TAX PREPARATION SERVICES IN PITTSBURGH WITHOUT THE CPA HOURLY RATE

No. We're not CPAs and we don't file tax returns. We do the bookkeeping work that makes filing dramatically faster and cheaper. We organize records year-round, prepare 1099s, calculate quarterly estimates, deliver tax-ready financials, and coordinate directly with your CPA, EA, or tax attorney. Most Pittsburgh clients see their CPA bill drop 30 to 50 percent because we eliminate the cleanup work the CPA was previously doing at $200+ per hour.

Tax prep support is bundled into our monthly bookkeeping plans starting at $399 per month. The Tax Prep Support add-on for clients who only want quarterly tax work (no monthly bookkeeping) starts at $150 per quarter. Most Pittsburgh business owners save more than the cost in CPA fee reductions and recovered deductions.

Yes. We work with CPAs, EAs, and tax attorneys across the Pittsburgh metro and beyond. We coordinate directly with your tax preparer, send them the reports they need, and answer any questions about your records. Most Pittsburgh CPAs love working with us because it makes their job easier and their fee structure simpler. If you don't have a Pittsburgh CPA yet, we can recommend several we work with.

A tax preparer (CPA, Enrolled Agent, or tax attorney) files your tax returns. A bookkeeper organizes the financial records the tax preparer needs. In Pittsburgh, where you have federal, PA state, Pittsburgh city, and county-level filings to deal with, both roles matter. The cost-effective setup is a great bookkeeper handling year-round records and a great CPA filing the actual returns. Trying to use a CPA for both is expensive because CPAs charge $150 to $400 per hour. Trying to use a bookkeeper for both is risky because bookkeepers can't legally represent you to the IRS.

Yes. Pittsburgh has a 3% city earned income tax (plus 2% school district tax inside the city). Allegheny County has a $52 annual LST. PA state has a flat 3.07% income tax. We track each of these separately in QuickBooks so your CPA isn't sorting through transactions trying to figure out which authority each tax applies to. We also handle Butler County, Westmoreland County, Washington County, and Beaver County earned income tax requirements for clients in those areas.

Yes. We start by reconstructing your quarterly tax history (federal, PA, and Pittsburgh local EIT) so you know exactly what you owe and what penalties have accrued. Then we work with your CPA to file through PA's voluntary disclosure program if needed. Voluntary disclosure typically reduces penalties significantly compared to waiting for PA Department of Revenue to assess you. Going forward, we calculate each quarterly payment 2 weeks before it's due so you never miss again.

Depends on what shape your books are in now. If you have a clean QuickBooks file and just need year-end adjustments, we can hand off to your CPA within 1 to 2 weeks. If your books are 6 to 12 months behind, we need 3 to 6 weeks of catch-up work first. If you're 2+ years behind, plan on 6 to 10 weeks. We sequence the work around your closest tax deadline so you never miss a filing.

We handle the bookkeeping side of sales tax (tracking taxable sales, separating PA 6% state from Allegheny County 1% local, calculating remittance amounts, and generating reports for filing). We don't actually submit the filing to the PA Department of Revenue. Most Pittsburgh CPAs include PA sales tax filing in their tax services. If yours doesn't, we'll recommend one who does.

Yes. We prepare the bookkeeping that feeds into your S-Corp's PA-20S/PA-65 information return, including separately stated items, K-1 prep, PA Schedule RK-1 for each shareholder, and reasonable compensation documentation. Your CPA files the actual return. See our S-Corp bookkeeping page for the full S-Corp specific service.

Yes. Most Pittsburgh business owners we onboard have $3,000 to $14,000 per year in legitimate deductions that weren't tracked. Common misses: home office, vehicle mileage, business meals (50% deductible), software subscriptions, professional development, health insurance premiums for self-employed individuals, retirement contributions (SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo 401k), bank fees, merchant processing fees, business insurance, bad debts, phone and internet, advertising, and Pittsburgh-specific local tax payments which are deductible federally. We catch these in real time once we take over the bookkeeping.

Allegheny County (Pittsburgh proper, North Hills, South Hills, Squirrel Hill, Strip District, Lawrenceville, Oakland, Mount Lebanon, Bethel Park, Moon Township, Robinson Township, Fox Chapel, McCandless, Ross Township, Shaler), Butler County (Cranberry Township, Wexford, Mars, Warrendale, Seven Fields, Zelienople, Butler, Gibsonia, Harmony, Evans City), Westmoreland County (Murrysville, Greensburg, Monroeville suburbs), Washington County (Canonsburg, Peters Township, Washington), and parts of Beaver County. Remote work covers everywhere in the metro. In-person handoff at our Cranberry Township office.

Three reasons. First, PA local tax rules are weird and national services don't know them. The Pittsburgh 3% city tax, Allegheny County LST, school district EIT inside the city, and PA RCT-101 filing requirements all require local knowledge. National services either ignore these or charge extra for them. Second, you can drive to our Cranberry Township office and meet face-to-face. Third, when something breaks mid-tax-season, you call a local person, not a support ticket queue.