We get this question on a daily basis...
Which makes sense, it's our job...to advise. And we love it.
But sometimes it's not as simple as that. Sometimes, emotions are involved, families are involved, MONEY (sometimes life-savings) is involved. This is your livelihood. Your legacy. Your day-to-day abilities to travel or not, take leaps or not, get the new car or not, comfortably pay taxes or not, send your kids to the good school or not. And we recognize that.
All of life's greatest adventures mean more than just numbers to us. We see you, your questions, your life's goals, your life's dreams, plans, work, inquiries, everything, all together. We don't just take 1 thing and put you on a "conveyor belt" planning system and tax strategy. We sit, we listen, we hear, and we go from there.
But, if you want some tips on how to do your taxes, here are a few.
Tip #1 - Do them.
Everyone wants to figure out a way to get out of paying taxes. I'm sorry to say but you're going to need to do them. ( Ahem...even Jesus paid taxes...go ahead...look it up).
So, first step is to get it in your head that you're going to do them. Whether you hire us or do them a different way, the first step is to acknowledge you're going to have to do them.
Tip #2 - Do it afraid.
"I'm afraid to even look at them because what if I owe money that I already don't have!?"
"I'm afraid to even look at them because what if I owe money that I already don't have!?" – normal person
This is completely normal to feel. It can be extremely overwhelming if you're already financially struggling to make ends-meat and now the government wants more from you that you can barely even give your own self.
Here's the thing - this happens all the time. But it gets worse if you avoid it. It does not get any better just because you don't want to look at it. That's like when you would close your eyes as a child playing hide-and-seek thinking your dad couldn't see you because you couldn't see him. I hate to break it to you but, he can still see you...so, open your eyes, and let's tackle this together. One line at a time. One tear at a time (if necessary... we have tissues), one frustration, job, line item at a time. We'll get through it. Second step is to face it. You can still be scared but, we're going to have to do it afraid.
The government has payment plans. It's not ideal, but it is available. No one will pay it for you, BUT, there are ways to get it paid in an amount of time that may be spread out to help you continue to eat and survive while taking care of your responsibilities.
Tip #3 - Use Us
If your neighbor down the street is a CPA or does tax services, perfect. But please oh please don't use someone who doesn't know accounting (or the law) to help you with taxes. Sometimes your best friends are unbelievably awesome but they may give you extremely bad advice when it comes to your taxes. Just sayin...
If you can, use us. We are like the holistic tax prep place. We look at everything together as one and help anywhere that we can.
Tip #5 - Finish strong
No matter who you decide to use, finish strong. Do your best, hit submit, pay your taxes (or get the refund!). You got this! We are all here cheering you on.