See the year ahead
Know what the no-change outcome looks like before you file, not after.
Tax planning for business owners who are done getting surprised
Stop finding out what you owe at filing time.
Revenue is up. Cash still feels tight, owner pay still feels like a guess, and the next tax bill is anyone's guess too. Until it isn't.
Tax Sherpa moves the planning conversation before the return, so you can see what's coming, decide what to do about it, and keep more of what the business actually earns.
Already have a CPA or bookkeeper? Good. We're not here to replace them. We are here to find out what's covered and what's falling through the cracks.
A good year on paper. A tight year in your bank account. Sound familiar?
Revenue, profit, tax bill, and the cash you can actually touch are four different numbers. Payroll, inventory, equipment, and tax deposits eat the gap before you ever feel "ahead."
If you're working too hard, paying more than you should, and building too little wealth for it that's not a management failure. That's a missing map.
Revenue Operating costs Cash required Tax obligations Owner-available money Personal choices
If that's not how this year felt, if you already know what you owe, why, and what you're keeping, this page isn't for you, and that's fine. If it is how this year felt, keep reading.
See what's actually leaking →A tax return tells you what happened. A tax plan tells you what to do next.
Filing season is a report card. Planning is the work that happens before the grade is locked in, while income, expenses, comp, distributions, retirement contributions, equipment timing, and structure can still move.
We're not chasing aggressive angles. We're making sure you see every real choice before the window on it closes.
Compare the choices
Weigh the moves that actually fit your business, your cash position, and your life, not a generic checklist.
Coordinate the move
Know exactly who's handling planning, bookkeeping, implementation, and filing, so nothing stalls between people.
What owners tell us
Sanitized excerpts from client and prospect conversations, with names and identifying details removed.
I need somebody who can help us stay on track with planning so things don't go to the wayside. We come to the end of the year and realize we could have done X, Y, and Z to save more money, but we didn't plan ahead.
This is wonderful. I feel a lot less pressured, obviously... this is great.
Our previous accountants didn't know what the Augusta rule was, saying it sounded scammy... they were mentioning some real savvy stuff... 'Oh yeah, we'll figure this out.' That's what made us consider switching.
It's the earliest I've ever gotten my taxes done in my full life... it's like June for my taxes. I'm feeling really good about this.
That's the piece I was missing! The S corp can reduce the tax we owe overall, even on my spouse's W2 job. I wasn't understanding how it would make such a difference.
Before we recommend anything, let's see what's actually missing.
Some owners just need a second set of eyes on a plan that's mostly working. Others have no plan at all. The diagnostic tells you which one you are, in a few minutes, with no pressure to buy anything after.
It'll surface where you stand on:
- Whether your tax planning is proactive or just reactive at filing time
- Whether your financials are clean enough to make decisions from
- Whether you know your real cash-and-tax runway right now
- Whether owner pay and distributions are a decision or a guess
- Whether your current team has clear, non-overlapping responsibility for each of these
This is an orientation tool, not a tax return, a legal opinion, or a promise of savings.
A smaller tax bill is the start. A more useful result is the point.
Current situation → planning decision → tax/cash effect → what you do with it
See how this could apply to you →Example pattern: A growing business had revenue but no shared view of what could safely come out of it. After reviewing current-year numbers and what was coming due, the owner had a clear reserve target, a documented plan, and a distribution they could actually count on.
Keep more of what you earn. Then decide, on purpose, what it's for.
Tax planning is one leg of a longer climb:
- 1
Basecamp
Know what your business really produces, and whether that’s healthy for a company your size.
- 2
Ascent
Protect as much of that owner profit as legally possible through active planning.
- 3
Summit Wealth
Decide, deliberately, what the money that survives should do for your life: reserves, debt, investment, or just breathing room.
We don't sell you a destination. We won't tell you stocks over real estate or one investment over another. We just make sure the choice is yours to make on purpose, not something that happens to you by default.
You might need a tax plan. You might need clean books. You might need both.
Tell us what's missing and we'll point you to the right starting point, not the biggest engagement we sell.
| If you need to… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Report what already happened | Tax preparation |
| Make decisions before year-end | Tax planning |
| Trust your numbers again | Bookkeeping |
| Turn numbers into decisions | Advisory / CFO support |
| Figure out where you even stand | Diagnostic or Survey call |
Keep your CPA. Keep your bookkeeper. Just get someone making sure the plan connects.
Most owners we talk to already have good people in place: a CPA, a bookkeeper, maybe a payroll provider or an advisor. The problem usually isn't the people. It's that nobody owns the whole picture.
- We start by learning what's already being handled well.
- We name the gaps, not the blame.
- We make it explicit who owns what next.
See the whole path before you take the first step.
- 1
Survey
Tell us where things stand: the business, the numbers, the tax history, what actually matters to you.
- 2
Route
Get the plan: the sequence of decisions worth making, in the order that matters.
- 3
Trek
Put it into motion, with the right person on each step.
- 4
Compass Checks
Revisit it as your year changes, because it will.
Before you start, you'll know: what we need from you, what the first call covers, what you walk away with at each stage, when pricing gets presented, and exactly what's in and out of scope.
Questions before you begin
Is this tax prep, tax planning, bookkeeping, or advisory, or some combination?
It can be any one of these on its own, or a combination. We start by finding out which pieces you actually need, not by selling a bundle.
Do I have to fire my CPA or bookkeeper to work with you?
No. We work alongside your existing team; we don't ask you to replace them.
What do you need from me to get started?
Your last three years of tax returns, current year-to-date financials, and a description of your circumstances on the onboarding call. That's what lets us see the real picture before recommending anything.
What do I actually get after the first call?
A clear picture of where you stand, what gaps (if any) exist, and a specific recommendation for next steps, with no obligation to buy anything.
When do you tell me what this costs?
Before you're asked to commit to anything. Pricing is presented once we know what you actually need, never before.
Can I just buy tax planning, or one other piece, without the whole thing?
Yes. Standalone services remain available; the full journey isn't required.
What's the difference between the Route call and the Route product?
The Survey call is free. The Route is a separate, $2,500 paid product. Placeholder: final scope pending approval.
What happens if my business or personal situation changes mid-year?
That's what Compass Checks are for: the plan gets revisited as your year changes, rather than locked in and forgotten until next filing season.
Is this about aggressive tax angles, or something else?
No. We're not chasing aggressive angles. We make sure you see every real choice before the window on it closes.
How do I know if this is even for me?
If you finished a good year without feeling ahead, it's for you. If you already have full clarity on what you owe and why, it probably isn't, and we'd rather tell you that now than sell you something you don't need.
Make your next tax decision with the map in hand, not after the fact.
Start wherever fits: a two-minute diagnostic, a no-pressure Survey call, or go straight to the Route.
You don't need to know the tax code. You need to know where you stand, what's next, and who's handling it. That's what we're here to show you.