Who this is for
Your business return and your personal return are one problem.
Small business returns go wrong at the seam: the business return says one thing, the owner's personal return says another, and the mismatch surfaces a year later as a notice. We prepare both sides so the K‑1s, the owner draws and the payroll figures reconcile before anything is filed.
Entity returns carry earlier deadlines than individual ones — S‑corps and partnerships are generally due in March, not April. Coming in early matters more here than anywhere else.
- Sole proprietors filing Schedule C
- Single-member LLCs, and multi-member LLCs taxed as partnerships
- S‑corporations filing Form 1120‑S with owner payroll
- Partnerships filing Form 1065 and issuing K‑1s
- Owners who need the business and personal returns to agree
- Businesses that changed entity type during the year
Usually two to four business days
What to expect
- Books reviewed first Before preparation
- Entity return prepared 2–4 business days
- Owner returns aligned Same engagement
- K‑1s issued With the filed return
Entity deadlines fall earlier than April 15 — check yours with us.
What the work covers
What a business return covers.
The right entity form
1120‑S, 1065 or Schedule C, prepared to match how the business is actually registered and taxed.
California filings too
The state return and the annual LLC fee or franchise tax obligations handled in the same engagement.
Depreciation kept straight
Fixed assets carried forward correctly year to year, including Section 179 and bonus decisions.
K‑1s that reconcile
Partner and shareholder statements issued so each owner's personal return matches the entity return.
Owner compensation reviewed
For S‑corps, a look at whether the salary-versus-distribution split is defensible.
Deadline tracking
March entity deadlines flagged in advance rather than discovered afterwards.
Before your appointment
What to bring for a business return.
If your books are in a spreadsheet rather than accounting software, that is fine — bring the spreadsheet.
The entity
- Articles of organisation or incorporation, and the EIN letter
- The S‑corp election (Form 2553) acceptance letter, if applicable
- Last year's business return, if this is not the first year
- Ownership percentages for every partner or shareholder
The books
- Profit and loss statement for the year
- Balance sheet as of 31 December
- Bank and credit card statements for business accounts
- Loan statements showing interest and principal split
- Payroll reports and the W‑2s and W‑3 you issued
- 1099‑NECs you issued to contractors
Assets and other
- Purchase records for equipment or vehicles bought this year
- Depreciation schedule from the prior year
- Home office square footage, if you claim it
- Mileage log for business vehicle use
Missing something? Come in anyway. Reconstructing a missing document is ordinary work for us, and it is faster to sort out across a desk than over email.
Common questions
Business returns, answered.
My bookkeeping is a mess. Should I clean it up before coming in?
Do not spend three weekends on it first. Bring what exists — statements, receipts, whatever the software has — and we will tell you what is genuinely missing. Sorting records is part of the work, and we would rather do it than have you file late.
I have an LLC. Which return do I file?
It depends on how the LLC is taxed, not what it is called. A single-member LLC usually reports on Schedule C inside your personal return; a multi-member LLC generally files a partnership return; either can elect S‑corp treatment. Bring the paperwork and we will confirm which one applies.
Can you prepare my personal return at the same time?
Yes, and we recommend it. The entity return produces the K‑1 that feeds your personal return, so doing them together removes the most common source of mismatch.
What if we missed the March deadline?
An extension can still be filed, and late entity returns carry per-owner, per-month penalties that grow, so the sooner it is filed the smaller it is. Come in and we will work out where you stand.
Let's get the business return moving.
Entity deadlines arrive before the April rush. Bring the books in and we will tell you what the filing involves.