Personal
Tax Services
We're here to ensure that your tax preparation experience is as seamless as possible, maximizing deductions, avoiding red flags as well as engaging with you throughout the year to make sure you're making strategic tax moves and know what to expect when it comes time to file.
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Taxes Can Be...Stressful
There are many reasons individuals seek out a CPA to help them prepare and file their taxes. Regardless of what gives you angst, we can help.
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Did you know?
Proper tax planning throughout the year is the single most effective way to minimize your tax burden each year? Your options are very limited after the year is over.
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Don’t let just anyone do your taxes
When you have a side hustle, stock compensation, rental properties, investments, or anything else that adds complexity to your tax situation, you need an expert by your side. You need someone who can help you navigate these issues strategically and ensure you're tax filing is defensible to the tax authorities. We love complexity, and we love simplifying it for you.
Areas of Expertise
We are deeply knowledgeable in the following tax topics, which means your tax return will be prepared correctly and strategically—no more crossing your fingers that you won't get a notice from the IRS.
1031 Exchange
We'll make sure you're deferring as much of your capital gains as possible by helping you structure the transaction properly.
Suzi Drennen is the most knowledgeable, conscientious, and responsive CPA I have ever known—which is why I’ve stayed with her for more than 10 years. She is honest, has always gotten back to me quickly even at the height of tax season, and has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. The icing on the cake is that Suzi’s easy to work with and on top of that, a great person! She and her firm are tops!
Tax FAQs
My tax situation is not overly complicated, I just don’t want to do it anymore, can you help me?
Of course! No matter how simple or complex your tax situation is, we can help. Many of our clients engage with us simply because they don’t have the time or comfort level to do their taxes on their own. That is what a CPA is for, after all!
Is it important to find someone local to do my taxes?
When clients say, “I want someone local,” that often means they want someone that understands their unique state and local tax issues OR they have really only received the full attention of their CPA in face-to-face meetings. Dark Horse has hired a diverse range of CPAs that have worked with every state in the USA and a variety of complex issues, ensuring that we can service clients from ANYWHERE in the USA. Additionally, we’re extremely confident that our cloud-based service delivery model will result in you receiving a much higher level of attention throughout the year from your Dark Horse CPA than you got from your previous tax professional.
I need help with my personal taxes, as well as my business taxes, can you do both?
Yes, we can! In 99% of cases, they go hand-in-hand. We want to ensure our tax strategies work for both you AND your business, so having us engaged on both levels is a critical step to ensure we are maximizing your tax savings each tax year.
Is there a meaningful difference between a CPA, an EA (Enrolled Agent) and unlicensed preparers?
Absolutely. While anyone with enough experience, training, ethics and intelligence can be competent to prepare your tax return, it is more likely that an EA or unlicensed tax preparer will be lacking in one or more of these areas. As CPAs, we are held to the highest professional standards, as well as education and experience requirements. Having said that, Dark Horse is differentiated among CPA firms through our proprietary service delivery model that has earned us a Net Promotor Score of 90% versus the industry average of 38%.
I haven’t filed tax returns for a few years. Can you help?
Absolutely! We’ll get all of those overdue tax returns filed for you and we’ll work with the IRS and state tax authorities on your behalf to reduce any penalties to the maximum extent allowable.
I received a letter from the IRS or state informing me that my tax return is being audited. Can you help?
Of course! We provide unparalleled tax audit representation that will result in you getting the most favorable outcome possible. Furthermore, we deal directly with the IRS or state on your behalf, so you don’t have to worry about being put on the spot and disclosing information that will harm you. Think of us like an attorney representing you before the IRS or state.
Can I drop my files off at your office?
The short answer is no. The long answer is that we’re able to keep our prices extremely competitive with a much higher value proposition by working in a cloud-based environment. We’ll ask that you upload your documents to our secure client portal, as this creates indispensable efficiencies in preparing your tax returns, as well as the fact that you will remain the custodian of those documents for peace of mind. We can help you figure out how to digitize those documents, even if you don’t have a scanner. Last, all of your tax documents and tax returns will be saved in the secure portal, allowing for easy access in the future.
Do I need to come into your office to sign documents?
Not at all! Our entire process can be done in the comfort of your home. Any document that we will need you to sign can be electronically signed. All documents (tax documents, tax returns, engagement letters, IRS correspondence, etc.) are saved to your secure portal, accessible at any time.
I tend to forget what exactly happened on previous years’ tax returns…do you provide a tax return review meeting to go over the current tax return and how it compares to previous years?
Yes, we do! We have a couple of options based on your preference. We can provide you with a review via email, a video recording of your CPA walking through your return, or a 1-to-1 meeting.
I’m not confident that last year’s tax return was done correctly or that I left deductions on the table. Will you review those tax returns to address these doubts?
Of course. That’s part of our onboarding process with new clients. We’ll let you know if there are any red flags or missed opportunities on those returns. If necessary, we can amend previous tax returns to make sure those issue or opportunities are taken care of.
How much do you charge?
Prices range based on the scope of the engagement. We do offer a unique price quote tool on our website found here to give you an idea. Generally, it’s based on your income/deduction sources, how many states you need to file in, and if there are any unique situations with your return. If you are curious, you can always request a quote from us here.
Do you prepare returns in-person like the brick and mortar tax prep firms?
No, we do not. The reason is that the tax returns we prepare for clients have too much at stake to do all in one sitting. We prepare your returns thoughtfully, review them for quality and accuracy and then evaluate them strategically to make sure you're getting the best result possible. It's impractical (and impossible) to try to do this while you're sitting across from us. Also, you've got better things to do than sit around while we prepare the returns anyway.
Find Your Dark Horse CPA
When you work with Dark Horse, you're actually working with your very own Dark Horse CPA, instead of a rotating roster of staff like you get with the traditional CPA firm. Select a specialty below to get matched with the right CPA.
Locations
Because we're entirely cloud-based, we can work with you from anywhere. If you prefer to work with a local CPA, check out our quickly growing list of locations.
Blogs and Pods
Whether you prefer the written word or the spoken word, we've got meaningful commentary that will help you focus on what's important when it comes to your financial situation and taxes.
