Personal Tax Compliance & Filing
Too many taxpayers are told to sign their tax return without any explanation as to why they owe, why they're getting a refund, why their overall taxes went up or down or what they could do next year to create a better result.
We believe in no surprises. In fact, we believe your tax return filing should merely be a receipt of the work done throughout the year to achieve the best tax outcomes with appropriate withholdings and estimated tax payments. With Dark Horse, you'll have a much better view into what you're after-tax income looks like during the year, as opposed to being surprised during tax season only to realize you've been living above or below your means unintentionally.
We can only avoid surprises if we do tax planning. This is why we not only include tax planning in our engagements but insist that our clients take advantage of it. We'll review your income, deductions, and taxes paid during the year to make sure you're on track to be as close to a zero balance as possible (no refund and no tax owed). During this meeting, we may uncover opportunities for tax saving maneuvers. If that's the case, we'll propose an ROI-focused strategic tax advisory engagement.
$1M Audit Defense
Audits Are Scary. Audit Insurance is Not.
Most Americans, to varying extents, fear being audited by the IRS. At a minimum, it ends up costing you time and money to defend your tax return positions. And if you owe, then you've got additional taxes, penalties and interest to tack on. To ease the burden, and to put your mind at ease, each tax return you file with us has an insurance policy to cover $1 million in audit defense representation fees whether the IRS, state or both were to audit a tax return we filed on your behalf. We believe in the accuracy and defensibility of the returns we file but we can't prevent every single return from being audited so we want to make sure that you're not on the hook if you're one of the few unlucky ones chosen by Uncle Sam.
Context: The IRS questioned multiple areas across two years (2021 and 2022), including:
Over $600K in non-cash charitable contributions, and nearly $600K in depreciation deductions
Unsubstantiated mortgage interest and missing cost basis details
Problem: prior year filings missed critical deductions and cost-basis accuracy in those tax years. The result? A steep cost of $163,000+ for 2021 and $159,000+ for 2022.
Solution: Protection Plus immediately went to work with past preparers and the IRS. Their Team: Reconstructed cost basis to eliminate $99K in capital gains, verified $40K in unreported mortgage interest, clarified amortization rules on rental loan points and provided clean documentation to support the client's filings.
2021: Reduced from $163,525 to $31,725
2022: Reduced from $159,644 to just $405
*This is a real life example of the impact of having a 3rd party support IRS notice and resolution efforts. Dark Horse CPAs partners with Tax Protection Plus to provide these services for every individual filing.
Some clients' messes are bigger than they think, others are smaller. Either way, we'll unpack your situation during our initial consultation to the extent that you can provide us with needed documentation beforehand, such as tax returns, IRS, state and local tax notices, etc. Once we've digested everything, we'll prescribe our game plan moving forward, which may include some of the following services:
When you have a side hustle, stock compensation, rental properties, investments or anything else that adds complexity to your tax situation, you need an expert that can help you navigate these issues strategically and ensure you're tax filing is defensible to the tax authorities. We love complexity and we love simplifying it for you.
We are deeply knowledgeable in the following tax topics, which means your tax return will be prepared correctly and strategically—no more crossing your fingers that you won't get a notice from the IRS.
My tax situation is not overly complicated, I just don’t want to do it anymore, can you help me?
When clients say, “I want someone local,” that often means they want someone that understands their unique state and local tax issues OR they have really only received the full attention of their CPA in face-to-face meetings. Dark Horse has hired a diverse range of CPAs that have worked with every state in the USA and a variety of complex issues, ensuring that we can service clients from ANYWHERE in the USA. Additionally, we’re extremely confident that our cloud-based service delivery model will result in you receiving a much higher level of attention throughout the year from your Dark Horse CPA than you got from your previous tax professional.
Yes, we can! In 99% of cases, they go hand-in-hand. We want to ensure our tax strategies work for both you AND your business, so having us engaged on both levels is a critical step to ensure we are maximizing your tax savings each tax year.
Absolutely. While anyone with enough experience, training, ethics and intelligence can be competent to prepare your tax return, it is more likely that an EA or unlicensed tax preparer will be lacking in one or more of these areas. As CPAs, we are held to the highest professional standards, as well as education and experience requirements. Having said that, Dark Horse is differentiated among CPA firms through our proprietary service delivery model that has earned us a Net Promotor Score of 90% versus the industry average of 38%.
Absolutely! We’ll get all of those overdue tax returns filed for you and we’ll work with the IRS and state tax authorities on your behalf to reduce any penalties to the maximum extent allowable.
Of course! We provide unparalleled tax audit representation that will result in you getting the most favorable outcome possible. Furthermore, we deal directly with the IRS or state on your behalf, so you don’t have to worry about being put on the spot and disclosing information that will harm you. Think of us like an attorney representing you before the IRS or state.
The short answer is no. The long answer is that we’re able to keep our prices extremely competitive with a much higher value proposition by working in a cloud-based environment. We’ll ask that you upload your documents to our secure client portal, as this creates indispensable efficiencies in preparing your tax returns, as well as the fact that you will remain the custodian of those documents for peace of mind. We can help you figure out how to digitize those documents, even if you don’t have a scanner. Last, all of your tax documents and tax returns will be saved in the secure portal, allowing for easy access in the future.
Not at all! Our entire process can be done in the comfort of your home. Any document that we will need you to sign can be electronically signed. All documents (tax documents, tax returns, engagement letters, IRS correspondence, etc.) are saved to your secure portal, accessible at any time.
Yes, we do! We have a couple of options based on your preference. We can provide you with a review via email, a video recording of your CPA walking through your return, or a 1-to-1 meeting.
Of course. That’s part of our onboarding process with new clients. We’ll let you know if there are any red flags or missed opportunities on those returns. If necessary, we can amend previous tax returns to make sure those issue or opportunities are taken care of.
Prices range based on the scope of the engagement. We do offer a unique price quote tool on our website found here to give you an idea. Generally, it’s based on your income/deduction sources, how many states you need to file in, and if there are any unique situations with your return. If you are curious, you can always request a quote from us here .
No, we do not. The reason is that the tax returns we prepare for clients have too much at stake to do all in one sitting. We prepare your returns thoughtfully, review them for quality and accuracy and then evaluate them strategically to make sure you're getting the best result possible. It's impractical (and impossible) to try to do this while you're sitting across from us. Also, you've got better things to do than sit around while we prepare the returns anyway.
I’m very satisfied with the service provided by Mark Kuca. I don’t usually leave business reviews (I’m basically a review hermit), but their effort and professionalism were exceptional. If you’re a small business owner looking for honest, reliable, high-quality service, I highly recommend him.
After years of feeling underwhelmed by every tax professional I worked with, we finally found Chris Ries at Dark Horse. We did a wide search for a CPA who could handle both our business and personal needs. Chris stood out from the start. He's not just deeply knowledgeable about tax law - he's genuinely thoughtful and strategic in how he applies it to your specific situation. What truly sets Chris apart is how responsive and engaged he is throughout the entire year. Our strategy sessions allowed us to get ahead of issues long before tax season, which made the whole process significantly smoother and less stressful.
You won’t find a more reliable, honest, or trustworthy CPA to work with than Mark. I would give this company more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend him and his services.
Chris is exceptional. He is far more professional, clear in his communication, and knowledgeable than any CPA I’ve worked with. He has expertly managed both my personal and business tax needs and consistently goes above and beyond—helping me make informed, strategic decisions well in advance of future tax filings. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a company in San Francisco and needed a highly qualified business and tax accountant to guide me through the process. After many interviews, I was introduced to Chris and the Dark Horse team—and I’m extremely glad I was. Chris has been consistently responsive, deeply knowledgeable in corporate taxes, and generous with his expertise. He’s taught me a great deal, always looks out for my best interests, and approaches his work with both professionalism and integrity. I am 1000% satisfied with his services—and on top of that, he’s genuinely a great human to work with. My experience with Dark Horse was so positive that I also hired a fractional CFO through them, Susan Snowden, who has been equally impressive. I highly recommend Chris and the Dark Horse team. If you’re looking for smart, trustworthy professionals who truly know their stuff and care about their clients, you won’t go wrong with Chris or Susan.
Provides great service. Very professional. Very responsive to questions and inquiries. Very punctual, I would highly recommend their services.
I’m very satisfied with the service provided by Mark Kuca. I don’t usually leave business reviews (I’m basically a review hermit), but their effort and professionalism were exceptional. If you’re a small business owner looking for honest, reliable, high-quality service, I highly recommend him.
After years of feeling underwhelmed by every tax professional I worked with, we finally found Chris Ries at Dark Horse. We did a wide search for a CPA who could handle both our business and personal needs. Chris stood out from the start. He's not just deeply knowledgeable about tax law - he's genuinely thoughtful and strategic in how he applies it to your specific situation. What truly sets Chris apart is how responsive and engaged he is throughout the entire year. Our strategy sessions allowed us to get ahead of issues long before tax season, which made the whole process significantly smoother and less stressful.
You won’t find a more reliable, honest, or trustworthy CPA to work with than Mark. I would give this company more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend him and his services.
Chris is exceptional. He is far more professional, clear in his communication, and knowledgeable than any CPA I’ve worked with. He has expertly managed both my personal and business tax needs and consistently goes above and beyond—helping me make informed, strategic decisions well in advance of future tax filings. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a company in San Francisco and needed a highly qualified business and tax accountant to guide me through the process. After many interviews, I was introduced to Chris and the Dark Horse team—and I’m extremely glad I was. Chris has been consistently responsive, deeply knowledgeable in corporate taxes, and generous with his expertise. He’s taught me a great deal, always looks out for my best interests, and approaches his work with both professionalism and integrity. I am 1000% satisfied with his services—and on top of that, he’s genuinely a great human to work with. My experience with Dark Horse was so positive that I also hired a fractional CFO through them, Susan Snowden, who has been equally impressive. I highly recommend Chris and the Dark Horse team. If you’re looking for smart, trustworthy professionals who truly know their stuff and care about their clients, you won’t go wrong with Chris or Susan.
Provides great service. Very professional. Very responsive to questions and inquiries. Very punctual, I would highly recommend their services.
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