Information Related to Preparing Your Tax Return

Smith Income Tax is continuing the effort to decrease our workload.  In the past 5 years we have cut our client list back from over 1200 clients down to about 300 clients.  Unfortunately, we need to continue to reduce the number of returns we prepare so that we can maintain the highest level of service as our family of preparers continues to decline.   

PLEASE NOTE - WE ARE RAISING OUR FEES.  Every tax return fee will be increased by a minimum of $100 this year.   For example, if your tax return is exactly the same number/type of forms as your 2024 tax returns we filed in 2025,  your 2026 fee will be $100 more.  If you have new forms added to your tax return, the fee may increase more based on those forms.  We have always tried to keep our fees as low as possible, but with the increase in costs of doing business and the decrease in number of tax returns prepared, we have no alternative.  Thank you for understanding.

When my mother, Mary, started Smith Income Tax in 1973, she could have never imagined how much this business would grow and thrive.  She was a fearless and amazing woman building a business when she did.  Her competence and genuine caring for her clients created something more than just a business; Smith Income Tax is an amazing legacy built on friendships and trust that lasted her lifetime and continue in mine.  Our family is thankful beyond words for all of our clients over the years.

I cannot count how many times I have said "getting old is not easy" recently, and every one of our aging clients has agreed.  Deciding how to cut back and wind down our business has been a huge challenge for me.  With losing my mom and Carla, along with Melissa and Nancy retiring, I am the last woman left standing!   Trying to hire someone who would love and serve our clients the way we always have has frankly proven to be impossible.   I decided years ago to cut back "younger and newer clients"  thinking that they would need help well beyond my years of working.  "Younger and newer" is now defined as people under 75 who have been clients less than 40 years!   LOL, sounds crazy but our top priority is those of you over 80 who have been coming in since the 80s or earlier!!

Sincerely, my goal as I approach my mid sixties is to continue working with my mother's core clients as long as I can.  As you know, I am not the type to "implement a formal exit strategy".  I am more the type to wish I had a crystal ball to show me the future, but I don't have that either.  What I do know is that at this point, I am certain that I owe my allegiance to those of you who helped build this business, buy our family's homes and cars, pay for our educations and adventures, but most of all fill our lives with great memories and lots of love.   Doing this means that I will have to continue to cut back on clients on some meaningful level.  Overcommitting is not good for any of us.  Many of you are more than capable of preparing your own taxes with todays online software options.  Perhaps you can get referrals from friends and family.  As always, we do not make referrals to other providers simply because we don't know anyone who will take care of you like we do!   That is the same reason I have declined to sell our client list over the years.  It may not be the smart financial move, but I sleep easy treating you all with great care.

Thank you for your trust, loyalty and patience,

Amy

CALL OR EMAIL THE OFFICE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.  PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO OUR LONG STANDING CORE CLIENTS  (Clients since the 1980's who started out with Mary)

Please call 303-232-8268 or send an email request for an appointment to office@smithincometax.com .

Because we cannot afford to get sick (with anything) during our short tax season, we will ask you to wear a mask if you have been exposed to anyone with symptoms of a contagious illness. 

Please cancel your appointment if you are having ANY Covid, cold, or flu symptoms, we will do our best to reschedule you at a later date.

 We reserve the right to cancel or change your appointment.

IF YOU HAVE A STRAIGHTFORWARD TAX RETURN AND WOULD LIKE TO SAVE SOME MONEY ON TAX PREPARATION, WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP YOU OUT.

We encourage you to try 1040.com for online personal tax preparation.  You can set up an account and prepare your tax return for a flat fee of $34.99!  No hidden costs for added forms or your state return.  The main reason we suggest this website over the other known brand names is that it is owned by Drake, the software company that we have used for over 20 years.  It is very user-friendly and you don't pay until you are satisfied with the result.  1040.com is also a trusted partner recommended by IRS.

PLEASE DO NOT DROP OFF OR MAIL IN YOUR DOCUMENTS WITHOUT DISCUSSING IT WITH US IN ADVANCE.  

NOTE ANYTHING RECEIVED AFTER MARCH 15 WILL MOST LIKELY REQUIRE AN EXTENSION.

Please use our cover sheet, and check out our helpful checklists and organizers found here on our website under "Organizers". Having your actual tax documents (or copies of them) is a must, so wait until you have them all.  You can add notes, but do not use a "summary" in lieu of letting us review the actual documents.  Please include a good phone number and email address.  Make notes with any questions you have and we will answer those questions when we call you. 

If mailing, we suggest you use USPS priority mail flat rate cardboard envelopes which come with tracking.  As stated above, gather ALL of your documents together and mail them to us once you have them all.  Please do not mail anything that will not fit through our mail slot.  If you need to mail a larger item, contact us for an alternate address to mail the package.   

You are welcome to schedule a virtual or phone appointment AFTER you have mailed in your documents or we will call you once we review your documents.

This is a great option for computer-friendly clients who have a scanner and printer available.  This is best for clients who are familiar with "dropbox" type portals.  Here is a link to our SecureFilePro site  If you do not have a SecureFilePro/Drake portal account from last year, you can use the "Guest Exchange" on the portal site linked above.  PLEASE DO NOT SCAN EACH DOCUMENT IN A SEPARATE PDF.  SEND IN AS FEW PDFS AS POSSIBLE.  Only use the portal if you are able to group your documents into a few consolidated files. Again, it is imperative that you do not scan one document at a time, as it is extremely difficult for us to open (and often print) multiple one-page documents.  If you electronically download your brokerage or bank 1099 pdfs to your personal computer, it is fine to send those pdf files separately.

If you are unable or not prepared to come in for an appointment, you may have to file an extension, we will be happy to help you with an extension.  

Extensions give you more time to file the tax return, however, they are NOT AN EXTENSION OF TIME TO PAY ANY TAXES YOU EXPECT TO OWE.  Again, any taxes you owe and do not pay by the April deadline will be subject to penalties and interest.

If you normally owe taxes when you file or expect to owe taxes this year, we can estimate your tax liability for 2025 based on your 2024 tax return.  You will need to pay what you expect to owe by 4/15.   If you cannot pay the full balance, it is still best to pay something when you file the extension.  

IF YOU OWE OR EXPECT TO OWE YOUR OPTIONS ARE...

1) YOU CAN GO TO THE IRS WEBSITE HERE and make a payment for no charge using an electronic check.  Making this online payment will automatically give you an extension!  Even if you only send $10, that easy, you are done!  Just choose "Make a Payment" and then choose "Extension".

2) Come by or call us and we can efile an extension for you and have your bank account debited for the amount you wish to send.  (Be aware, we will need a signature to debit your account).

3) You can call us and ask us to prepare a paper extension for you to pick up and mail with a check before the deadline.  Or, you can prepare a paper extension from home using  Form 4868 found here on the IRS website and mail it with a check before the deadline.

IF YOU NORMALLY RECEIVE REFUNDS when you file your tax return and are confident that you will receive refunds this year, we can efile an extension for you and there will be no need to send any money at this time.  Call us and let us know if you want to do this.  Note, this is not a guarantee that we will be able to file your tax return after the extension is filed and accepted.