Taking the stress out of tax time: Your checklist to savings!

Tax Professionals in Ontario CA area

Think of Whyte & Associates, Inc. as your “easy button” for a smooth tax season. Specifically, it is our team’s privilege to provide you with a complimentary tax organizer. This is the first step to getting your financial documentation in order. This organizer gives us the jumping-off point to identify credits, deductions, and other benefits and ensure no requirements are missed. Overlooked items leave you vulnerable to costly penalties, which compound over time (the longer you go without rectifying them).

Great! How do I start?

First, schedule a consultation at our Rancho Cucamonga, California office, which has served individuals and businesses in Ontario, Upland, Claremont, Fontana, La Verne, and the greater Los Angeles area for almost 70 years. Prior to your appointment, we encourage you to consider the checklist below. This will help you organize your all-important documents and data. With this as a starting point to begin our discussions and the tax reporting process, we can take everything from here.

Does tax season get any easier?

Yes! It most certainly does. Each year, our professionals will have more data to use to identify money-saving incentives and other strategies to reduce your tax liabilities. Consider how the information that is collected, managed, and analyzed builds upon itself. This information can also be used to deploy sound strategies that transcend “tax time,” as your tax liabilities have implications for your overall wealth management and financial “picture” and outlook.

So, what items do I need to “check off”?

Our tax organizer or checklist is divided into nine categories, as follows:

  • Personal information – Year-on-year changes (example: divorce, marriage)
  • Dependents – New babies, expenses for adoption or child care, etc.
  • Purchases, sales, and debts – Examples: Investment properties, home equity loans, home mortgage and student loans, vehicles
  • Income: Including unemployment and disability, tips, and any noteworthy changes in YoY earnings
  • Savings – Retirement funds such as pensions and contributions to savings vehicles (401 (k)s and Roth IRAs)
  • Health expenses – i.e., insurance coverage, contributions/distributions to Health Savings Accounts
  • Itemized deductions – Donations to charity, out-of-pocket costs for health care, major purchases (like RVs)
  • Miscellany – A “grab bag” of changes from year to year

To the last item, be sure to tell us about any big life changes. These milestones could have equally big implications for your taxes and personal “bottom line.” They include expenses associated with moving to a new community or state for your job or investments in qualifying improvements to your primary place of residence.

Why should I choose Whyte & Associates, Inc.?

Our free checklist is just one indicator of the way that we do things around here. We try to make it as easy as possible to get on the right track when it comes to your personal finances and, as applicable, your business finances too. As a complete accounting and tax firm, we bring value with our expansive perspective and skills. We look at your financial picture from various angles and understand how different facets of your personal and business “life” interplay. Additionally, we have attained and maintained the highest credential awarded by the IRS: status as Enrolled Agents. Our EAs are uniquely equipped to successfully navigate the audit process in the unlikely event that you receive a notice.

Serving Ontario, Upland, Claremont, Fontana, La Verne, and the greater Los Angeles area, our team in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, can be reached at (909) 575-0080 to answer your specific questions about how to get started and to schedule your consultation.

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