12/22/2025
Affordable Tax Service Inc
5597 Humbert Rd
Alton IL 62002
618-466-5767
[email protected]
There have been so many changes in and out of the office this year. My two oldest children got married two months apart. My daughter moved to Michigan. My younger son and husband both broke their wrists, at different times. My husband’s required surgery. I came down with a lingering sickness that lasted almost a month, and I think there were 587 weddings of other people I knew this year. Just kidding, but it was close. My year was so insane, so I am truly hoping for a calmer one this year. I apologize for delays that all of these events inevitably caused in finishing returns.
We added an additional room at the office this year. Our hope is to have people dropping off taxes take them to that room on busy days in order to speed up drop-offs and pickups. We have also added another new employee. Jewl Heck has joined our team and we are excited for the new season. . My son Tristan also started learning the front desk last year and will continue this year.
I am so excited to announce we won the Best of the Best contest from The Telegraph for best accountant for the fourth year in a row!!!! Thank you so much to all who voted. It is a great honor, and I am thankful for all of our wonderful clients.
Once again, if you come in after March 25th and are unwilling to file an extension, we will be charging an extra $50 fee if you don’t have a business or rental, and at least $100 if you do have a business or rental, depending on how complicated your return is. Filing an extension does not mean we won’t get it done by April 15th, it just means there is a possibility we won’t. I will continue to work every day to get as much done before I leave for vacation in May. I will say that the closer you bring in to April 15th, the less likely we will get it done by April 15th. There will still be an extra fee if tax information is given to me after September 15th. Every year we get a large surge just before the October 15th deadline. There is not another extension that can be filed so we work around the clock trying to get returns filed by the deadline. This extra fee is to encourage clients to get info to me sooner so it isn’t so rough on us. The extra fee will be at least $100. Please get me info earlier rather than later.
My appointments book up early so please try to book early if you want to have your appointment with me in person. I will not be taking any in person appointments after April 1st. This is to allow me more time to work on returns to get as much done as I can before April 15th.
The states have been a major thorn in our side the last few years with constant verification letters. I understand they are trying to prevent fraud, but it is getting ridiculous. As your preparer we have been more than happy to help sort out any issues, but this is extremely time-consuming. Due to this, we are raising the fees on returns with more than one state. Not that we don’t have some issues with just IL, however the bigger problem is with multiple state returns. While we will not be raising all fees across the board, please realize with a lot of the new laws and changes extra forms will be involved so fees may rise due to those extra forms.
As always, I will provide information on changes for 2025 filing. There are so many new changes this year. Here is just a short list of changes.
Mileage Rate Change: For 2025, the IRS increased the standard mileage deduction to 70 cents per mile.
Energy Credits: 2025 will be the last year energy credits will be allowed. The vehicle credit ended 9/30/2025.
Child Tax Credit: Will increase to $2200 for 2025.
Itemized Deductions: State and local tax deduction limit has been raised to $40,000. Charitable deductions now have a floor, meaning a certain percent will not be deductible.
NO Tax on Tips and Overtime: This will be a crazy year getting the info for this credit. Please be prepared to supply a year end paystub listing out info needed if it is not provided on your W-2. Our state has also decided not to follow federal on this issue so these will be taxed by IL.
New Car Interest Deduction: There is now a deduction for interest on a new car loan if your income is under certain limits.
TRUMP Accounts: These are new accounts starting in 2026 for savings. More info will be forthcoming as these plans are ironed out. The government is supposed to add $1000 to your child’s account that is born after Jan 2025. Please set up your child’s account to be able to receive the payout.
If you bought insurance on the healthcare exchange you will receive Form 1095-A, and I will not be able to process your return without this form. If you do not provide it at the time we file, it will delay your refund until the IRS receives the paperwork needed.
Below is our privacy statement that I am required to send every year. Even though the letter states we only disclose as permitted by law, we only disclose information to the IRS when we file your return and no one else.
Thank you for your continued business.
Privacy Policy Disclosure
We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:
•Information we receive from you on applications or other forms;
•Information about your transactions with us or others;
•Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to anyone, except as permitted by law.
If you decide to close your accounts or become an inactive customer, we will adhere to the privacy policies and practices as described in this notice.
We restrict access to your personal and account information to those employees who need to know that information to provide products and services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard your nonpublic personal information.
Your confidence in us is important and we want you to know that your personal and account information is safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
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