"Count On Us" Income Tax and Bookkeeping

01/30/2025

🚨 Scam Alert! 🚨

The IRS will NEVER call, text, or email you about your taxes. If you receive a message claiming to be from the IRS, it’s likely a scam!

✅ The IRS only communicates by mail.
❌ No phone calls demanding payment.
❌ No emails asking for personal info.
❌ No urgent texts about tax refunds.

Stay vigilant and protect your personal information! If you’re unsure, always verify through the official IRS website: www.irs.gov.

01/20/2025

Today I am enthusiastic beginning my 51st year filing tax returns along with my daughter Michelle, this being her 27th year at “Count On Us”. Also, with our team is our partner Amy, 10th year working with us, she is an accounting and tax perfectionist! And there’s Keila, the heart of our service, working the phones and front desk. She’s beginning her 3rd year with us, serving our clients with a smile.
Our hearts go out those affected by the recent fires. We will see first-hand, knowing a few of our clients lost everything in this tragedy! All of us here will be doing “our best” to assist those clients in the recovery process!
The 2025 calendar year does come with some good news, “finally”! The end of the acronym (S.A.L.T.) and other unpleasant tax provisions! When we, or maybe your tax accountant explains what this means to YOU, please forgive our smiles. Good news does come in different “forms”!
The IRS will begin accepting 2024 tax returns on January 29, 2025. For those located in Los Angeles County, the IRS has announced the deadline has been extended from April 15th to October 15th 2025. I believe this automatic extension to October 15th will soon include several other counties in southern California – time will tell! For those early birds and those who want their refunds as soon as possible, we at “Count On Us” have begun making appointments and receiving mail-in tax returns. On Monday, January 27, 2025 our team will start our in-person appointments. Our entire team is looking forward hearing from our returning clients and possibly meeting new ones!

12/23/2024

🚗 2025 Mileage Tax Rates 🚗

Stay updated with the latest tax rules! The IRS has announced the standard mileage rates for 2025:

• Business Use: .70 cents per mile
• Medical/Moving Purposes: .21 cents per mile
• Charitable Organizations: .14 cents per mile

Track your miles accurately to possibly maximize deductions and reduce your tax liability. 💼

📌 Pro Tip: Use apps or keep a detailed logbook to ensure proper documentation.



Disclaimer:
The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax advice. I am not your accountant or tax advisor. For advice specific to your financial situation, please consult a licensed tax professional or accountant. I make no guarantees regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information provided.

Circular 230 Disclosure:
This communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or promoting, marketing, or recommending any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Issue Number: IR-2024-312

04/08/2024

If you owe taxes and can't pay the balance by the deadline, make sure to file your return on time and pay as much as you can. Filing on time will help you avoid additional penalties from piling up. An reminder: An extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.

Get started at www.irs.gov/efile

01/24/2024

It was August 1974, three years on the job when a 24-year-old police officer received a radio call to an income tax office and subsequently met with a one-man office owner. After resolving the initial police issue, the owner gave the officer some very good advice, something to think about. One month later, September 1974, I enrolled into an income tax training course. Fast forward 50 years, attending three thousand plus hours of tax training, new tax laws each year. Completing and filing between 10 & 12 thousand Federal and State income tax returns, this year I’m celebrating my “golden anniversary”. I’ve been very lucky with my two careers, a Los Angeles police officer for 20 years and 50 years as an income tax practitioner. I continue to work alongside my daughter Michelle Ernst, EA/MBT and a team of tax professionals. Several years ago, we came up with the name for our firm, “Count On Us”. I believe we, as a team, have created a successful and respected income tax and accounting practice that our clients agree on. They realize they can “count on us” today and for many more years to come for all their individual and business tax needs!

06/29/2023

Today with a few friends we took my bride, Gwenn to lunch for her birthday . When her dessert was served and the sparklers were lit, her true spirit arose. Simply said, between us the spark is still there alive and well!

05/12/2023

04/18/2023

The team at “Count On Us” Amy, Michelle, Keila and myself, Bob, are not celebrating the end of the 2022 tax season yet… it will end on October 16th for most Californians. What we are celebrating today is returning to our off-season business working days - four days a week. The last 100 days have been intense, most clients still believing April 15th was the deadline day. Therefore, we all have something to celebrate… our team returning to normalcy and those tax procrastinators given an additional six months to file their 2022 tax returns! Let the party commence!!🥂🎉

03/04/2023

If only it was possible to foresee the future. I was in the academy, 11-70, when Rex Shields was the physical training instructor and the most feared person. I can still hear Rex yelling “You’re a bunch of zeros, hit the hill” and off we’d go, climbing up that hated hill! Today while filing his tax return he responded by saying, “yes sir” and it seemed unholy ! Rex is really a nice guy for all you nonbelievers. Plus, he came bearing gifts, thank you!!

12/14/2022

If you purchase an electric vehicle in 2022, be sure to check whether you qualify for a tax credit. See updates at www.irs.gov/pluginvehiclecreditamounts