 15 March 2027, and C-corporations 15 April 2027. Extensions move the filing deadline but never the payment deadline — tax owed is still due on the original date.

File. Coming forward voluntarily produces a materially better outcome than waiting for the IRS to file a substitute return for you, which allows no deductions and typically overstates what you owe. We handle multi-year catch-up filings regularly and can usually reduce the balance in the process.

Treat it as urgent until proven otherwise — most notices carry a 30-day response window, and missing it costs you appeal rights. Send us the letter and we will read it and tell you what it really means, at no charge. Note that the IRS opens contact by mail, never by phone, text or email.

They are not alternatives — an LLC is a legal entity and an S-corporation is a tax election that an LLC can make. The real question is whether your profit is high enough that a reasonable salary plus distributions beats paying self-employment tax on everything. We run the comparison on your actual numbers.

Yes. We prepare Form W-7 alongside the return it attaches to, guide the identification documentation so the application is accepted first time, and handle renewals. The whole process can be conducted in Spanish.

Documents live in an encrypted client portal rather than in email, access is restricted to the team members working on your engagement, and we maintain a written information security programme as required of tax professionals under IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule.

A licensed professional on our staff, reviewed by a second senior reviewer before filing. Every return carries the preparer’s PTIN, and we will tell you who worked on yours if you ask.

They are two separate practices under the same leadership. TM Tax Advisors does tax preparation, tax compliance, accounting, payroll and IRS representation. Herbert Financial Group does advanced tax planning and the wealth, insurance and estate side. If your situation needs both, the same people can arrange it — but you are not sold one when you came for the other.

No, and you should be cautious of any firm that does. Outcomes depend entirely on your facts. What we do commit to is that every position on your return is one we are prepared to defend, and that we will represent you at no additional charge if the IRS questions work we prepared.