Home/Tax Services/Tax Planning & Strategy
Decide In October, Not In April
Planning work that happens while there is still time to change the outcome.
What Planning Actually Changes
A tax return records decisions that were already made. Planning is the part where those decisions are still open. The work is a review of the year to date against a projection of where it will land, and then a short list of moves worth making before December.
- Entity structure and whether the current one still fits
- Owner compensation and distribution balance
- Equipment purchases and depreciation elections
- Retirement plan contributions and which plan fits
- Timing of income and deductible expenses across the year boundary
- Estimated payments adjusted to what the year is actually doing
- Credits the business qualifies for and has not been claiming
Who Gets The Most From It
- Businesses whose profit changed materially from last year
- Owners taking distributions without a compensation plan
- Anyone who was surprised by a balance due last April
- Businesses considering an equipment purchase or a hire
- Sole proprietors approaching the profit level where structure matters
How A Planning Engagement Runs
It works from current books, which is the practical reason planning and bookkeeping tend to be handled together. Numbers through the third quarter, a projection to year end, and then the conversation. You leave with a written list of what to do, by when, and what each one is worth.
Planning is a year-round posture rather than a single meeting. Situations change, and a plan made in October gets revisited when the business does something unexpected in November.
Tax Planning For Huntsville, AL Business Owners
Businesses across Huntsville, AL, Athens, AL, Decatur, AL, and the surrounding communities use this to stop treating the return as a verdict. Sessions run in person or by video, in English and Spanish.
Before You Call About Tax Planning & Strategy
When is the best time to do tax planning?
Late summer through November for most calendar-year businesses. Early enough that decisions can still be made, late enough that the year's numbers are meaningful.
Can you do planning if you do not do my bookkeeping?
Yes, provided the books are current enough to project from. Where they are not, a catch-up pass usually comes first.
Does planning guarantee I will owe less?
No. It means the number is known in advance and the decisions behind it were made on purpose. Sometimes the honest answer is that the business had a good year and the bill reflects it.
Next Steps Clients Take
Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments
Federal and Alabama estimates calculated from current results and projected to year end, with self-employment tax included, the safe harbor position checked, and the remaining quarters adjusted when the year does something different.
Read moreBusiness Returns — S-Corp (Form 1120-S)
Form 1120-S prepared from closed books, with a Schedule K-1 for every shareholder, basis tracking, and officer compensation that agrees with the payroll filings.
Read moreBudget Preparation
An annual budget built from prior-year actuals with seasonality intact, fixed and variable costs separated, and assumptions written down, then reported against actual results each month so it works as an early warning rather than a filed document.
Read moreTalk To The Owner, Not An Intake Screener
Sara Humphrey handles the first conversation herself, so nothing has to be explained twice.