New Customers Only

Sorry, This Offer Expired on February 28, 2013!

See Our Current New Customer Special at: Save $25 Off Tax Return Preparation Fees!

Call or Text Frank at (805) 415-2397

Acumen Tax Service
Call or book online for appointment
50 W. Main St (across from Vons)
Ventura, CA 93001
Enter parking lot in back, off of S. Garden St

Or, BOOK an Appointment TODAY

Book an appointment today – for any day or time convenient for you!

The post New Customer Tax Return Preparation Special appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

Sorry, our February 9th offer has ended.

But, if you are a new customer, you can still save 50% with our New Customer Tax Return Preparation Special!

The post 50% OFF TAX RETURN PREPARATION SPECIAL appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

Hair stylists often work as independent contractors rather than “W2 Employees”, and need help identifying all the hair stylist tax deductions available to them. Are hair stylist tax deductions different from any other small business tax deductions? In a sense, they are unique: each business is different, and the types of items that are available as hair stylist tax deductions are different from other self-employment tax deductions.

Tax Help for Hair Stylists: The Guide to Hair Stylist Tax Deductions

Tax Help for Hair Stylists is our worksheet that helps identify hair stylist tax deductions. Combined with our extensive 2012 Individual Tax Organizer it can help identify all the hair stylist tax deductions you deserve! Get both absolutely free for immediate download!

Why Tax Help for Hair Stylists is Needed

Hair stylist tax deductions are not readily known to many tax professionals. Some tax preparers are part time, tax-season only employees who simply don’t understand the needs of the independent small business person. Most of the returns they see are for regular wage earners who have to qualify for deductions by having at least 2% of their adjusted gross income in itemized deductions.

But a self-employed person doesn’t need to itemize to take advantage of deductions. Hair stylist tax deductions can include not only their chair rental, but also admission to hair shows and seminars, the cost of appointment cards, magazines, etc. bought for their customers, and even business use of their car. And, their cell phone charges.

Our hair stylist tax deduction worksheet has 36 real-life examples of deductible business expenses. A hair stylist looking at our Tax Help for Hair Stylists worksheet will think of other expenses they incur that might be deductible. Write them down to ask your tax professional, or give us a call and we can tell you if your expense is deductible. The basic rule is that the deduction must be “ordinary and usual” expenses incurred in your business.

How to Get Tax Help for Hair Stylists

We allow direct downloads of both the hair stylist tax deduction guide, Tax Help for Hair Stylists and the 2012 Individual Tax Organizer. You can use these planners for any tax service — but we hope you’ll choose us! Use the buttons below to download these directly to your computer.

Provided in a universal format PDF file, Tax Help for Hair Stylists is also available via email request or you can access our complete Tax Organizer and Tax Tips Library by joining our site. We can also mail a printed copy or bring a supply to your salon; just call Frank at (805) 415-2397.

Download Tax Help for Hair Stylists now!

Download 2012 Individual Tax Organizer now!

Save $25 on Your Tax Preparation Fees!

New customers enjoy a $25 discount from our already low fees. We also offer 50% off your last year’s tax preparation fee from any of the national chains (HR Block, Jackson Hewitt or Liberty Tax Service). Just provide last year’s return and we’ll give you the best discount we can.

New customers save $25 on tax preparation fees!

Call Frank Today!

Call or text Frank at (805) 415-2397 for immediate service!

The post Hair Stylist Tax Deductions appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

The IRS has released some tips for those wanting to file their taxes for free. The program is intended to assist those earning $57,000 a year or less, but low cost options remain for those earning more.

Visit IRS.GOV for Free Tax Return Filing

The IRS recommends you start by visiting the Free File section of the IRS website. The IRS has partnered with 15 private software vendors to provide the free tax return filing service, but many of those same vendors will tack on a charge if you don’t access it through the IRS (sneaky, huh?) Some of the software choices limit your gross income to far less than the IRS stated $57,000 maximum, but if you review the entire list, you can find quite a few that allow free use of their software up to $57,000.

Is Free Tax Return Filing for You?

For some people, filling out the tax forms is interesting, if not enjoyable, and the “online interview” can aid in understanding our complex income tax laws. And for those people, free tax return filing is a wonderful resource. Other people would rather have their teeth pulled out than try to do it themselves.

Will You Miss Important Deductions?

Some people miss deductions because the on-line interview format doesn’t really probe to find all the deductions they deserve. Having a person who knows the tax law interview you is a much better way of finding out your true tax situation. Every few years, a news report surfaces like this one on YouTube that shows a wide variation between DIY software and professional tax preparation.

 
In this case, the DIY software led the consumer to a $229 refund. But both professional tax preparation firms had the consumer’s refund at more than $1,400. Even with their $400 fees for the tax preparation (more than I usually charge!), the consumer had a net refund $800 higher than using the DIY software.

Free Tax Return Filing – Or Not!

It is your choice, of course. If you need help deciding if the IRS free tax return filing is for you, you can drop us an email and we’ll be happy to give our opinion. We also provide low cost options for families in temporary financial distress, active military and new entrepreneurs. Through our secure email and file portal, we can assist taxpayers throughout the nation.

Professional, fast and easy tax return preparation

Acumen Tax Service strives to provide its customers with professional, fast and easy tax preparation. Frank Hagan, CRTP, is a professional tax preparer licensed by the state of California’s CTEC board (a requirement for all tax pros in California). In addition, Frank is a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals, a nation-wide professional organization dedicated to maintaining ethical and professional standards among tax preparers. Acumen subscribes to several tax professional only newsletters and subscription services for research of the latest breaking tax news.

The post Free Tax Return Filing through IRS Free File appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

Mortgage insurance premiums are traditionally found on the Form 1098. The deduction for the premiums was set to expire at the end of 2011. However, the deduction was extended through 2013 in the tax bill passed in January.

Don’t Miss the Mortgage Insurance Premium Deduction

The “box” on Form 1098 for the mortgage insurance premium is no longer there! Ask your mortgage company for the amount, or check your year end escrow statement for the amount of your mortgage insurance premium.

Update: The IRS issued instructions for lenders to use the blank box, “Box 4″, for the dollar amount of the PMI, but many were mailed before this could be accomplished. You can call your lender to see if they have the amount reported to the IRS after the form was mailed to you.

Remind Your Tax Pro

The fear in the tax community is that with the amount no longer on the Form 1098, many consumers doing their own taxes manually or with the aid of DIY software will miss this deduction. Even some tax professionals may miss the deduction if they are too busy, in “head’s down data entry mode” or are simply unaware that the mortgage insurance premium deduction was extended.

We’re on it!

As you can see, our membership in national professional organizations, subscriptions to numerous tax issue newsletters intended only for tax pros, and our daily email notices from the IRS helps keep us on top of all the recent tax changes. This year, especially, the tax situation is extremely fluid, and there are new notices daily.

Call Us if You Need Help

Give us a call or text at (805) 415-2397, or use our contact form to get in touch. Or, better yet, schedule a free consultation to see how we can save you on tax fees this year!

The post Is My Mortgage Insurance Premium Still Deductible? appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

Our special introductory discount for new customers is yours for the asking … save $25 off tax prep fees!

We serve Ventura and Santa Barbara counties from our office in Ventura, and offer mobile tax service through out both counties. Whether you are in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Ventura, Port Hueneme, Oxnard, Carpinteria or Santa Barbara — or nearly anywhere in southern California — we can come to you or arrange to meet you at our office in west Ventura — at your convenience!

Tax Prep Fees

Ever notice that the large chains don’t advertise the full, complete price you pay for having your taxes prepared? Some quote a low price that represents just one of their fees, and then tack on other fees for “processing”, “bank fees”, etc. Acumen uses a form-based fee structure so we can tell you exactly what your return will cost.

And if you want extra services, like paying your tax prep fees from your return, convenience checks right from our office or a debit card with a $200 instant rebate, we’ll tell you exactly what they will cost you (and make no mistake, there are fees involved with these “bank products”, even if the big guys don’t really explain it to you).

Save $25 off Tax Prep Fees

But regardless of how you want your refund, all new customers can save $25 off tax prep fees! The savings come off the top, so you truly do get $25 off tax prep fees, even if you are just filing a 1040EZ and 540EZ form. There are no hidden costs, no tricks and no gimmicks; just $25 off tax prep fees for you!

ONLINE COUPON

Print and Save!

Our fees are among the lowest according to nationwide surveys. In many cases, our fees are lower than buying DIY software when you consider all the extra charges they tack on … free e-file? Sure, but they will charge you from $15 to $25 to e-file your state taxes. Pretty sneaky, huh? Our pricing is form-based and published here on our website … and you can save $25 off tax prep fees by contacting us today!

There is absolutely no obligation! Call Frank at (805) 415-2397 to lock in your savings, or use the form below! We will send you a confirmation by return email.

The post Save $25 off Tax Prep Fees appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

Changes for the Earned Income Credit for this year include new documentation requirements. Learn what you need to bring to your tax appointment to avoid unnecessary delays!
 

 
The earned income credit is an important tax credit for lower income wage earners. This video just covers a few of the important changes to the earned income credit this year. Talk to your tax professional or ask us if you have any questions about the earned income credit.

The post Changes in the Earned Income Credit appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

Tax organizers save time and money by enabling your tax preparer to quickly see your information in a format optimized to save time – thereby saving you on preparation fees! Even if you are doing your own taxes, a free tax organizer will help make sure you don’t miss any deductions.

Our free tax organizer is one of the easiest to use and most complete organizers available. Beyond sections for your basic information, it has a 35 question checklist that quickly identifies possible tax deductions or forms that might be missing. It includes sections for all the various types of income that is taxed, such as interest, dividends, pensions and retirement funds, unreimbursed business expenses and “Schedule A” deduction worksheets, and even a special section for the self-employed with sole proprietorships. Provided in a handy fillable form PDF format, you can use it on your computer and save the data typed into it. Or, simply print it out and enter the information manually.

Our Free Tax Organizer is Absolutely Free

We have an extensive library of Tax Tips booklets, tax organizers and more in our Member’s Section. Membership is free, and allows you to access all the publications at once. But, we were so impressed with the 2012 Individual Tax Organizer that we didn’t want anyone to miss it.

Choose Us for your Tax Preparation Needs

We hope you will choose us. We have fair, transparent pricing that is often less than DIY tax software, discounts for new customers, both mobile and in-office appointments available and besides that, we’re pretty nice people. But if you don’t choose us, your tax preparer will appreciate how organized you are with your 2012 Individual Tax Organizer filled out and ready to get you started!

Download your free tax organizer by clicking the PDF button below!

Download 2012 Individual Tax Organizer now!

The post Free Tax Organizer – Save Time and Money! appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

We believe in giving back. Our Community Referral Program offers our generous $25 discount to all members of your apartment complex, assisted living facility, club or organization for their tax return preparation and donates 10% of revenues to your favorite charity.

What’s the Catch?

There is no catch. We would rather give money to your favorite charity than spend the money on other ways to acquire more tax return clients. And, to be honest, we feel better when we are giving something back.

How it Works

With your permission, we distribute flyers and discount coupons to each member of your community (or provide them to you, if you desire). Then, for every community member that uses our services for tax returns, we take 10% of the tax preparation fees and allocate it to your charity. When tax season is over, we will send a check made out to the charity to them directly, or to you if you would like to present it to them.

Here are some examples of the flyers and cover letter:

• Cover Letter
• Flyer to Owners / Managers
• Flyer to Residents
• Example of our Discount Coupon

Because we have full mobile capabilities, we can set up in your recreation or meeting room and provide local, on-site service on a specific “tax day”. Or, we can meet with your residents in our offices in Ventura, CA.

Questions?

Call Frank at (805) 415-2397, or

The post Tax Return Community Fundraising Program appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.

A tax organizer helps you organize our records so your tax professional can maximize your tax return. They come in a variety of formats, from our comprehensive 8 page organizer suitable for everyone in a convenient computer enabled “fill in the blanks” PDF format, to simple 2 page interview forms that are designed to start the conversation between us.

Tax Organizers

We have a variety of tax organizers, from the comprehensive one mentioned above to ones for special situations, such as our Tax Help for Hair Stylists and the Self Employed Tax Organizer. All of these are free for the asking.

Tax Tips Library

The entire library of tax organizers and special 2013 Tax Tips is extensive, and ready for download nearly immediately. These screen shots show the materials available. Click on the images for a full size version.

Tax Organizers

Tax Tips Library, Small Business Section

Farm and Rental Income and Special Situations

General Tax Topics

Access is Free, Easy, and (almost) Immediate

We offer these to anyone, but we do require registration. Our simple registration form requires only a “username” – anything you like – your first and last name, and your email address. A password will be mailed to you and you can immediately access the library.

The post Organizers and Tax Tips Now Available! appeared first on Acumen Tax Service.