Stephens Tax Services

Still need to file your taxes?! The July 15th deadline is only a week away! While our schedule is fully booked for before the deadline, any current or new clients are welcome to drop off and a FREE extension will be filed. The extension gives you until October 15, 2020 to file your taxes.... Please contact us with any questions! [email protected] 707.527.7464

An update for our clients: As we continue to navigate Shelter in Place, we are working diligently to finish returns we have in hand by May 1. Those who need your tax return finished sooner for government assistance or are reliant on a refund, please contact us to expedite your return. We will continue to accept our current clients and new clients with the option to drop off through our mail slot or uploading files through our secure Client Portal. As a reminder, the deadline... to file and pay your federal & state taxes is now JULY 15TH. Please contact us with any questions! [email protected] 707.527.7464

It has been announced today that the deadline to file your taxes has been moved to July 15, 2020! With this news, for the safety of our staff and community, we will be closing the office for in person appointments. We will be working on rescheduling our current in person appointments to after the shelter in place has been lifted. We know many of you financially depend on tax returns, so we will continue to work on any that have been dropped off and any new returns that are ...mailed, dropped in our mail slot, or uploaded to our secure client portal. This is new territory for us all and we are continuing to find ways to serve the tax needs of our clients, new and old during this time. Please reach out if you have any questions! E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 707-527-7464 Stay safe everyone!

Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has extended the deadline to pay your taxes to July 15, 2020. Please note that the filing deadline remains April 15, 2020. If you need to file an extension, please contact our office and we’re happy to do it for you for FREE.

As we are considered an Essential Business, we remain open during Shelter in Place and are sanitizing our office for the health and safety of you and our staff. Those with scheduled appointments are still able to come in, business as usual. Please note we will practice social distancing as much as we are able with the nature of our business. For existing and potential clients, we have the following options for those of you who would prefer minimal to no physical contact:... - Drop off at the front desk - Drop off through mail slot at front door - Upload documents through our secure client portal on our website With these options, we will call you with any questions to complete your tax filing. If you have any questions or would like to change an existing appointment to a drop off, please call our office at 707-527-7464.

Thank you for the shout out, Sonoma County GO LOCAL!

***Please share*** Tax info for those who lost property in the fires. I am proud to be on the board of directors for the North Bay Enrolled Agents! Some of the members have put together this great resource for information relating to taxes and the North Bay fires. http://calfiretaxinfo.org/

Great news for those who are on extension in our area, but have not filed their 2016 taxes yet. The IRS automatically processes this for taxpayers in counties affected by the fires, so you don’t have to stress about getting your taxes filed by Monday if you have not filed your 2016 taxes yet. Deadlines falling on or after Oct. 8, 2017 and before Jan. 31, 2018, are granted additional time to file through Jan. 31, 2018. This includes taxpayers who had a valid extension to file their 2016 return that was due to run out on Oct. 16, 2017. https://www.irs.gov//tax-relief-for-victims-of-wildfires-i

***Please share*** Tax info for those who lost property in the fires. I am proud to be on the board of directors for the North Bay Enrolled Agents! Some of the members have put together this great resource for information relating to taxes and the North Bay fires. http://calfiretaxinfo.org/

Some news about property tax relief for those in Sonoma County affected by the fires. All efforts will be made to issue corrected 2017-18 property tax bills by December 11, 2017. Affected taxpayers will have a 30 day deferral period following receipt of a corrected tax bill, said Mr. Roeser. Additionally, taxpayers with impound accounts should contact their lender to inform them of the change in status of their property. http://sonomacounty.ca.gov//Fire-Damage-Property-Tax-Reli/

To our friends, neighbors, and clients: Like everyone in the region, we have been shocked and devastated by the events that have taken place over the last few days. Personally, I grew up in the Coffee Park neighborhood, so that area will always hold a special place in my heart. I still have many friends and clients who lived there and other areas of Sonoma County who have been terribly affected by these fires. The Stephens Tax Services family’s hearts go out to all of these p...eople in this very difficult time in their lives. Fortunately, we have received reports from the owner of the building that our office on Mendocino Ave is still standing and virtually free from harm. However, we are still without power and unable to return to it due to road closures. I know that many of you are concerned about your taxes due to the upcoming extension deadline of Monday, October 16th. You may take some comfort in knowing that the IRS is usually very forgiving of these deadlines in emergency situations such as this one. As soon as I am able to return to the office, I will work diligently to get your taxes completed and filed. Thank you for your understanding, and please stay safe. Justin

Some news about property tax relief for those in Sonoma County affected by the fires. All efforts will be made to issue corrected 2017-18 property tax bills by December 11, 2017. Affected taxpayers will have a 30 day deferral period following receipt of a corrected tax bill, said Mr. Roeser. Additionally, taxpayers with impound accounts should contact their lender to inform them of the change in status of their property. http://sonomacounty.ca.gov//Fire-Damage-Property-Tax-Reli/

Enrolled Agents are the only federally licensed tax preparers who also have unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS." Every EA must go through extensive training and education every year to remain an EA, ensuring that we know current tax law inside and out. This prepares us to utilize tax law to the benefit of the taxpayer, which keeps money in your pocket! www.naea.org

Do you have a business selling LuLaRoe, Stella & Dot, or driving for Uber or Lyft? If you do, did you know you have to file a business profit and loss, called a Schedule C, with your tax return? Two of the most common reasons for an IRS audit are failing to include the correct amount of income on your tax return, and making mistakes with deductions on a Schedule C. Let us help you prepare your tax return and you could save hundreds, even thousands of dollars in taxes by using legal deductions that you might not even know about! Be prepared for the upcoming tax season by coming to see us for a free consultation about your business.

Thank you to all of the clients who have stuck with us and made this tax season a huge success! We are thankful for each and every one of you, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year and for many years to come.

As I was driving to work on this typical Sonoma County morning (somehow sunny and foggy at the same time), I couldn't help but be reminded of when I was a kid and my dad would bring me to school before he went off to work during tax season. We'd stop at our local donut shop while listening to Brent Farris' morning show on KZST (or the ill-fated 101.7, The Fox). And now it's me driving to work during tax season, eating the same donuts and listening to the same radio. It makes me proud to be a second generation Sonoma County business owner. -Justin

We've received a lot of phone calls about these scams. If you ever get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS...ignore them!! The IRS does not make phone calls; they will send you a letter if they want to get a hold of you.

Tax season officially begins January 19th and we couldn't be more excited! Remember that you can now book your tax appointment online from our website or from right here on Facebook!

Our office will be closed 10/7 - 10/12. Back just in time to wrap up 2014 extensions! Have a great week!

Lee Stephens, EA & Justin Lee Stephens, EA