How we work
You will know where you stand, what comes next, and who is accountable.
Dependability is operational, not decorative. Every touchpoint answers three questions: What is happening? What do you need from me? What happens next?
On this page
Three questions
Every touchpoint answers the same three questions.
A status update, a document request, a delivered return, a monthly close. Each one is written so you can answer all three before you have to ask.
The three questions
What is happening?
You can see the status of your work from intake to delivery. When something changes, we tell you first.
What do you need from me?
Every request is specific: which document, where to send it, and the date it is needed. Nothing is left for you to infer.
What happens next?
Every deliverable ends with decisions, owners, and due dates. The next step is written down before the conversation ends.
The engagement
Nine moments where dependability is tested.
Each one carries a defined behavior you can hold us to. Open a moment to read it.
Every engagement
Inquiry
We reply within one business day with fit, the next step, and how to schedule. If we are not the right firm for the work, we say so in that first reply.
Discovery
We run a structured agenda and summarize your goals, the risks we see, and the scope we recommend. The summary arrives in writing, so you can weigh the recommendation before anything is proposed.
Proposal
We set out deliverables, exclusions, timeline, fee, and responsibilities in plain language. Nothing starts until you have agreed to what is written.
Onboarding
You receive a checklist, a secure document route, a named owner, and a first milestone. From the first week you know what to send, where to send it, and who is accountable.
Year-round clients only
Monthly service
We close on a consistent date and deliver an exception summary and an action list. You know when your numbers are ready, which items need your attention, and which ones we are handling.
Tax clients only
Tax intake
You receive a simple organizer, a secure upload route, visible status, and a firm document deadline. At any point you can see what has arrived and what is still outstanding.
Tax delivery
We explain your refund or balance due, key changes, deadlines, and planning opportunities in plain language. You sign a return you understand.
When things change
Problem or delay
We communicate early, name the impact, and provide the revised plan. You hear about a problem from us first, with the revised date attached.
Offboarding
We hand off in order: final status, retention details, and an open-item list. Whoever takes over starts from a complete record.
Commitments
The MCR Standard.
The nine moments describe what happens. These four commitments describe how it happens.
The four commitments
The one-business-day acknowledgment
We confirm receipt within one business day, even when the answer requires more work.You know your message arrived and who is working on it. Some questions take research; the acknowledgment says so and tells you when to expect the answer. Silence is never the status.
The clear close
Every deliverable ends with decisions, owners, and due dates.A return, a monthly close, or a planning memo is finished when you know what was decided, who owns each next step, and by when. No deliverable leaves you asking what to do with it.
The no-surprise scope rule
We flag additional work before performing and billing it.When a request falls outside the agreed scope, we tell you before we do the work, state what it involves, and let you decide. The invoice matches the proposal, or matches a change you approved first.
The annual opportunity review
We identify at least one tax, process, or reporting improvement each year for every ongoing client.Ongoing clients receive at least one specific recommendation each year. A tax election to revisit, a bookkeeping process to tighten, or a report that explains the numbers better. Each one arrives in writing, with the tradeoffs stated.
Before you engage
The terms of the work are visible before you agree to them.
We recommend an approach in writing. We commit to what is in the proposal. Both are in front of you before any work begins.
Scope
Deliverables, exclusions, and responsibilities, stated in writing. Complexity is priced explicitly, so schedules, investments, rental or business activity, multiple states, cleanup, and late documents change the scope, not the understanding.
Starting prices
Published before engagement as entry points, with a definition of what a standard engagement includes and what moves the fee beyond it. Individual returns are priced on the Individual tax page; entity returns, bookkeeping, Arizona transaction privilege tax (TPT) filing, cleanup, and advisory on the Services page.
Document deadline, individual returnsFriday, March 12, 2027
Your file is complete when every item on your organizer has arrived and we have confirmed it. Files complete by Friday, March 12, 2027 will be ready for your signature by April 8 and e-filed by April 15 once you sign. We will tell you within one business day of your last upload whether your file is complete or what is missing.
Document deadline, entity returnsFriday, February 19, 2027
Files complete by Friday, February 19, 2027 will be ready for your signature by March 12 and e-filed by March 15 once you sign.
Turnaround, individual returns
From the day your file is complete: 7–10 business days for files complete by February 26; 10–15 business days for files complete March 1–12. Returns finished before the IRS opens e-filing in late January are transmitted on opening day. We tell you your expected delivery date the day your file is complete.
Turnaround, entity returns
10–15 business days from file complete.
Extension, individual returns$75
An extension extends the time to file, not the time to pay. If your file is complete after March 12, we will file a federal extension (Form 4868) and prepare your return in the order files become complete, May through September. Arizona accepts the federal extension. If you owe Arizona tax, we file Arizona Form 204 with your payment. We will give you a balance-due estimate for both returns. Arizona expects at least 90% of your 2026 tax paid by April 15, and we build that into the estimate. Extension fee: $75.
Extension, entity returns$100
Files complete after February 19 are extended on Form 7004 ($100). If your complete records arrived by February 19 and we still need an extension, we file it at no charge and tell you first. Arizona accepts the federal extension.
Rush work, individual returns$200
If your file becomes complete between March 15 and April 1 and you want April 15 filing, ask. We will confirm within one business day whether we have capacity. Rush fee: $200. After April 1, we file an extension.
Rush work, entity returns
We do not offer rush filing on entity returns.
Status updates
Every upload and message is acknowledged within one business day, even when the answer takes longer. If anything delays your return, we tell you early, name the impact, and give you the revised date.
Capacity
We accept a set number of returns each season so that every return gets the same attention. When the roster is full, we close new-client intake for April filing and offer extension-season preparation.
Next step
Know where you stand.
An introductory call covers your situation, the scope we recommend, and what happens next. We reply to every inquiry within one business day.