Tax Preparation
No one wants to have problems with the IRS or state tax authorities. AdapTax is dedicated to helping you comply with all federal, state and local tax laws and regulations. Our expertise in tax law will help provide you with the peace of mind to know that once you file your tax return, you will not have to worry whether you got it right. And should any tax authority question you on your tax compliance, AdapTax will be there to advocate your position. As Enrolled Agents, AdapTax has license to represent you with all U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities.
Federal
If the thought April 15th conjures memories of staying up late or taking time off work to complete your annual tax return filing requirement, you must wonder if there is a better way. Maybe the completion of your tax return brings with it the excitement of learning whether you have a refund or owe taxes and penalties for under withholding and each year is a new and exciting chapter of this story. Or you successfully complete your tax return, but you never really know if you paid too much because you missed some tax deduction or credit. Why suffer such when you can avoid the excitement of the April 15th event by partnering with Adaptax?
State and Local
While many believe that state and local tax issues are no more involved than filing a state tax return which is simply a derivative of your federal tax return; however, there can be additional complexity involved and there are many clever state and local tax planning tools available.
There are a number of state and local tax situations which may justify use of a tax consultant, such as Adaptax. If you lived in or moved between two different states, you will need to apportion your income and deductions between the two states.
Do you find that you routinely have a federal refund, but owe state taxes? Most employers only provide you with the federal W-4 form to calculate federal withholding which applies the same withholding exemptions to your state withholdings which are often very different. Adaptax can help ensure your federal and state withholdings result in the year-end result you want to target.
Investors in real property have state and local tax complexities if they own property in a different state from where they live. To which state do you owe tax for the out-of-state rental property?
Are you an empty nester who would like to move to a smaller home, but haven’t because of the increase in property taxes? Did you know that in California it is possible to trade down from one house to a smaller house and maintain your existing property taxes?
Finally if you have or every get audited by the California Franchise Tax Board or other state tax agency, Adaptax has the license to represent you and help you protect your interests.
Adaptax is versed in all of these state and local tax issues and is prepared to help you too.
Trusts
If you are the trustee of a trust, you have a fiduciary responsibility for managing the assets, investments and distributions from the trust, as well as, meeting all federal and state regulatory requirements. One of these requirements is to determine whether the trust is required to file a tax return, and filing an annual tax return if it is required. Adaptax is experienced with the tax compliance issues required for trusts and can help you meet your fiduciary responsibilities.
Perhaps you created a living trust or family living trust as an estate planning tool. Since a trust is a separate entity with its own special type of tax return, the federal 1041 and California 541 for example, do you need to file a separate tax return? In many cases, but not always, a separate tax return is not required. Adaptax can help you understand and comply with these unique trust tax issues.
If your loved one created a trust as part of their estate plan, is an estate tax return also required? And what do you mean by an estate income tax return versus an estate tax return? For most people who serve as the executor of an estate or a trustee of a trust, these are challenging issues to understand and navigate.
Trusts are also a very valuable estate planning tool. If you don’t have a trust, you should learn about their many benefits including the ability to save you up to $25,000 or more in future costs.
Estates and Gifts
If you have been named the executor or trustee of the estate of a loved one, you are facing issues that are probably unfamiliar to you. Adaptax can help you understand the steps you need to take to meet these obligations. If you are working with an attorney, Adaptax can work with you and your attorney to settle the estate, as many attorneys do not prepare the required tax returns.
Many believe that only very large estates require a tax return. There are actually three different federal tax returns which may be required including the decedent’s final personal tax return (1040), the fiduciary or estate income tax return (1041) and the estate return (706). In almost all cases one or two of these tax returns are required even if an estate tax return isn’t.
Since there is less you can do to reduce your tax liability after the fact, Adaptax recommends tax planning or estate planning to proactively plan to minimize your estate tax liability. Adaptax can help you evaluate the use of such estate planning tools as a living trust, a family living trust, a bypass trust, gifting and the title you use to hold property. If you elect to form a trust or make gifts, Adaptax can help you develop a specific plan to your individual needs.