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Des Moines, and remotely

Four months a year I take nobody new. That is why the rest of the year works.

One accountant, about forty clients. From January to April I am filing, and taking on a new client in February would mean doing two jobs badly. So the calendar is published, the door is shut for four months, and everybody already here gets filed on time.

Clients
About forty
Accountants
One
Closed
5 months a year
Next open
May

The year, and which half of it I can take you on in.

  1. Closed

    January

    Year-end books closed, 1099s out, W-2s out.

  2. Closed

    February

    Returns. The heaviest month of the twelve.

  3. Closed

    March

    Partnership and S corporation deadline on the 15th.

  4. Closed

    April

    Individual deadline on the 15th. Nothing else happens.

  5. Open

    May

    Catching up. The best month to start with me.

  6. Open

    June

    Onboarding, catch-up bookkeeping, entity questions.

  7. Open

    July

    Quarterly estimates and mid-year reviews.

  8. Open

    August

    Onboarding, and two weeks away.

  9. Open

    September

    Extended partnership and S corp deadline on the 15th.

  10. Open

    October

    Extended individual deadline on the 15th.

  11. Open

    November

    Year-end planning. The last month to start before January.

  12. Closed

    December

    Year-end planning for existing clients only.

7 months open to new clients. Closed months are filing season and year-end, and the door does not open early for anybody.

What a month looks like.

Your whole obligation is statements by the fifth and an answer when I ask what something was. Everything else is on my side of the line.

  1. By the 5thYou send statementsBank, card, and anything that did not import. A shared folder, not email attachments.
  2. By the 10thBooks closedCategorised and reconciled, with a short list of anything I could not identify.
  3. By the 12thYou get three numbersWhat came in, what went out, and what to set aside for tax. One page, not a portal.
  4. QuarterlyEstimatesA figure and a due date, calculated rather than last year's number repeated.
  5. NovemberThe planning callForty-five minutes on what to do before December 31st, while it can still be done.

Seven things, with a number against each.

What each includes
Monthly bookkeepingAnyone who has stopped being able to answer 'how did last month go' without opening a spreadsheet.
From $290 a month
PayrollBusinesses with employees, and owners who need to pay themselves properly.
From $95 a month
Individual returnFreelancers and households with anything beyond a W-2.
From $450
Business returnPartnerships and S corporations under about ten people.
From $1,100
Quarterly estimatesAnybody with self-employment income who was surprised last year.
$180 a quarter
Catch-up bookkeepingPeople who have not reconciled since 2023 and know it.
$85 an hour
A second opinionAnyone who suspects last year went badly and wants to know before it repeats.
$300

If you have found this in February, the honest answer is May.

Write anyway and you will go on the list for the month the door opens. Or ring (515) 555-0123, though in filing season the voicemail is honest about the delay.

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A single small desk and chair between two bright windows in a plain white room, with a plant on the sill.
One desk. Illustrative — not Nadine's own room, but the right size.
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