Your Trusted
Tax Partner
— Near & Far

Yes. We are based in Livermore and serve clients across the U.S. and overseas. Everything can be done remotely: consultations by phone or video, documents exchanged securely, returns e-filed.

1. A free consultation to understand your situation.
2. You fill in a short organizer about your year: family, income, anything that changed.
3. You send your documents securely.
4. We prepare the return, go through it with you, and e-file once you approve.
5. We follow up with anything to plan for next year.

Any time. For filing, most clients come once their W-2s and 1099s arrive, usually February to March; earlier is easier than April. For planning, the best time is during the year: some moves, such as 401(k) contributions, close on December 31.

• W-2s, and any 1099s (interest, dividends, brokerage, freelance, 1099-K, retirement).
• Form 1098 for mortgage interest, property tax bills, 1098-T for tuition.
• Form 1095-A if you bought insurance through Covered California or the Marketplace.
• Childcare costs, charitable receipts, estimated tax payments you made.
• Last year's return, if you're new to us.

We never ask for personal details through this website or the website chat. Documents are exchanged through a secure method we set up with you, and your information is used only to prepare your return.

Use the IRS Where's My Refund? tool about a day after e-filing; most e-filed refunds arrive within 21 days. For California, use the FTB's Check your refund. You'll need your Social Security number, filing status and the exact refund amount.

Yes. A federal extension (Form 4868) moves the filing deadline to October 15, and California gives six months automatically. But an extension is more time to file, not to pay: estimate and pay what you owe by April 15 to avoid penalties and interest.

It happens often, especially corrected brokerage 1099s in March. Whether it needs action depends on whether it changes your tax: a small or offsetting change may not, a missed form usually does. Talk to us and we'll tell you what it means for you.

Don't ignore it, and don't panic. Most letters are about a mismatch, such as income the IRS has on record that isn't on the return, and every letter has a deadline. We're happy to talk it through and explain what it means for you. We don't represent clients before the IRS, so for an audit we'll point you to the right help.

Act sooner rather than later. If you are owed a refund, you generally have three years to claim it, after which it is lost. If you owe, penalties and interest keep growing. Talk to us about your situation and we'll explain the next step.

• Tips: deduct up to $25,000 of tips in jobs that customarily receive them (2025–2028).
• Overtime: deduct the extra "half" of overtime pay, up to $12,500 ($25,000 joint), 2025–2028. Tips and overtime both phase out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).
• Age 65 and older: an extra $6,000 deduction per person (2025–2028), phasing out above $75,000 ($150,000 joint).
• Car loan interest: up to $10,000 a year on a new personal car assembled in the U.S. (2025–2028), phasing out above $100,000 ($200,000 joint).
• Charity, from 2026: up to $1,000 ($2,000 joint) of cash gifts deductible without itemizing.
• All of these apply on top of the standard deduction: $16,100 single, $32,200 joint for 2026.

Yes, from 2025 through 2029. The cap on state and local taxes (state income tax plus property tax) went from $10,000 to $40,000 for 2025, rising 1% a year, and is reduced for incomes above $500,000 (never below $10,000). With California income tax and Bay Area property taxes, many homeowners now come out ahead itemizing again, together with mortgage interest and charitable gifts. Worth re-checking even if you have taken the standard deduction for years.

• Child tax credit: up to $2,200 per child under 17. The child needs a Social Security number, and since 2025 so does at least one parent.
• Other dependents (older children, a parent you support): a $500 credit.
• Childcare while you work: a dependent care FSA through your employer (up to $7,500 a year from 2026) or the child and dependent care credit, not both for the same costs. Day camp counts; overnight camp does not.

• $24,500 of your own contributions.
• Age 50 or older: $8,000 more. Ages 60 to 63: $11,250 more instead, if your plan offers it.
• Your money and your employer's together can reach $72,000 (catch-up not counted).
• New for 2026: if you earned more than $150,000 in FICA wages from that employer in 2025, your catch-up must go in as Roth.

$7,500 per person ($8,600 at 50 or older), across traditional and Roth IRAs combined. You need earned income, though a spouse who doesn't work can contribute based on the working spouse's income. You have until April 15, 2027 to contribute for 2026.

Direct Roth contributions phase out with modified AGI: $153,000–$168,000 single or head of household, $242,000–$252,000 married filing jointly. Above that, a "backdoor" Roth may still work, but money you already hold in pre-tax IRAs can make it partly taxable. Check with us before you try it.

Fully, if neither you nor your spouse has a workplace plan. If you are covered, the deduction phases out at modified AGI of $81,000–$91,000 single or head of household, and $129,000–$149,000 married filing jointly. If only your spouse is covered: $242,000–$252,000. Above these you can still contribute, just without the deduction.

If you have a high-deductible health plan, often yes: it is deductible going in, grows tax-free, and comes out tax-free for medical costs. 2026 limits: $4,400 self-only, $8,750 family, plus $1,000 at 55 or older. Contributions stop once you enroll in Medicare. California and New Jersey don't recognize HSAs, so there it is taxed on your state return.

A common order: enough 401(k) to get the full employer match, then an HSA if you're eligible, then an IRA (Roth or traditional), then more 401(k). High-interest debt and emergency savings change the picture. Try our free My Next Dollar tool; nothing you type leaves your browser.

401(k) and 403(b) contributions, tax-loss harvesting, charitable gifts and required minimum distributions all close on December 31. IRA and HSA contributions for the year can wait until April 15. A check-in in November or December catches most of these.

• Held more than a year: long-term rates of 0%, 15% or 20% federally, depending on income. A year or less: taxed as ordinary income.
• Higher earners may owe an extra 3.8% net investment income tax above $200,000 single or $250,000 married filing jointly.
• California taxes all gains as ordinary income.
• Losses can offset gains, but timing rules apply. Plan larger sales with us.

RSUs are taxed as wages when they vest. Two common traps: brokers often report the wrong cost basis when you sell, which can mean paying tax on the same income twice, and vests are usually withheld at a flat 22% federally, below many Bay Area earners' real rate, so big vests often mean a bill at filing. ESPP sales have their own rules. We catch both on your return and help you plan ahead.

Usually not on the first $250,000 of gain ($500,000 married filing jointly), if you owned and lived in it for 2 of the last 5 years. Gain above that, or on a rental or second home, is taxable, and any depreciation taken on a rental is recaptured.

Rental income is taxed after expenses and depreciation, and depending on your income, losses may be limited and carried forward to later years. Getting expenses, depreciation and the eventual sale right makes a real difference over the years you own the property. We handle it for you.

Owners of sole proprietorships, LLCs, S corporations and partnerships may deduct up to 20% of qualified business income. Above certain income levels, limits apply, especially for service businesses such as consulting, health, law and finance. The 2025 tax law made the deduction permanent.

Yes, if you expect to owe $1,000 or more after withholding, which is common with freelance, rental, RSU or investment income. Due dates: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. Paying the right amount avoids an underpayment penalty; we work out the amounts with you.

A Solo 401(k) or a SEP-IRA can let you save far more than an IRA, up to $72,000 for 2026. Which one fits, and how much you can put in, depends on your profit and whether you have employees. We help you choose and size it.

It can cut self-employment tax once profits are steady: you pay yourself a reasonable salary and take the rest as distributions. It also adds payroll, a separate return and extra costs, so the break-even depends on your numbers. Talk it through with us before you elect.

By default, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership; it can also choose S corporation treatment. In California every LLC also pays an $800 annual tax, even with no income, plus a fee at higher revenue. Choosing the right setup matters, so talk to us.

Many costs of the work are deductible: car use, a home office, phone and internet, supplies and more, each with its own rules. Above $400 of net profit you also owe self-employment tax (15.3%) for Social Security and Medicare. Keep records as you go, and we'll make sure you claim everything you're entitled to.

• U.S. citizens and residents are taxed on worldwide income, including NRO/NRE interest, fixed deposits, rent and capital gains in India.
• If your foreign accounts together exceeded $10,000 at any time in the year, you must also file an FBAR, and larger holdings need more forms.
• Indian mutual funds have their own U.S. reporting and can be taxed harshly. Talk to us before you buy or sell.

Usually not. Tax paid in India can generally be credited against U.S. tax on the same income, and the U.S.–India tax treaty helps in some cases. Getting the credit right is where we help.

Your first year can be "dual-status": part nonresident, part resident, based on the days you were in the U.S. (the substantial presence test). Married couples can sometimes choose to be treated as residents for the whole year and file jointly. The choice changes which income is taxed, so ask before filing.

Generally no U.S. tax: gifts and inheritances from family abroad aren't income to you. But if gifts from foreign individuals total more than $100,000 in a year (gifts from related people are added together), you file Form 3520, separately from your return. Missing it can cost up to 25% of the gift in penalties, even though no tax is due. What the money earns afterwards is taxed as usual.

Usually yes. They count toward the FBAR $10,000 total, and PPF interest is generally taxable in the U.S. every year, even though India doesn't tax it and you can't withdraw it. EPF is a grey area that needs care. Talk to us before you file.

The sale is reportable on your U.S. return, and the U.S. gain can differ a lot from the Indian one because of exchange rates. Tax paid in India can usually be credited so you aren't taxed twice. Talk to us before you sell: the timing and the paperwork matter.

You're not alone, and it's fixable. The IRS has procedures for people who missed FBARs or foreign income without meaning to, and penalties are often lower, or none, for those who come forward before the IRS contacts them. The right route depends on whether any income went unreported. Talk to us before filing anything.

You file a part-year California return for the year you move, and California can still tax some income after you leave, such as RSUs earned while you worked there. The FTB does check residency, so plan the move with us.