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Form 1040

Personal tax preparation: Form 1040

GHL prepares the Form 1040 and the state returns that go with it for individuals and families. That includes wages, retirement income, investments, self-employment, rental property, Schedule K‑1s, estimated payments, and income earned in more than one state, all prepared from the records you provide.

The work begins with your prior-year return and what changed this year. We organize the open questions, identify records still needed, prepare the return, and review the filing picture with you before it is authorized for filing.

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The Service

Who it’s for, and what GHL handles

What GHL does depends on what your return actually involves. Not every item below applies to every return.

Who this is for

  • Individuals and families filing a federal Form 1040 and the state returns that go with it
  • Filers with self-employment reported on Schedule C, or rental property reported on Schedule E
  • Filers receiving Schedule K-1s from partnerships, S corporations, estates, or trusts
  • Filers with income in more than one state, or who moved during the year

Included in this work

  • Form 1040 and the federal schedules the year's income, deductions, and credits call for
  • State income-tax returns where the filer lived or earned income
  • Wages, retirement income, investments, and Schedule K-1s received
  • Schedule C self-employment and Schedule E rental activity, from the records the filer provides
  • A review of estimated payments and withholding for the year ahead

Arranged separately

  • Bookkeeping for self-employment or rental activity
  • Reconstructing records that are missing
  • Amended returns for earlier years
  • Responses to IRS or state notices
  • Tax planning beyond the year's return
How Preparation Works

From the first conversation to the filed return

  1. Intake

    An inquiry, then a conversation about the return: who is filing, in which states, and what changed this year. Documents come later, through the Secure Client Portal.

  2. Prior return and filing context

    Last year's federal and state returns show carryovers, estimated payments, and the forms used before.

  3. Records review and open questions

    GHL reviews the records against the checklist and lists what is missing or unclear before preparation starts.

  4. Preparation and review

    The return is prepared from the records, then reviewed before it goes to the filer.

  5. Filing authorization and delivery

    The filer reviews the finished return and signs the e-file authorization. GHL files it and delivers a copy for the records.

Worth Knowing

Issues that commonly affect personal returns

  • Income in more than one state

    A move, remote work, or rental property in another state can mean more than one state return, and the states can treat the same income differently.

  • Schedule K-1s that arrive late

    Partnerships, S corporations, and trusts issue K-1s on their own timetable, and one late K-1 can hold up an otherwise finished return.

  • Cost basis on investments

    When a brokerage statement leaves out cost basis, the gain or loss on a sale is supported with the purchase records instead.

  • Estimated tax payments

    Self-employment, investment, and rental income often have no withholding, so the payments made during the year matter for the return.

Scope And Fees

What affects scope and fees

The scope is reviewed before work begins, and the fee follows from it.

  • The schedules and forms the return needs
  • The number of state returns
  • Self-employment, rental, and investment activity, and how organized its records are
  • The number of Schedule K-1s received
  • Records that need organizing or reconstructing before preparation
  • Notices, amended information, or research outside the original scope
Records To Gather

What to gather

An engagement begins after the first conversation with GHL. This list helps you get ready for it.

  • Prior-year federal and state returns
  • Forms W-2, 1099, and SSA-1099
  • Schedule K-1s received
  • Brokerage and retirement statements
  • Self-employment and rental income and expenses
  • Estimated tax payments made during the year
View the complete records checklist

Who does the work

  • Corinne Shipman, MBA, MSM, leads GHL's tax and trust practice and has more than 12 years of tax experience.
  • GHL prepares returns for individuals, businesses, partnerships, and trusts, including Form 1041.
  • Corinne works with clients in English, Spanish, and French.
  • Clients send their documents through the Secure Client Portal.
Common Questions

Personal tax preparation FAQs

Does GHL prepare state returns too?

Yes. GHL prepares the state income-tax returns that go with the Form 1040, including a return for each state where the filer lived or earned income.

What if a Schedule K-1 hasn't arrived yet?

GHL prepares what the records in hand support and completes the return when the K-1 arrives. When the deadline comes first, an extension of time to file is one option to discuss; it extends the time to file, not the time to pay.

Can GHL work with self-employment or rental records?

Yes. GHL prepares Schedule C and Schedule E from the income and expense records the filer provides. When those records need bookkeeping first, GHL does that as its own work.

How do documents reach GHL?

Through the Secure Client Portal, once an engagement begins. The contact form is for questions, and GHL sets up portal access when the engagement starts.

Next step

Ask about personal tax preparation

Tell GHL what you need, and GHL will contact you about availability, scope and fees.

Asking does not begin work.

Ask about personal tax preparation

Send documents through the Secure Client Portal. Never attach tax documents, account numbers or Social Security numbers to a web form or an email. If you engage GHL, it gives you portal access when that engagement starts.