About the firm

About Stratagem

Stratagem Tax Analytics is a remote tax planning, tax preparation and bookkeeping firm. We work year-round with clients in every state, and specialize in CRNAs and other 1099 medical professionals, the self-employed, S corporation owners and real estate investors.

Credentials

Every return we file is prepared or reviewed by an Enrolled Agent, enrolled to practice before the IRS. Enrolled Agents earn the credential by passing the IRS’s own three-part examination on individual and business tax, keep it through continuing education every year, and can represent taxpayers before the IRS on any tax matter: notices, audits, collections and appeals.

How we work

Most people hear from their accountant once a year, after the year is over and the decisions that mattered have already been made. We work the other way round. When you start, your situation becomes a written roadmap for the year: a review of last year’s return, a map of how each business, rental and paycheck reaches your return, the strategy for the year, quarterly projections and every deadline that applies to you. Your books are kept monthly, so the plan runs on current numbers, and we revise it each quarter.

Business and personal returns are prepared by the same team, so the S corporation salary, the rental depreciation and the retirement contribution are decided together rather than discovered separately in April.

Working with us remotely

• Tell us about yourself. A two-minute inquiry form on the website.
• We read your situation. Every inquiry is read personally and answered within two business days.
• Intro call. Thirty minutes on video about your situation, what we would change first, and whether we are the right fit.
• Onboarding. An engagement letter, your secure client portal, connected accounts and your roadmap for the year.

After that, documents, messages and e-signatures all go through the portal, and we meet by video whenever a decision needs a conversation.

What we do

Tax planning

• Year-round strategy. A plan for the year written before the year happens, revised as it does.
• Entity selection. Sole proprietor, LLC, S corporation or C corporation: which one your numbers argue for.
• S corporation analysis. What an S corporation election would save you, and what it would cost in payroll and paperwork.
• Quarterly projections. Where the year is heading, run on real income and spending each quarter.
• Estimated payments. Four payments a year, each one calculated, never a guess from last year’s return.
• Retirement strategy. Which retirement plan fits you, how much to put in, and when.
• Deduction timing. Taking the deduction in the year it does the most good.
• Multi-year planning. Decisions weighed across several years, not just the one in front of us.

Tax preparation

• Individual returns. Your Form 1040 and its schedules, done right the first time.
• Business returns. S corporation, partnership and corporate returns.
• Multi-state returns. Income earned or owed in more than one state, filed everywhere it needs to be.
• Coordinated returns. Business and personal returns prepared by the same people, so each knows what the other says.
• Prior-year review. We read last year’s return before we touch this year’s, and catch what was missed.
• Amended returns. A past return corrected when the review finds something worth correcting.
• Extensions. Filed on purpose, with the payment estimated, not as a last resort.
• Secure upload and e-signature. Documents uploaded and returns signed in the portal, from anywhere.

Bookkeeping

• Monthly bookkeeping. Every transaction categorized each month, not reconstructed in April.
• Reconciliations. Bank and card accounts reconciled to the statement every month.
• Financial statements. A profit and loss and a balance sheet you can actually read.
• Real-time numbers. Current numbers, so the projection and the estimate are built on this year.
• Tax-ready year end. Books that are already in the shape the return needs when the year ends.
• 1099 preparation. Contractors paid during the year reported by the January deadline.
• Clean-up and catch-up. Months or years of neglected books brought up to date.
• Portal access. Statements, documents and messages in one secure place.

Common questions

Do you work with clients in my state?

Yes. We are fully remote and work with clients in every state, preparing your federal return and the state returns you need, including nonresident returns for states where you worked or own property.

Who prepares my return?

Our team prepares your returns, and every return is prepared or reviewed by an Enrolled Agent, enrolled to practice before the IRS, before it is filed.

Can you represent me if I get an IRS notice?

Yes. Enrolled Agents have unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS, so we can answer notices and deal with the IRS on your behalf rather than leaving you to handle the letter yourself.

Do you only work during tax season?

No. Planning, bookkeeping and estimated payments run all year, and the return is the last step of a year we have already planned with you, not the first time we see your numbers.

How much do your services cost?

It depends on what you need: the returns, the entities, the states and whether bookkeeping is included. After the intro call we put the scope and the fee in writing before any work starts.

What do I need to get started?

Just the inquiry form. If we are a good fit, the first thing we ask for is last year’s returns, so we can start with the prior-year review.

Who we work with

• CRNAs and 1099 medical professionals
• Self-employed and 1099 contractors
• S corporation and small business owners
• Real estate investors

This page is general information, not tax advice for your situation. Rules change, and the right answer depends on your numbers; that is what the intro call is for.