How We Work

A: Email is the best starting point when you already know the filing or service you need, want a published starting price, need a list of required documents, or have an administrative question. If you are already a client, email is also the best channel for portal access, invoices, signatures, filing logistics, and status updates.

Send one organized summary rather than several short messages. A complete summary helps us understand the request, identify missing facts, and give you a more reliable scope and price.

A: Yes. A prospective client may ask us by email for the link to a complimentary 10-minute Zoom introduction. The call is intended to introduce the firm, confirm whether the matter appears to fit our practice, and discuss general services, starting fees, documents, and next-step logistics.

The call is NOT a tax consultation. Ten minutes is not enough time to review documents, determine what you personally must file or pay, compare tax strategies, or recommend what you should do. Those questions require a paid consultation.

A: Book a paid consultation when you want us to apply U.S. tax law to your particular facts. This includes questions about whether you owe U.S. tax, which return applies, whether a treaty may help, whether you need an ITIN, how a business should be structured, or what you should do next.

A consultation is also appropriate for cross-border payments, owner compensation, state tax exposure, foreign reporting, late filings, penalties, IRS notices, restructuring, or any issue that requires document review or professional judgment.

A: Work begins only after we accept the matter, define the service in an engagement letter, complete the applicable onboarding requirements, and receive payment. An engagement letter is the written agreement that explains what we will do, what is not included, the fee, and each party’s responsibilities.

Sending an email, uploading records, or having a preliminary call does not by itself create an engagement. Do not assume that a filing or deadline is being handled until we have confirmed the engagement in writing.

A: We can usually confirm whether the service you described appears to be within our practice, provide a published starting fee, explain what a standard service normally includes, identify the organizer or documents we need, and tell you what information is missing before we can quote or begin.

Email is also appropriate for narrow administrative questions about work already covered by an active engagement. We may direct you to a relevant service page, article, video, FAQ, organizer, or pricing page when it answers the general question clearly.

A: We will not give a fact-specific tax conclusion without enough information and an appropriate professional engagement. For example, an email that asks, ‘Do I owe U.S. tax?’ cannot be answered responsibly without knowing the owner’s tax residence, travel, business activity, income, contracts, workers, inventory, and prior filings.

We also do not use free email exchanges to provide entity-selection advice, treaty analysis, state nexus analysis, tax planning, owner-compensation advice, foreign-reporting advice, penalty defenses, written opinions, detailed document review, or a strategy for an IRS matter. A short answer based on incomplete facts may be misleading, so these matters require a consultation or separate engagement.

A: A paid consultation is a focused professional discussion based on the facts and questions you provide. We explain the likely U.S. tax treatment, identify the filings or records that may be needed, and recommend practical next steps.

The consultation does not automatically include preparing a tax return, completing forms line by line, reviewing a large file of documents, writing a formal opinion, contacting the IRS, or implementing the advice. Those services require a separately defined engagement unless we expressly include them in writing.

A: Begin with a short summary of the matter. Do not send passports, full Social Security numbers, complete bank details, tax returns, or other sensitive records to a general email inbox unless we specifically request them through an approved secure method.

If we proceed, we will tell you which documents are needed and provide access to TaxDome, our secure client portal, or another approved upload method. A secure portal is an online system designed for exchanging confidential documents, signing engagement materials, and tracking requests more safely than ordinary email.

A: Yes. We address reasonable administrative questions directly related to the work covered by your engagement. A new tax position, planning question, notice, document review, additional filing, or issue outside the agreed service may require a paid consultation or a new engagement.

A: Yes. A single-member LLC has one owner. When the owner is not a U.S. person and the LLC is treated as disregarded for federal income-tax purposes, the LLC commonly has a special annual information-reporting requirement. ‘Disregarded’ generally means the IRS does not treat the LLC as a separate income-taxpayer from its owner, but the LLC may still have its own reporting duties.

We prepare Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 for initial, annual, final, amended, and delinquent filings. Form 5472 reports certain transactions between the LLC and its foreign owner or another related person. The pro forma Form 1120 is the cover return used to submit Form 5472; it is not necessarily a regular corporate income-tax return for the LLC.

We also assist with extensions, state obligations, bookkeeping, entity closure, final filings, and closure of the IRS business account when those services are included in the engagement.

Learn more: Foreign-Owned Single-Member LLC Services and Pricing

A: A related-party transaction is money, property, or another item of value moving between the LLC and its owner or another related person. Common examples include formation costs paid by the owner, capital contributions, owner-paid business expenses, reimbursements, loans, distributions, and payments for goods or services.

An LLC may therefore have a Form 5472 filing obligation even when it had no customers, sales, or operating revenue. A short-lived or dissolved LLC may also need an initial, annual, or final federal filing and may have state closure requirements. ‘No business activity’ does not always mean ‘no filing.’

A: No. An EIN is the business’s federal identification number. Having an EIN, a U.S. entity, a bank account, Stripe or PayPal, or U.S. customers may create reporting or practical compliance duties, but those facts alone do not answer the income-tax question.

We may need to know where services were performed, where contracts were negotiated or signed, and whether the business had U.S. employees, contractors, agents, inventory, warehouses, offices, or owner travel. Those facts help determine whether the business is carrying on a U.S. trade or business and whether income is effectively connected with that activity. In plain language, that analysis asks whether the business has enough U.S. activity for the United States to tax some of its business income.

A: Yes. A multi-member LLC generally has two or more owners and is commonly taxed as a partnership unless it made another tax election. We prepare Form 1065, the partnership return, and the owner reporting that may accompany it, including Schedules K-1, K-2, and K-3 when applicable.

We also review foreign-partner withholding and related forms when the facts require them. The fee depends on revenue, number and residence of owners, condition of the books, state filings, ownership changes, special allocations, foreign reporting, and whether the partnership has U.S. business activity or withholding duties.

Learn more: Partnership and Multi-Member LLC Services and Pricing

A: Yes. We prepare Form 1120 for C corporations and Form 1120-S with shareholder Schedule K-1 reporting for qualifying S corporations. A foreign-owned U.S. corporation may also need Form 5472.

Our work may include extensions, amended returns, final returns, selected Form 2553 election projects, related-party transactions, owner compensation, distributions, cross-border payments, bookkeeping, and year-round tax support when included in scope.

A: Yes. Form 1040 is the usual U.S. individual income-tax return for U.S. citizens and residents. Form 1040-NR is the nonresident individual income-tax return. We also handle selected state returns, residency transitions, dual-status returns, treaty matters, business and rental income, investment reporting, foreign tax credits, foreign earned income, estimated taxes, and delinquent filings.

When applicable, our work may include Form 8938, the FBAR foreign-bank-account report, and reporting for certain foreign companies, branches, partnerships, or investment funds. International individual filings are highly fact-dependent, so we quote them only after reviewing tax residence, immigration status, travel dates, income, foreign assets, business interests, and prior filings.

A: Not automatically. The LLC’s Form 1120/Form 5472 reporting is separate from the owner’s individual return. Form 1040-NR depends on the owner’s income and U.S. activities.

An ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a tax-processing number for a person who needs a U.S. taxpayer number but is not eligible for a Social Security number. An LLC can have an EIN without its owner automatically needing an ITIN. As a Certifying Acceptance Agent, we assist eligible applicants with Form W-7 and supporting identity documents after confirming that the applicant has a valid U.S. tax reason for requesting the number.

Learn more: Certifying Acceptance Agent Services

A: Yes. Services may include QuickBooks Online setup, accountant access, transaction categorization, account reconciliation, cleanup or catch-up bookkeeping, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and tax-ready year-end books. Depending on the engagement, we may prepare profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash-flow statements on a cash or accrual basis.

A bookkeeping quote depends on monthly revenue or expenses, transaction count, number of bank and payment accounts, currencies, inventory, payroll, sales tax, the condition of existing records, and the reports you expect. Payroll and sales-tax work are included only when the engagement specifically says so.

Learn more: Bookkeeping and Accounting Services

A: We can support the accounting and U.S. tax side by preparing books, tax returns, and financial statements when engaged to do so. We do not assume responsibility for immigration eligibility, petition strategy, or legal representation. Your immigration lawyer should direct the immigration portion of the case.

A: Yes, when the matter fits our practice. Services may include forming an LLC or corporation, applying for an EIN, updating the responsible party, making a tax-classification election, adding or removing owners, changing between single-member and multi-member status, maintaining state registrations, dissolving the entity, preparing final returns, and closing the IRS business account.

Operating agreements and other legal documents require a separately defined scope.

Learn more: Entity Formation and Dissolution Services

A: We accept selected matters involving late or missing returns, Form 5472 penalty notices, reasonable-cause submissions, amended or corrective filings, and IRS correspondence related to returns we prepared. Separate engagements may be available for certain audits, collection matters, liens, levies, installment arrangements, or other tax-resolution work.

Before work begins, we define the issue, the records needed, the service we will provide, and the fee. No professional can guarantee that the IRS or another tax authority will accept a position, remove a penalty, or reach a particular result.

Learn more: IRS Tax Audit, Relief and Resolution Services

A: We frequently work with international founders who own U.S. LLCs or corporations; e-commerce and online retail businesses using Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Stripe, PayPal, marketplaces, or U.S. fulfillment providers; and SaaS, software, artificial-intelligence, mobile-app, gaming, and other digital-platform businesses.

We also work with consultants, agencies, remote-service firms, digital-product sellers, online educators, publishers, creators, media businesses, investment and holding companies, real-estate and rental structures, import/export and wholesale businesses, logistics and transportation companies, and domestic small businesses in construction, trades, health and wellness, and local services.

A: Two businesses in the same industry can have very different tax obligations. The answer may change because of who owns the business, where services are performed, where inventory is stored, whether anyone travels or works in the United States, how contracts are handled, which states are involved, and how money moves between the owners and the business.

We therefore quote and advise based on the actual activity, not only the label used to describe the business.

A: No. They are published starting fees for common services. Your final fee depends on the actual scope, and the current pricing page and signed engagement letter control. We confirm the final service and price before work begins.

Confirm current rates: View Detailed Service Pricing

A: The fee may increase when the work involves more owners, related parties, states, accounts, tax years, transactions, revenue, assets, or forms than the standard service. U.S. employees, contractors, agents, offices, inventory, warehouses, or business travel can add federal, state, payroll, withholding, or sales-tax questions.

Cross-border payments, foreign accounts or entities, treaty positions, foreign investment reporting, ownership changes, special allocations, restructuring, or multiple states also add complexity. Incomplete or unreconciled books, missing returns, notices, amendments, prior-preparer errors, or an urgent deadline require additional work.

Research, written opinions, legal documents, and advisory analysis beyond return preparation are priced separately. We explain any expanded scope before beginning that additional work.

A: No. The consultation fee pays for the scheduled professional time and advice. It is not automatically credited toward a later return, bookkeeping project, or other engagement.

A: Send one organized summary using the categories below. If a fact is unknown, say that it is unknown rather than leaving the point unclear.

Entity basics. Provide the legal name, entity type, state and date of formation, EIN if already issued, and federal tax classification if known. Do not attach a sensitive EIN notice to general email unless requested through a secure method.

Ownership. State how many owners there are, each ownership percentage, and each owner’s country of tax residence.

Years and deadlines. Identify every tax year involved, whether an extension was filed, any missed year, any notice received, and any deadline you know about.

Business activity and amounts. Explain what the business sells or does, how it earns money, approximate annual revenue and expenses, and the approximate number of transactions each month.

U.S. activity. Explain whether the business has U.S. employees, contractors, agents, offices, warehouses, inventory, business travel, or contracts negotiated or signed in the United States. Identify the states in which it is registered, operates, stores inventory, or has filed returns.

Records. Describe whether the books are complete and reconciled, partly complete, or not prepared. Identify payment platforms and tax forms received, and mention prior returns or federal or state correspondence.

Exact request. State the filing, advice, bookkeeping work, financial statement, correction, or other deliverable you want, together with any required completion date.

A: An individual request should clearly identify the person’s tax and travel situation, income, assets, filing history, and the exact question or return needed.

Residency and travel. Provide citizenship, immigration status, country of tax residence, and relevant U.S. entry and exit dates.

States. Identify every state where the person lived or worked during the year.

Income. Describe each type of income and the country connected with it, and identify U.S. or foreign tax forms received.

Foreign and business interests. Mention foreign bank, investment, retirement, company, partnership, business, rental, equity-compensation, or cryptocurrency interests.

Filing history. State the tax year or years, filing status if known, deadlines, notices, prior returns, and unresolved issues.

Exact request. State the precise question or deliverable you want us to address.

A: A complete summary lets us see the full picture, reduces repeated follow-up, and makes the scope and quote more reliable. It also helps prevent important facts from being separated across several email threads. If new facts appear later, the scope, fee, recommended work, or timeline may change.

Submit your information: Request a Filing or Service Quote

A: We first determine whether the matter is within our practice, whether important facts are missing, and what the appropriate next step should be. That next step may be a quote, a complimentary 10-minute Zoom introduction, a paid consultation, a separate engagement, or a referral to another professional.

A: For standardized work with complete facts, we may respond with a fixed or starting fee by email. For complex work, we first clarify the facts and define exactly what we will and will not do. The engagement letter then states the agreed service and fee.

A: We first invite you to activate your secure client portal. We then send the applicable engagement terms, organizer, and document request through the portal. The organizer is a questionnaire that gathers the facts needed for the specific filing or service.

After you complete the organizer and satisfy the document request, we review the submission for completeness and issue the invoice. All professional fees must be paid in full upfront. Work begins only after the required information and documents are complete and payment has been received.

A: We review the organizer and supporting records for completeness. If something important is missing or materially different from the original description, we request clarification. New facts can change the filing, scope, fee, or timeline, so accurate and complete answers are essential.

We then prepare the agreed return, filing, books, financial statement, or other work product. You must review the factual information and approve any return before it is filed because our work is based on the information and records you provide.

A: We complete the filing method covered by the engagement and provide the applicable status or confirmation. Administrative follow-up related to the agreed work remains within the engagement. A new notice, planning question, additional filing, or other new issue is scoped separately.

A: For a clean, standard Form 5472 with pro forma Form 1120 engagement, a draft is often ready in approximately three to five business days after we receive the completed organizer, all required records, and payment. This is a general estimate, not a guaranteed deadline. Other matters follow a timeline set after we review the scope and records.

A: Our ordinary work covers the U.S. tax and accounting side. You should use a qualified adviser in the other country for that country’s tax returns, corporate rules, immigration rules, and local legal advice. We may coordinate the U.S. analysis with information supplied by your local adviser when that coordination is included in scope.

A: No. We provide professional analysis, accurate preparation based on the information supplied, and representation within the agreed scope. The result depends on the law, complete facts, available documentation, deadlines, and decisions of the IRS or another tax authority. We do not promise an outcome that is outside our control.

A: Tell us the exact service or question, provide the relevant facts once in an organized summary, review the information we send you, and use the correct channel for the next step. Email is best for general scope and administration. A complimentary 10-minute Zoom call is for fit and general logistics. A paid consultation is for fact-specific advice. A signed engagement is required for preparation, filing, bookkeeping, document review, representation, or implementation.