Business Tax Preparation · Redding, CA
Entity returns filed by a CPA who knows what your structure costs you.
- CA License #96754
- Entity + owner return coordinated
- CA License #96754
- Entity + owner return coordinated
- Serving Shasta County since 2007
SO
S-Corp Owner
Before switching to Susan
Before
Reasonable compensation documented
Not set
Shareholder basis tracked
No record
Entity & owner returns coordinated
Different CPAs
CA $800 franchise tax & fees paid
Late
After Susan
Entity filed. Owner protected.
The reality
Your entity return doesn’t exist in isolation. Neither should your preparer.
- Entity return filed by one person, personal return by another. The K-1 income from your S-corp or partnership flows directly onto your 1040. If those two preparers don’t communicate — and they usually don’t — deductions get missed, basis calculations diverge, and you file two returns that technically complete but don’t actually agree.
- Preparer who files the form but doesn’t know the rules behind it. S-corp reasonable compensation. Partnership guaranteed payments vs. distributions. Built-in gains tax on converted C-corps. QBI deduction wage limitations. These aren’t edge cases — they’re the recurring issues that determine how much you actually pay.
- No one tracking basis year over year. S-corp shareholder basis determines whether a loss is deductible and whether a distribution is taxable. Partnership outside basis affects the same. If no one maintains it from year to year, the error compounds invisibly until a sale or liquidation makes it impossible to ignore.
2007
Licensed CPA
CA+
Federal & multi-state returns
100%
Prepared by Susan directly
What a coordination failure actually costs
- S-corp owner not paying reasonable compensation: IRS reclassifies distributions as wages, adds back employment taxes plus penalties
- Shareholder basis not tracked: losses disallowed, distributions treated as taxable capital gains, no basis to absorb the K-1 loss you expected to deduct
- QBI deduction missed on pass-through income: up to 20% of qualified business income not deducted on the owner’s personal return
- California $800 franchise tax or LLC fee paid late: flat penalties added to every entity on the CA books, regardless of size
“An entity return is only as useful as the person who understands what it connects to.”
What’s included
Every entity form, every California filing, coordinated start to finish.
- S-Corporation Form 1120-S — income, deductions, and credits allocated through Schedule K-1 to shareholders. Reasonable compensation review included. Shareholder basis maintained year over year.
- C-Corporation Form 1120 — corporate income tax return for entities taxed at the entity level. Accumulated earnings analysis, Section 199A coordination where applicable, and estimated tax planning.
- Partnership Form 1065 — multi-member LLC, general and limited partnerships. Partner K-1s prepared with correct income, loss, and credit allocations. Guaranteed payments, special allocations, and outside basis tracked.
- LLC returns — based on tax election: disregarded entity (Schedule C on owner’s 1040), partnership (Form 1065), or corporate (1120 or 1120-S). Entity classification reviewed annually.
- Nonprofit Form 990 / 990-EZ / 990-N — annual information return for tax-exempt organizations, including public charity disclosures, compensation reporting, and program activity narratives. Unrelated business income (Form 990-T) when applicable.
- California entity returns — Form 100S (S-corp), 565 (partnership), 568 (LLC), or 100 (C-corp), plus the $800 minimum franchise tax and annual LLC fee tracked and filed on schedule.
- Multi-state returns — apportionment schedules and nexus analysis for businesses operating outside California, including composite returns for out-of-state partners or shareholders.
- Year-end tax planning — built into every engagement. Bonus depreciation, Section 179 elections, retirement plan contributions, and S-corp distribution-to-salary ratio reviewed before the books close.
Best for
- S-corp owners who need entity and personal returns coordinated
- Partnerships and multi-member LLCs with multiple K-1 recipients
- C-corps with retained earnings strategy or planning to convert
- Nonprofits needing annual Form 990 compliance
- Business owners switching from a preparer who only filed the entity return
- Companies with multi-state operations or nexus questions
- Companies with multi-state operations or nexus questions
Also need individual returns?
Forms covered
1120-S
1120
1065
990
100S
565
568
Entity types Susan handles — and what each one actually requires.
S-Corporation
Form 1065
1120-S
CA 568
C-Corporation
Form 1120
CA 100
Partnership
Form 1065
CA 565
Schedule K-1
LLC (all elections)
Form 1065
1120-S
CA 568
Nonprofit / Tax-Exempt
Form 990
990-EZ
990-T
Multi-state operations
State apportionment
Nexus review
Entity conversion or restructuring
Form 2553
Check-the-box
Business sale or exit
Asset vs. stock sale
Section 338
First-year entity filings
Short-year return
S-election timing
Why a licensed CPA for business returns
One CPA for the entity and the owner. That’s the whole point.
She maintains your basis schedules year over year
S-corp shareholder basis and partnership outside basis are running calculations that must be updated every year. A new preparer can’t reconstruct them from the prior return alone — and without them, loss deductibility and distribution taxation are both wrong. Susan builds and maintains the schedule as part of every annual engagement.
She coordinates entity and owner returns before either is filed
The K-1 from your entity return is the input to your personal return. Susan prepares both, so the QBI deduction is calculated correctly, the K-1 income is treated the right way on the 1040, and the entity return and personal return agree before either goes out. There’s no back-and-forth between two firms to reconcile a discrepancy.
She reviews S-corp compensation annually
Reasonable compensation is the most common S-corp audit issue and the most commonly ignored one. Susan reviews the ratio of salary to distributions every year, documents the compensation analysis, and flags when the structure is drifting into audit risk territory. The documentation is there if the IRS asks.
She can represent you before the IRS or FTB
Business entities get notices too. If the IRS opens an examination or the FTB questions a deduction on the entity return, Susan can respond as your licensed representative. A non-CPA preparer cannot represent you at the examination level. That protection is built into every entity return she signs.
How business tax prep is priced
Flat fee. No surprises at pickup.
S-corp or partnership return
Form 1120-S or 1065 with K-1 preparation. California return included. Priced by number of partners/shareholders and complexity.
C-corp or nonprofit return
Form 1120 or 990. Complexity, size, and number of schedules determine the fee. Priced after a brief document review.
Bundle: entity + owner return
Discount for preparing the entity return and the owner’s personal 1040 together. Ask about bundled pricing on the first call.
Free 15-minute call
Describe your entity type, number of owners, and prior return situation. Susan will give you a fee estimate before you decide anything.
How business tax prep works, from first call to filed return.
01
A free 15-minute call
You describe your entity type, ownership structure, and what prior returns look like. Susan identifies whether there are basis schedules to inherit, elections to review, or coordination issues with prior-year returns — and gives you a straight estimate of cost and timeline.
02
Prior-year return and books review
Before starting the current-year return, Susan reviews the prior-year entity return and the books. This catches inherited basis errors, elections that may have lapsed, and classification issues that should be addressed before another year goes by. It’s the step most preparers skip — and the one that creates the most expensive surprises.
03
Entity return preparation
The entity return is prepared and reviewed — every schedule, every K-1, every California attachment. If there are multi-state filings, apportionment schedules are completed. For S-corps, the reasonable compensation analysis is documented. For nonprofits, the 990 is reviewed for public disclosure accuracy before it goes out.
04
K-1 coordination and final filing
Once the entity return is finalized, the K-1s flow into each owner’s individual return — prepared by Susan if she handles the personal returns, or delivered to the owner’s personal preparer with a summary of what the K-1 items mean for their 1040. Federal and state returns e-filed with confirmation the same day the authorization is signed.
Common questions about business tax prep with Susan.
My S-corp return and personal return are filed by different people. Is that a problem?
It’s a common arrangement and it works — until it doesn’t. The K-1 from your S-corp flows directly onto your personal return, and the two returns have to agree on income, distributions, and basis. When two different preparers file independently, nobody is responsible for that reconciliation. Common results: the QBI deduction is missed, shareholder basis diverges from the entity’s records, or a distribution gets taxed twice. It’s not inevitable, but it’s frequent. Susan prepares both, so the seam between them is owned and reviewed before either return is filed.
What is reasonable compensation and why does it matter for my S-corp?
S-corp owners who work in the business are required to pay themselves a reasonable salary before taking distributions. The IRS targets S-corps where owners take little or no salary and large distributions — because salary is subject to payroll taxes and distributions are not. What’s “reasonable” depends on the role, the industry, and comparable market compensation. Susan reviews the ratio annually and documents the analysis, which is the first thing an examiner asks for if the return is selected.
Does my LLC need to file its own tax return?
It depends on how many members it has and whether it made a tax election. A single-member LLC is a disregarded entity by default — its income and expenses go on the owner’s Schedule C, and the LLC itself doesn’t file a federal return (though California requires Form 568 and the $800 minimum franchise tax). A multi-member LLC files Form 1065 by default, like a partnership. Either can elect to be taxed as a corporation by filing Form 8832 or as an S-corp by filing Form 2553. The right answer depends on your situation — it’s worth reviewing if you haven’t recently.
What does a nonprofit need to file every year?
Most tax-exempt organizations must file an annual Form 990. with the IRS. Which version depends on gross receipts: Form 990-N (e-postcard) for organizations under $50,000, Form 990-EZ for those between $50,000 and $200,000, and full Form 990 for larger organizations. The 990 is a public document — donors, journalists, and regulators can request it. If the organization has unrelated business income, a separate Form 990-T is required. Missing three consecutive filings automatically revokes tax-exempt status, which requires an IRS reinstatement application to fix.
Should I convert my LLC to an S-corp to save on self-employment taxes?
Sometimes — but “S-corp saves taxes” is one of the most oversimplified pieces of advice in small business finance. The savings come from paying yourself a salary (subject to payroll taxes) and taking the remainder as distributions (not subject to self-employment tax). But the savings only materialize once net profit is high enough that the payroll tax savings exceed the added costs: payroll processing, additional accounting, two returns instead of one, and California’s 1.5% S-corp tax. The breakeven is typically around $50,000–$60,000 in net profit, though it varies by situation. Susan can model the specific numbers for your business before you make the election.
Can Susan handle my return if I’m based outside of Redding?
Yes. Susan is licensed in California and serves business clients throughout the state and across the country for California-based entities. Document exchange is handled securely, returns are reviewed by phone or video, and e-file authorization is signed electronically. The only thing that doesn’t happen remotely is the first handshake — and that’s optional. If you have a California-registered entity, a California-source income question, or you’re a California resident who owns a business entity, Susan can help regardless of where you’re located.
