+ Why should I choose Meehan, CPA?

Our firm is and always will be "People First." Don't get us wrong, we are great at crunching numbers and working through tax projections, but we will always keep people as our number one priority. This is why many clients have chosen to trust us as their long-time partner for tax and accounting needs. To read client reviews, click here.

+ What services do you offer?

That's an easy one. Just click here.

+ What's the difference between a CPA and an Accountant?

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) has demonstrated professional competence by meeting high standards of education and passing a difficult examination. In addition, they must meet strict continuing education requirements, undergo peer review, and adhere to a stringent set of ethical standards.

+ Do I need a CPA to prepare my taxes?

It depends. Most of our individual tax clients choose to use our service because they have some level of complexity with their tax return. For example, individuals who are self-employed, own a rental home, or recently went through a life change (marriage, divorce, purchase of a home, etc.) are generally those who will choose to pay a little extra for our professional help. We often find that we are able to save clients more on their tax bill than our cost of tax preparation, too. Individuals with a simpler tax return typically choose us for the convenience and peace of mind.

+ Is tax planning necessary?

Yes! Would you buy a home if you had no idea what the mortgage payment was going to be? Probably not. However, we often see clients come in to get their taxes prepared and they don't have a clue where things are going to end up or how they got there. We don't ever want this to be the case for our clients, which is why we put a high value on educating our clients about their tax situation and helping them proactively plan throughout the year. Give us a call and we can do the same for you.

+ What does individual tax preparation cost?

The cost for an individual tax return is based on the level of complexity and time involved. In general, the typical range is $300-$500 for a Federal and State e-filed tax return.

+ What is the process for preparing an individual tax return?

A key component of the tax preparation process is clear communication. We also understand convenience is increasingly important. For these two reasons, we offer several different ways to have your tax return prepared. In every situation, we use our strong communication skills (and fancy technology) to meet your needs. Here are the general ways our clients connect with us:

• In-Person: Many clients choose to schedule an appointment and walk through each step of their tax return together. This is especially helpful when you are a new client or have changes to your tax situation. A typical meeting is 30-60 minutes. The tax preparation and filing does not happen until after the meeting as we put all tax returns through a review process.
• Online: We offer secure options for delivering sensitive tax documents through the internet. In these cases, clients send their tax documents electronically and we begin working once all the documents are received. Client copies of the tax returns are then transmitted back to our clients with secure passwords.
• Mail-In: We serve many clients outside of Metro Detroit and Michigan. In these cases, our less tech-savvy clients mail their tax documents to us. We then typically schedule a phone call to talk through everything together once the documents are received.

+ How long will it take for you to prepare my individual tax return?

Generally, we complete individual tax returns within 1-2 weeks of receiving the source documents. If you need expedited service, just ask!

+ What type of entity should I use for my business?

Great question! There are many different ways to form a company. Start-ups and smaller entities often choose to file as a sole-proprietor or form an LLC. As the business grows, incorporating is often the right choice from a tax perspective. It's also common for an existing business to change to a different entity type when the time is right. Call us today and we can help you think through the process and better understand the tax implications.

+ Which accounting system should my business use?

We recommend a large shoe box. Preferably Nike. Okay, not really. With today's technology, bookkeeping is becoming incredibly efficient. We have found that QuickBooks is a great fit for most business owners. We are Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisors, which simply means we can help you get up and running in just a few hours. Many of our clients choose to outsource their bookkeeping needs to us too which means you will always have a clear picture of where your business stands financially.

+ How do you recommend I manage my bookkeeping/accounting for my business?

One challenge we find in common with all business owners is their insanely busy schedule. This often results in the frustrating tasks like bookkeeping and accounting being pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. In these situations, we come alongside our clients to develop the best plan for THEM moving forward. In certain situations, we take over all tax, accounting, and payroll function for the business. In other cases, we either train an internal employee or the business owner on how to create better systems to stay on top of these tasks.

+ Do you provide audits, reviews, or compilations?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

+ Which industries do you work with?

We work with business owners across all industry lines. Sales, manufacturing, construction, medical, health & wellness, service, non-profits, etc. If there are debits and credits, we are in.

+ What's the best (worst) accounting joke you have ever heard?

It's a tie between:

Welcome to the accounting department, where everybody counts.

What does an accountant use for birth control? His personality.