Charleston Income TaxesWhen it comes to individual tax preparation services, Accel Tax & Business Service’s tax professionals located in Mount Pleasant, SC (a 5-10 minute drive from downtown Charleston) are here to meet all of your tax needs. Schedule an appointment today – we look forward to meeting you!

Preparing your own income tax return can be a daunting task that often leaves you with more questions than answers. With the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2018, the tax laws have changed and filing a relatively simple return can sometimes be confusing.  It’s just too easy to overlook deductions and credits to which you may be entitled.  There is no substitute for the assistance of an experienced tax professional. 

  • Our tax advisors prepare all federal, state, and local income tax returns and offer electronic filing at no additional charge.
  • Our tax advisors will review your tax return to minimize potential problems and avoid “red flags” that may prompt IRS scrutiny.
  • We are professionals in dealing with unique or complex tax issues such as those facing real estate professionals, physicians, attorneys, investors, and expatriates.
  • Our tax advisors can show you how to adjust your withholdings or help you set up a schedule of estimated tax payments if you are self-employed to avoid unnecessary tax penalties.
  • Our tax advisors are also available throughout the year to assist you in examining the tax consequences of anticipated transactions.

When you engage our Charleston tax and accounting firm to prepare your tax return, you can be assured that it will be prepared by a tax professional–an attorney, CPA or IRS enrolled agent.  Each tax return that our professionals prepare will be analyzed by our state-of-the-art tax preparation software specifically designed to identify problem areas that the IRS may scrutinize or look at more closely.  Once your tax return is completed, one of our tax advisors can answer any and all questions that you may have.  All tax returns may be filed electronically at no additional charge so that you will receive your IRS refund as quickly as possible.

Is Your Accounting A Disaster?  Our Firm Provides Bookkeeping Services Too!

Many taxpayers forgo worthwhile tax deductions because they have neglected to keep receipts or records. Keeping adequate records is required by the IRS.  But don’t do it just because the IRS says so.  If you have not set up an easy system that allows you to keep your books current, we can help.  Our firm offers several bookkeeping plans for both individuals and businesses.

Avoid Costly Errors From Do-It-Yourself Tax Preparation Software

For individuals with simple, straightforward financial situations, preparing your own tax return through a low-cost or free tax preparation software program may be a reasonable option.  However, it should be noted that our firm often consults with taxpayers that have used these do-it-yourself tax preparation software programs, and their tax returns are riddled with problems and errors, which unfortunately costs more to fix than what they would have paid a tax professional. We would not recommend choosing this path if your financial situation is even remotely complicated, your marital status has changed, you experienced a major life change, you started a business, you bought rental real estate, you sold investments or traded cyrptocurrency, you have student loans, or you are dealing with a tax issue.

The above reasoning applies to national tax companies too.  Most of these chain, franchise companies do not hire licensed IRS professionals.  Additionally, because tax preparation is seasonal, often times the employees preparing your return have only had a few weeks of training as they will be looking for new employment after the tax season ends.  While these seasonal tax prepares might know more than the average taxpayer and can handle simple, straightforward returns, they certainly are not considered tax professionals or experts.

Our Individual Tax Return Preparation Process

The tax return process begins when you provide us with your tax documentation and complete our current year tax organizer.  Our tax organizer is a comprehensive questionnaire and will cover most, if not all, the important financial information our tax professionals will need to prepare your tax return.  Once you complete the tax organizer, you may either mail or email it to our office, with all relevant supporting financial documentation, or drop it off in person – whichever is most convenient for you.

Our average turnaround time from the date we receive your tax organizer and supporting financial documentation, to the date your tax return is prepared and ready for your review is less than two weeks during early and mid-tax season.  As the tax deadline approaches, understandably our tax advisors become very busy.  For that reason, we strongly recommend that all existing clients submit their individual tax organizers and supporting financial documentation to our office prior to March 23 to allow us the appropriate amount of time to complete your tax return by the tax filing due date.  If you have a more complex financial situation (such as operating a business taxable as a sole proprietorship, the sale of a rental property, income in multiple states, a large number of charitable gifts, or a large number of investment transactions), please allow additional time for us to properly prepare your tax returns.  For all new clients, or if we did not prepare your prior year tax return, our office must receive your tax organizer and supporting financial documents by March 15 or sufficient information to obtain a filing extension.

If our tax accountants have any questions during the preparation of your tax return, we will promptly contact you. Once your tax return has been prepared, the tax return will be reviewed by a second tax professional in our office.  Our office will then notify you that your tax return has been prepared. When you review the return, we are available to answer any questions with you in-person or over the phone.

If you’d like to receive more information about our individual tax return preparation services, please email or call our office today.  We look forward to working with you!