Looking for a tax advisor in Dallas? Start with what you need
Tax preparation, bookkeeping and planning for Dallas households and small businesses.
People search for a tax advisor, a tax company or a tax preparer and often mean the same thing: someone who will get the return right and answer questions during the year. The titles are not interchangeable.
This page explains the difference, what Quick Tax and Credit does from its Oak Cliff office, and when we will point you to a CPA, an enrolled agent or an attorney instead.
Tax preparer, enrolled agent, CPA, attorney: who does what
Tax preparer: prepares and files returns for a fee. Must have an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and sign the return.
Enrolled agent (EA): licensed by the IRS. May represent taxpayers before the IRS in audits, appeals and collection matters.
Certified public accountant (CPA): licensed by the state, in Texas by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. May represent taxpayers, and also audits and reviews financial statements.
Tax attorney: licensed by the state bar. Handles legal disputes, Tax Court and privileged legal advice.
Quick Tax and Credit is a tax preparation and bookkeeping office. We prepare and e-file returns (ERO). We are not enrolled agents, CPAs or attorneys, and we do not represent clients before the IRS.
For most Dallas households and small businesses the need is practical: an accurate return, filed on time, by someone who explains it. A preparer fits when you have W-2 or 1099 income, a Schedule C business, a rental, a small partnership or S corporation with orderly books, a past-year return to catch up on, or an IRS letter about a missing form or a math change.
When you need a CPA, an enrolled agent or an attorney
Look for a credentialed representative when the IRS has opened an audit, when you are appealing a decision or working out a collection matter, when a lender or investor asks for audited or reviewed financial statements, or when the question is a legal one, such as a business sale, an estate or a dispute headed to court. If your situation is one of these, we will say so during the free consultation instead of taking the work.
Small-business bookkeeping and tax planning
Much of what business owners call tax advice is bookkeeping done on time. When income and expenses are recorded every month, the return at year-end is a summary instead of a reconstruction, and decisions can be made before December 31 instead of after it. For small businesses in Dallas we offer:
Bookkeeping: transaction tracking, accounts payable and receivable, and financial statements
Tax planning: a review of the year’s numbers before it closes, including estimated payments and the records you will need at filing time
Tax preparation: business and owner federal returns prepared from the same set of books
Funding preparation: organizing statements and returns before you talk to a lender. The lender decides approval, amount and rate.
Texas has no personal income tax, but a business may still have franchise tax or sales tax filings with the Texas Comptroller. Ask us which filings we prepare. Planning conversations with us are general education based on your records, not legal advice.
Whichever office you choose, ask four questions. Who signs the return, and what is their PTIN? Is the fee quoted before the work starts? Will the office be open after April if the IRS writes? Will you get a full copy of the return? Good answers matter more than the title on the door.
Not exactly. “Tax advisor” is a general term with no single license behind it. A tax preparer prepares and files returns and must have an IRS PTIN. Enrolled agents, CPAs and attorneys hold credentials that also allow them to represent taxpayers before the IRS. Ask anyone you hire which of these they are.
Is Quick Tax and Credit a CPA firm?
No. Quick Tax and Credit is a tax preparation and bookkeeping office in Oak Cliff, Dallas. We prepare and e-file federal returns (ERO). We are not enrolled agents, CPAs or attorneys, and we do not represent clients before the IRS.
Do you work with small businesses in Dallas?
Yes. We keep books for small businesses, prepare business and owner federal returns, and review the year’s numbers with owners before it closes. We also help owners organize records before they approach a lender; the lender decides approval, amount and rate.
How do I check a tax professional’s credentials?
The IRS publishes a Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers that you can search by name and ZIP code. The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy lists licensed CPAs. Every paid preparer must also put a PTIN on the returns they sign.
