FAQ

The short answer is YES! Our goal for this year is to increase efficiency and reduce our turnaround time. The most efficient means of gathering information from you is through a face-to-face meeting when you drop off your documents, so at this time, we will be conducting in-person meetings. We operate as a walk-in service - no appointments are necessary. When you have the bulk of your tax documents and are ready to get started, please come in. All clients are required to complete an annual intake form, which is available in the office, or if you want to fill it out ahead of time, it is available on the Resources page along with other helpful worksheets. We ask that you please only come in to the office if you are feeling healthy and have not been exposed to Covid or any other contagious virus. Also be aware that due to heavy construction in the neighborhood, parking may be limited.

We are not currently taking appointments for in-person consultations. While our office is open to see clients in person, we operate as a walk-in service. Please stop by, and we are happy to help you.

We will continue to accept documents in our dropbox on the front porch or by mail. Please be sure to include your completed Intake Form, which can be found on the Resources page. Please do not include receipts or bank statements -- only essential tax documents, worksheets, and notes. We will notify you to let you know we received your documents, which will then be placed in line, and we will provide an estimated turnaround time. If you would like to mail your tax documents to our office, our address is: Reliable Income Tax, 5816 N Greeley Ave, Portland, OR 97217. We anticipate that remote tax returns will have a longer turnaround time as we are now open to sit with clients in person. When your taxes are complete, we will mail everything back to you via USPS Priority Mail with signature required upon delivery.

All existing clients have an online portal set up. If you need access to your portal, please complete the request form on the Resources page, and we will send you an email invitation. If you have already been activated but don’t remember your password, that can all be done in SmartVault. When uploading your documents, be sure to include your completed Intake Form. This form can be found on the Resources page. Important: After you have finished uploading your tax documents, please send us an email so we can put your file in line. We do not monitor our upload feed, so you must notify us. We will respond to your email with a confirmation that you are logged in and an estimated turnaround time. When we reach your file in line we will contact you by your preferred method of contact to review your questions and go over any questions we may have. When your taxes are complete, we will email instructions for you to view, sign, and pay our fee via SmartVault and DocuSign. For new clients: Please call our office to ensure we are still taking new clients and to provide the necessary information so we can invite you to your new client portal.

This answer greatly depends on your circumstances. We have a lot of helpful information on our Resources page. All clients will need to have: - Photo ID - Intake Questionnaire and signed Engagement Letter - General Information (for new clients) or Client Organizer (optional for current clients) - Relevant tax documents -- see our Tax Prep Checklist for suggestions. - Full copy of last year's tax return (unless we prepared it)

At this time, we are at capacity, and we will not be accepting new clients for the 2022 tax year. We may evaluate our client list after the tax filing season, so if you are still in need of assistance after filing an extension, you may reach out to us to see if this has changed.

While we all would like to know an exact completion date, we prepare returns in the order they are received. Our turnaround time will depend on the complexity of your return, when you get us your information, and how many clients are ahead of you. If you ask, we can provide an estimated time when you have provided all your documents to us. Note: We do not start working on a return until we believe we have the bulk of the necessary information to complete the return. When you provide your information to us, try to be as thorough as you can, and watch for inquiries from us. If we attempt to reach you with a question about your tax return and we receive no response from you, your return will be placed on hold and we will move on to the next client.

We charge by the form, so your tax preparation fee depends on which forms will be included with your tax return. This fee can vary year to year based on your current circumstances. Feel free to call us for an estimate.

2022 personal income taxes are due April 18, 2023. If you need more time to file, you can request an extension. If an extension is filed, the due date is October 16, 2023. Please note that extensions allow you additional time to file -- not time to pay. All taxes should be paid by the original filing deadline to avoid penalty and interest charges.

Tax returns for Partnerships and S-corporations that operate on a calendar year are due March 15. An extension can be filed to allow an additional 6 months of time to file.

If you are required to send 1099s to independent contractors for 2022, those forms are due 1/31/2023. If you'd like us to prepare them for you, we will need you to provide us with a Form W9 for each recipient as well as the total amount paid.

The tax filing deadline for a 2022 Individual income tax return (Form 1040) is April 18, 2023. An extension can be filed to be able to submit the forms by October 16, 2023. This is done by filing Form 4868 on or before April 18, 2023.

When Form 4868 is filed on time, the IRS (and State agencies) allows an additional six months to submit income tax forms — October 16, 2023. This does NOT extend the deadline for making payments. You should estimate and pay any owed taxes by April 18, 2023. Any unpaid taxes will incur penalties and interest if not paid by April 18, 2023.

No. Our office does not charge a fee, nor does the IRS or any State or local government. However, if you owe tax and have not paid the amount due or an estimated amount prior to April 18, 2023, the taxing agencies will charge interest and a penalty for paying late.

If you are receiving refunds on your tax returns, those will be issued to you after the forms are filed the same as they would if you were to file before the original filing deadline. There is no penalty or interest charge when filing on extension if you are getting refunds.

If you owe tax, you are expected to pay on or before April 18, 2023, even if you filed an extension. Penalties and interest will be charged on any balance owed after April 18, 2023, until the tax balance is paid in full. The actual penalty and interest amount will be calculated by each taxing agency and sent to you as a bill after you have filed your tax return.

If you send in payments with your extension that result in a refund or no balance due when you later file your tax return, there will be no penalties or interest. When filing an extension, it is better to overpay slightly so no tax is owed when you file.

If you do not intend to pay the full amount of the tax on or before April 18th, the same penalties and interest will be charged whether you file on time or with an extension. However, if you owe and you do not file an extension, the taxing agencies will charge an additional penalty, so it is best to file an extension either way. Payment plan options are available through each taxing agency once you have submitted your tax return.

Online payment options are available with links on our Resources page. You may also contact our office to request payment vouchers that you can mail with a check. Regardless of how you submit your payments, it is important that you notify our office of the amount and date of each payment made so we can include it as a credit on your completed tax return.

Filing an extension, even if you aren’t able to pay the tax due, will greatly reduce penalties. An extension does not extend the due date for traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or HSA contributions. These contributions must be made on or before April 18, 2023, to qualify as a 2022 contribution. If an extension is filed, the due date for SEP IRA, Solo 401(k), or SIMPLE IRA contributions is also extended. If you pay quarterly estimated taxes, the first payment for 2023 is due on April 18, 2023. Federal (IRS) penalty for late payment is 0.5% of the unpaid balance per month plus interest of 7%.* Oregon penalty for late payment is 5% of the unpaid balance per month plus interest of 4%.* * Interest rates can change quarterly. Updated rates are posted on the taxing agencies' websites.