Books fall behind
Transactions pile up uncategorized and reconciliations slip for months.
Tax Planning & Advisory
Clean books. A clear plan. Fewer surprises at tax time.
The J.F. Austin Group's Tax Planning & Advisory division gives high earners and owner-led businesses senior-level financial leadership: books you can trust, tax preparation with planning built in, and conversations that start before the deadline.
Fixed scopeTax-Ready Books
MonthlyReporting and planning
Year-roundNot just tax season
START BEFORE YEAR-END
Books that are cleaned up before the year closes are books your tax professional can work with. Start now, and walk into tax season ready.
THE CHALLENGE
Six challenges owner-led businesses face.
Personal and business blur
Mixed accounts make every question harder to answer.
No plan until tax time
The first real tax conversation happens when it is too late to act.
No cash-flow visibility
Owners know the bank balance, not what is coming in, going out or owed.
Open structure questions
Owner pay, payroll and entity questions sit until something forces them.
Scattered documents
Statements and receipts live in email, phones and shoeboxes.
We partner with owners across all six, so tax season stops being a fire drill.
WHAT WE DO
The full financial back office of an owner-led business, built to run all year.
BOOKS AND REPORTING
Tax-Ready Books
- Bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up
- Account reconciliation and categorization
- Chart of accounts setup and clean-up
- Monthly financial statements in plain English
- Records organized for your tax professional
PLANNING AND ADVISORY
Planning & Advisory
- Year-round tax planning conversations
- Cash-flow forecasting and budgeting
- Entity and owner-pay review, coordinated with your CPA or attorney
- Check-ins ahead of estimated-tax deadlines
- Owner dashboards: what is coming in, going out and owed
One decision or an ongoing partnership. Every engagement is overseen by our Managing Director.
TAX PREPARATION
Tax preparation for high earners and business owners, with planning built in.
HIGH EARNERS
High Earners
- Individual returns for executives and professionals with complex income
- Multiple income sources, investments, equity compensation and rental income
- A planning conversation before filing
- A plain-English walkthrough of your return
BUSINESS OWNERS
Business Owners
- Returns for owner-led businesses
- Prepared from clean, reconciled books
- Coordinated with monthly reporting and year-round planning
- Records organized and kept ready for next year
Return preparation is its own engagement, scoped and confirmed in writing, and is separate from Tax-Ready Books.
The J.F. Austin Group, LLC prepares and signs all returns. We work alongside your CPA or enrolled agent on entity structure and owner-pay questions.
Four practices that move a business from behind to ahead.
Tax-Ready Books
- Review of your books and accounts
- Cleanup and catch-up to a current, reconciled state
- Categorization and chart-of-accounts clean-up
- Records organized for your tax professional
Monthly reporting
- Monthly close and reconciliation
- Plain-English financial statements
- Cash-flow and budget tracking
- A standing monthly check-in
Planning sessions
- Mid-year review of where you stand
- Pre-year-end planning conversation
- Questions to bring to your CPA or EA
- Quarterly check-ins ahead of deadlines
Tax preparation
- Individual and business returns
- Prepared from clean, reconciled records
- A planning conversation before filing
- A plain-English walkthrough of your return
OUR APPROACH
A step-by-step approach from the first conversation to a plan that lasts.
Discover
A 30-minute conversation about your numbers, goals and timeline.
Review
We look at your books and flag what is missing or out of date.
Clean up
Catch-up and cleanup so your records are accurate and organized.
Report
Plain-English monthly reporting you can actually use.
Plan
Planning conversations before deadlines, not after.
OUR THESIS
“Tax time should be a checkpoint, not a fire drill. The fastest path there is books that stay current and a plan that starts early.”
Tax-Ready Books and project work are priced as a fixed fee. Monthly reporting is a monthly retainer. Planning sessions are billed for time worked.
FEATURED SERVICE
Tax-Ready Books
One fixed fee, confirmed in writing before work begins. Request a quote for your scope.
What is included
- Review of your books and accounts
- Bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up to a current, reconciled state
- Transaction categorization and chart-of-accounts clean-up
- Organized records ready for your tax professional
- A written summary of what was done and what still needs attention
Who it is for
- Owners whose books are behind or hard to trust
- Owners who mix personal and business spending
- Owners who want to walk into tax season ready
Tax-Ready Books is bookkeeping and accounting cleanup. It is not tax-return preparation.
Built for owner-led businesses that have outgrown the shoebox.
Service businesses and consultants
Contractors and trades
Health and wellness practices
Real estate investors
Restaurants and retail
Online and e-commerce sellers
High earners and executives
QUESTIONS?
Not sure? Book a call.
Every business is different. We will help you figure out what fits.
Examples of the clients we serve.
A GOOD FIT IF
- Your books are behind or hard to trust
- You pay yourself and the business from mixed accounts
- You want a plan before year-end, not after
- You want a senior advisor, not a call center
HOW WE ENGAGE
Three simple ways to work with us.
Tax-Ready Books
One fixed fee for the defined scope
One-time cleanup and catch-up; Scope and fee confirmed in writing before work begins; No surprises after you say yes.
Request a quote for your scope.
Monthly retainer
Ongoing books and reporting
A fixed monthly fee for the agreed term; Monthly close and plain-English statements; A standing monthly check-in.
Quoted after a short call.
Planning sessions
Support when you call
Example: a mid-year review or a pre-year-end planning session; Billed for the time worked.
Quoted after a short call.
Every engagement is overseen by our Managing Director. Fees are confirmed in writing before work begins.
TRACK RECORD
Built on executive-level financial discipline.
Corrected ten years of recurring audit findings, resulting in two clean audits
competitive federal and state grants secured
capital program led
staff led across finance, HR and operations
Results from executive financial roles in rural Georgia school districts. The same controls, reconciliation and clear reporting go into your books.
Clear scope, careful handling of your information.
What we do
Bookkeeping and accounting cleanup, monthly reporting, and year-round planning conversations, built on your real numbers.
Where others come in
Tax-Ready Books is bookkeeping and accounting cleanup. It is not tax-return preparation. Where a return, IRS representation or legal advice is needed, we coordinate with your CPA, enrolled agent or attorney.
Your information
Documents are shared through a secure portal, never by email or text. We collect only what the work requires, and terms are confirmed in writing.
We do not promise tax savings or refunds. We promise clean records, clear numbers and a plan.
RESEARCH
Research on small-business books, planning, and tax preparation.
Tax-Ready Books: A Systems Approach to Bookkeeping, Planning, and Preparation for Owner-Led Businesses
6 pages
Tax Preparer or Tax Strategist? Distinguishing Compliance Services from Planning Advice for Small Business Owners
7 pages
Questions owners ask.
No. Tax-Ready Books is bookkeeping and accounting cleanup. Where a return or IRS representation is needed, we coordinate with your CPA, enrolled agent or attorney.
LET'S TALK
Book a call.
A 30-minute conversation about your books, your goals and your timeline. No obligation.
Tax-Ready Books Call
A 30-minute conversation about your books, your goals and your timeline. No obligation.
Please do not send tax documents, SSNs or account numbers by email or through this site. Secure document sharing is arranged after we start working together.