Tax planning
for owners who think ahead.
Most firms react to your tax bill in April. We design it across twelve months, so the number that lands on your return is the one we wrote together, not the one the IRS surprised you with.
Most business owners pay too much in taxes for one simple reason: nobody looked at their numbers before December 31st.
We do. Every quarter. With dollar figures attached.
A year without planning. A year with it.
Reacting to a tax bill.
- JANReceive K-1s. File extension.
- APRTax bill arrives. Owe $84,000. Pay estimated penalty.
- JUNQ2 estimated payment guessed at.
- SEPYear is half done. No projection. No plan.
- DECYear-end rush. No time for §179 election. Buy nothing.
- APRTax bill arrives. Owe $79,000. Same surprise, different year.
Designing the tax bill.
- JANK-1 review meeting. Adjust withholding.
- APRTax bill: $58,000. No penalty. No surprise.
- JUNQ2 projection meeting. Adjust estimates to actual.
- SEPMid-year projection. $24K equipment purchase justified.
- DEC§179 + retirement + charitable timing, all locked in.
- APRTax bill: $51,000. Same business. Less tax.
Same revenue. Same business. $54,000 difference.
* Illustrative example, individual results vary
Four pillars. One plan.
Tax planning isn't a single trick, it's four conversations we have every quarter, written down, with dollar figures attached.
Entity & structure
S-Corp vs. LLC vs. holding co. The wrong wrapper around your business can cost five figures a year, and most owners are wrapped wrong.
- S-Corp election + reasonable-comp analysis
- Holding-company review for multi-entity owners
- State-of-formation review (UT, WY, DE)
Deductions & credits
We hunt the legitimate ones, accountable plans, Augusta rule, §179, R&D, energy credits, and ignore the dangerous ones the YouTube CPAs love.
- Annual deduction audit against your industry
- Credit eligibility scan (R&D, WOTC, energy)
- Accountable-plan and home-office setup
Retirement & wealth
Solo 401(k), Cash Balance, SEP, defined-benefit, the right plan can shelter $60K-$300K+ a year. We model the actual after-tax math.
- Plan-type comparison (Solo-K / SEP / CB / DB)
- Coordinated contribution + match strategy
- Mega-backdoor and after-tax bucket setup
Quarterly cadence
Tax planning isn't an April activity. We run quarterly projections, flag estimated-payment changes early, and adjust before year-end closes the door.
- Quarterly projection meeting
- Estimated-payment management
- Year-end opportunity window (Oct-Dec)
What twelve months of planning actually looks like.
Not a checklist. A working relationship. Here's what shows up on your calendar.
Prior-year close & strategy kickoff
We close last year cleanly and set the planning agenda for this year. The conversation isn't about what happened, it's about what you want to be different by December.
- 1099 issuance & K-1 review
- Annual strategy meeting
- Entity & election deadline check
Foundation
Books reconciled, payroll humming, first quarterly projection on the calendar. We learn what your year actually looks like before guessing at it.
- Monthly close on schedule
- Q1 strategy meeting
- Estimated payment recalibration
The course correction
Half the year is data. The other half is decisions. This is the quarter we adjust based on what's actually happening, not what you projected in January.
- Mid-year tax projection
- Equipment & depreciation modeling
- Owner comp & distribution review
The accelerator
By Q3 we know roughly where the year is landing. This is the quarter where smart moves stop being optional and start being valuable.
- Q3 strategy meeting
- Retirement contribution planning
- Tax-loss & gain harvesting review
Lock it in
Eight to ten weeks to do something about everything we've watched all year. Section 179, retirement contributions, charitable timing, all decided with the actual numbers in hand.
- Year-end tax projection
- §179 + bonus depreciation moves
- Charitable & retirement timing
The handoff
We don't celebrate filing in April. We celebrate the December meeting, when the tax bill is already designed and April is just delivery.
- Year-end strategy meeting
- Final adjustments documented
- Next-year planning agenda set
We publish our pricing. Most firms won't.
Planning engagements are quoted after a free consultation, because the right scope depends on your entity, revenue, and goals. But here's the range so nobody wastes anyone's time.
Foundation
Tax-led for established owners.
- Annual tax return + filing
- Quarterly tax projections
- Entity election review
- Books reconciliation review
- Email support throughout the year
Integrated
The full planning relationship.
- Everything in Foundation
- Monthly bookkeeping
- Quarterly strategy meetings
- Year-end planning sessions
- Direct phone access to your advisor
Operating
Planning + CFO advisory.
- Everything in Integrated
- Monthly financial review meetings
- Cash flow forecasting
- Budget vs. actual reporting
- Strategic decision support
- Quarterly board-ready financials
Pricing reviewed annually · Engagements start after a free consultation
Questions we hear before signing on.
Let's see what a year of planning saves you.
Send us your last return. We'll spend forty-five minutes building a draft plan for your year, with real numbers and real moves. Free, no obligation.