A CPA, or certified public accountant, performs a variety of services — everything from general bookkeeping and tax preparation to business consulting and audit and assurance.

At Vital CPA, we offer the following:

• Tax preparation and tax planning
• Client Accounting Services
• Business Consulting

All CPAs are accountants, but not all accountants are CPAs. A CPA designation indicates that an individual is a certified public accountant who has achieved high standards of education, met specific state and education licensing requirements and passed a rigorous CPA license exam. In addition, they’re regulated by their resident state, must meet strict continuing education requirements, submit to peer review, and adhere to a stringent set of ethical standards. Therefore, a CPA is better qualified than an accountant to perform more advanced accounting duties and to comply with all regulations set forth by the Internal Revenue Service. Furthermore, only a CPA can prepare an audited financial statement or review the financial statement and file reports with the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC).

• Will you need help with personal financial issues, individual or corporate tax returns, retirement, estate, or college planning?
• Do you need business financial statements? Do those statements need to be audited, reviewed or compiled? How often? Are you required to provide specific financial reports to government entities?
• Are you confident in your own ability (or your staff’s ability) to handle financial and operational issues? Do you want to do as much as possible yourself, or are you considering outsourcing some functions, such as bookkeeping and/or payroll?
• Do you need other consulting services, such as strategic planning, budgeting, or costs analysis?
• What can you budget for CPA services?

While many options exist for preparing your tax returns, the complexity of the tax law continually increases—and in recent years the pace seems to have increased. If you experienced anything out of the ordinary in your life, you’ll need more than a checklist in a software package to determine if you handled all your financial affairs in the best way possible on your tax return. A serious conversation with a tax professional may open opportunities for tax savings you might have never considered.

Most CPAs charge by the hour, since they perform a wide range of services, the cost of a CPA depends on what specific services an individual or business requires. For example, some businesses are looking to outsource their entire accounting department, while others just need a little extra support during tax season.

CPAs, attorneys and a tax professional known as an enrolled agent (EA) are authorized to represent taxpayers in an IRS audit. An EA has proven their competency by passing an IRS exam in taxes but hasn’t received the advance training and oversight of a CPA. A (non-certified) accountant can only represent a taxpayer before the IRS if he or she is an EA.

Yes. You’ll need to discuss the best organization for your company for tax purposes as well as numerous other issues relating to operations, including pricing, inventory, payroll, liability, etc. How will you handle your bookkeeping, banking, payroll and bill payments? Don’t wait until year-end to hold these discussions. You could make decisions without the proper advice, which could hurt you financially or legally.

• Scalability. If you hire an accounting clerk to oversee your books, they will work for you for 40 hours per week at most. What happens when your business grows? They are overwhelmed, and you’re looking at another hire. Our bookkeeping services, on the other hand, can scale with your business and adapt to your needs as they evolve.
• Cost. Hiring employees is expensive. It is not just salary, but training, workers’ compensation, health insurance, paid time off, and other benefits to pay for. There is no reason to pay for all of that when our expert bookkeeping firm can provide exactly what you are looking for.
• Accountability. As a business owner, you are where the buck stops when something goes wrong. So, if you hire an in-house bookkeeper, it’s on you if they make mistakes. Our bookkeeping service, on the other hand, has built a reputation for quality and remains fully accountable to your business.

All documents can be sent and received through our secure portal.

Life happens and sometimes even the best laid plans fall through, and a deadline gets missed. Here’s what to do if you miss one of these important tax deadlines.

First, don’t forget that you have the right to file for an extension on your income tax return. If you’re anticipating needing extra time to prepare your return, be sure to submit your extension application before your usual tax filing deadline.

If you do miss a deadline without filing for an extension, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Most importantly, you should know that penalties and interest will start to accrue the moment the deadline passes. This means that the longer you wait to file, the worse the situation could become.

Also, know that the IRS issues failure-to-file penalties and failure-to-pay penalties separately. So, even if you don’t anticipate being able to pay in full right away, you should still try to get your late returns filed ASAP to minimize the damage.

Finally, do not forget that helping taxpayers resolve their back-tax issues is a service we provide, so do not hesitate to contact our office.

See Important Dates & Deadlines on our Resources page.

Vital CPA is rapidly expanding and looking for talented individuals to join our team. 

To explore job openings, please visit our Careers page.