Answers about tax preparation, bookkeeping, and trusts.

GHL prepares Form 1040 returns for individuals and families, including returns with W-2 or self-employment income, investments, retirement income, rental property, Schedule K-1s, and income in more than one state.

No. Personal tax preparation does not require an ongoing bookkeeping service. If business or rental activity needs cleanup, reconciliation, or reconstruction before the return can be prepared, GHL will identify that work separately.

Provide the prior-year federal and state returns; every applicable W-2, 1099, Schedule K-1, brokerage, retirement, and interest statement; estimated-tax payment history; notices; and support for deductions or credits that apply to you.

Preparation can begin when the required information is complete, accurate, and organized. Identify anything missing or uncertain before submitting your records so GHL can determine the appropriate next step.

GHL prepares Form 1120 for C corporations and Form 1120-S for S corporations. Business activity reported on Schedule C is prepared with the owner's Form 1040, and partnership returns are prepared on Form 1065.

Provide a complete year-end profit and loss statement and balance sheet, all bank and credit-card statements, payroll and contractor records, asset and loan documents, and details of ownership changes, contributions, distributions, or unusual transactions.

Yes. The tax return must agree with the business's financial activity and supporting records. If the books are incomplete or do not reconcile, bookkeeping or cleanup may be needed before tax preparation can continue.

No. Bookkeeping, cleanup, reconciliation, reconstruction, research, and work required to locate or organize missing information are separate from standard return preparation and may increase the final cost.

A partnership or multi-member LLC generally files Form 1065. The engagement also includes the Schedule K-1 reporting required for each partner based on the partnership's records and allocations.

Provide complete year-end financial statements, bank and credit-card statements, payroll and contractor records, asset and loan documents, and details of partner contributions, distributions, guaranteed payments, ownership changes, and unusual transactions.

The partnership return and each partner's Schedule K-1 depend on complete ownership, contribution, distribution, guaranteed-payment, and allocation records. Unresolved differences must be addressed before the reporting can be completed accurately.

Each partner generally receives a Schedule K-1 reporting that partner's share of the items shown on the partnership return. Complete partner names, addresses, tax IDs, ownership information, and allocation records are required.

GHL prepares Form 1041 for trusts and estates, together with the beneficiary Schedule K-1 reporting the return requires. The work covers the return and the records behind it. It does not include drafting the trust document or interpreting its terms.

Provide the trust agreement and amendments, EIN confirmation, prior-year Form 1041 filings and beneficiary Schedule K-1s, bank and brokerage statements, categorized transaction records, a distribution ledger showing date, amount, and beneficiary, support for trustee and professional fees, and every IRS or state notice.

Recording and categorizing the trust's transactions through the year — receipts, expenses, fees, and distributions — so the Form 1041, the beneficiary reporting, and the trustee's own records agree with each other and can be explained.

Monthly or quarterly is the common rhythm, and the right one depends on how much activity the trust has. Records kept through the year are easier to explain than records assembled after it, and they reduce the cleanup a trust return would otherwise start with.

The trustee is. GHL prepares the return and the supporting records from what the trustee provides. Decisions that belong to the trustee, and questions about what the trust document permits, stay with the trustee and their legal counsel.

No. GHL prepares taxes and keeps books, including for trusts, and administers them where appointed. It does not draft trust documents or give legal advice. Where a trust needs to be created or its terms changed, we can introduce you to advisors who do that work.

Monthly transaction review and categorization, bank and credit-card reconciliation, profit and loss and balance sheet review, cleanup planning when records are behind, and coordination with the filing team before the return is prepared.

Income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow reporting, prepared from reconciled records. For trusts this also covers distribution and beneficiary reporting.

Statements are prepared from the records provided, and the financial data is verified for accuracy. An audit is a separate engagement performed under audit standards, so if a lender, court, or other party is asking for audited statements, say so before work begins and the scope can be agreed.

Annually for most trusts, or on the cadence a business needs for lending, planning, or partner reporting.

The return must agree with the business's financial activity and supporting records. Bookkeeping is a separate service from return preparation, and where the books are incomplete or do not reconcile, that work is identified before preparation continues.

GHL reviews payroll records, supports the payroll tax filings and the W-2, W-3, 941, and 940 records behind them, records payroll in the monthly books, and looks at owner pay when planning.

No. Payroll records support a business or partnership return, but payroll is not one of the four return types. Those are Form 1040, Forms 1120 and 1120-S, Form 1065, and Form 1041.

Current payroll reports and filing history, employee and contractor payment summaries, any payroll tax notices, and the entity and owner-compensation details behind them.

Before each quarter-end and year-end deadline, so the deposits, the filings, and the books agree before anything is filed rather than being fixed afterwards.

Complete means every applicable form, statement, notice, and supporting record is included. Accurate means names, tax IDs, totals, dates, ownership, and payments are confirmed. Organized means files are labeled by tax year, taxpayer or entity, account, and document type.

Send tax documents through the Secure Client Portal after GHL provides access. Do not send Social Security numbers, full account numbers, or tax documents through the public contact form or by email.

Missing, inaccurate, or unlabeled records can delay preparation. GHL cannot complete a return until the required information is complete and accurate, so identify anything unavailable or uncertain before submitting your records.

Bookkeeping and cleanup may be available when needed and are billed separately. Time required to organize, reconcile, reconstruct, research, or locate missing information is outside standard return preparation and may increase the final cost.

Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, full account numbers, and tax documents. The public form is for saying what you need and how to reach you. Records go through the Secure Client Portal once GHL provides access.

The Tax Document Checklist lists them by return — personal, business, partnership, and trust — and each list can be printed and worked through before anything is sent.