By Max M. at Judy's Book October 09, 2013
For one, everybody who works at this place is super nice. The receptionists, the nurses, the doctors, the ladies working at the attached Quest Diagnostics blood center...they could not have been more helpful. I arrived about 15 minutes ea... ...read more
By CongForbesaolcom August 06, 2013
We have benefitted from Hamilton, Pyle's expertise and up-to-date tax counsel. This is a first rate, quality blue chip CPA firm. Our businesses needed the network contacts and business acumen that this nationally-recognized firm makes available to its clients. We seek their counsel in strategic business planning, professional and personal quarterly assistance and annual tax filings. In near seven years of successfully doing business with Hamilton, Pyle and Bowman we have been the better for it, in our businesses and in our personal peace of mind. They are terrific! ...read more
By johnbob9 December 14, 2012
Hamilton Pyle Bowman CPA Accountant Austin Texas Scam Con Artist Complaint.I made the dreadful mistake of hiring HPB Accountants. A terrible job. CPA accountants Jim Pyle ...read more
I thought this article was interesting. The federal courts are making a decision about CEO's being responsible for their corporate payroll taxes. The IRS isn't accepting any BS when it comes to fiscal responsibilities. They are looking for someone to take the blame... (Photo credit: 401K 2012) TheCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuithas upheld a trial court holding that the majority owner, CEO, and principal financier of a publishing company was responsible for payroll taxes he claimed he didn’t handle. The CEO had a duty to collect, account for, and pay the trust fund taxes, and he willfully failed to do so. Business owners and other “responsible persons” have personal liability and excuses are rarely accepted. InJenkins v. U.S., the majority owner and CEO was ruled responsible. He didn’t exercise day-to-day control, but he had the authority to do so, the court said. Besides, he knew payroll taxes were probably unpaid even if he wasn’t personally handling the checks and payment. You can be liable for unpaid payroll taxes even if you have no knowledge the IRS is not being paid. SeeWhat Is The Trust Fund Recovery Penalty?Still, the taxpayer appealed his case to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Jenkins and a partner founded Dialogue Diaspora, Inc. in 1992. It published American Visions magazine and promoted African-American culture. Jenkins was a majority stockholder, CEO, CFO, and publisher. He also was a major financial backer of DDI. That mean he rented space to it, lent money and more. But after a falling out with his partner, Jenkins ousted him and wrote a series of company checks to himself in 1995 even though he knew payroll taxes were unpaid. He was just trying to pay himself back for loans, he claimed. In 1998, the IRS levied on Jenkins’ retirement account and Social Security benefits. Jenkins sued for a refund. The Court of Federal Claims sided with the IRS so Jenkins appealed. He didn’t exercise day-to-day decision making authority regarding the company’s tax obligations, he argued. But the appellate court said Jenkins clearly possessed the effectivepowerto do so. He wrote 13 checks to himself trying to recoup his investment, some of which were simply loan repayments. Every time he wrote one of those checks, he should have wondered about the payroll taxes, the court said. Was he paying himself money that belonged to the U.S.? He may never have asked, but heshouldhave. He tried to claim he was really only a creditor and never exercised any authority. But the Federal Circuit concluded that the undisputed corporate records showed he was an officer, director and more. As to willfulness, the court rejectedallhis arguments. Whether he actuallyknewthe taxes weren’t paid when he wrote himself each check, he clearly knew there was ariskthe taxes weren’t paid. That was enough. You can’t just delegate your authority to someone else and turn a blind eye. Jenkins even argued that his liability should be limited to the $16,668 he took, not the vastly larger sum the IRS said was unpaid. That may havesoundedfair, but that’s not how it works, the court said. UnderSection 6672of the tax code, the penalty applies to anyone who: is responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying over payroll taxes; and willfully fails to perform this responsibility. How much is the penalty? 100% of the payroll tax. Source Article from http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2012/06/29/ceo-personally-liable-for-company-payroll-taxes/?feed=rss_home ...read more
By Southwest Bookkeepers August 17, 2012
Bookkeepers and accountants are not interchangeable. There aretasks that clearly belong to your bookkeeperand others that belong to your CPA. In many people’s mind, the demarcation line is blurry and this is because, historically, both professions have had incentives to blur that line in order to grab billable hours away from each other. The reality is a lot simpler and cleaner. The accounting profession (aka CPAs) is highly regulated. The bookkeeping profession is not regulated at all. Does this mean that bookkeepers can do anything they want? Of course not. Essentially, the regulations that matter to bookkeepers are the accounting regulations because they tell bookkeepers whatthey are not allowed to do. The accounting regulations dictate the tasks that only certified public accountants (CPAs) are allowed to perform and which therefore can’t be touched by bookkeepers. Accounting regulations are driven by various entities at the Federal level and State level. At the Federal level, the world of CPAs is influenced by a slew of organizations such as FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board), the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants), the IRS, the SEC, etc… Each state then adds a layer of rules on top of the Federal regulations . The net effect is that state regulations are the most restrictive and should be the one that drive most behaviors in the accounting space. At the state level, there are a few organizations that have their say, but to keep things simple, assume that your State Board of Accountancy is the point of reference. For instance, in Texas, it’s the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. Note that, in most states, the word “accountant” is legally synonymous with “CPA”, whereas the general public often assumes that “accountant” is a generic term that covers bookkeepers as well. The nuances might vary from state to state, but at a very high level, CPAs and accounting firms are the only entities that can vouch for the accuracy of a company’s financials. For instance, only CPAs or CPA firms can audit books, but this is usually the least of a small business owner’s concern because very few small businesses require audits. The main implication for small businesses is that bookkeepers are not allowed to produce financial statements. “Hold on!”, you might say. “How can my bookkeeper help me if she can’t produce financial statements?”. That’s where an important nuance comes into play. “Producing financial statements” means creating P&L;, balance sheets and cash flow statements that can beprovided to3rdpartiesto guaranty the state of your financials. That doesn’t mean that your bookkeeper can’t create financial reports foryour internal use. However, you cannot turn around and take these same financial reports and give them to your bank or your investors. Many bookkeepers are not aware of this and happily trample on the CPAs’ turf. That could get them into trouble. The state boards of accountancy are aggressively cracking down on this. Any financial report that comes from your bookkeeper should be clearly labeled: “For Internal Use Only – Not Audited. Not Attested” or something along those lines. At the risk of oversimplifying, the demarcation line between the bookkeeper and the CPA could almost be defined solely by this definition of “Financial Statement”, but, in practice, there is a second dimension to be used:taxes. Theoretically, you don’t need to be a CPA to prepare taxes. Many bookkeepers actually do prepare taxes for their clients. They just can’t sign them because it would be a representation that they vouch for the accuracy of the data, which, again, is the exclusive turf of the CPAs. The reality is that, by letting your bookkeeper dabble with your taxes, you are playing with fire. As a starter, the IRS and the states are increasingly clamping down on this and adding certification requirements, but most importantly, taxes are complex and evolve constantly. To be qualified to prepare taxes, you need to focus on this day in and day out and go through continuing professional education. Leave this to your CPA or to a certified tax preparer. If your bookkeeper offers you tax advice or proposes to prepare your taxes, think twice about it. The core function of a bookkeeper is to save you cost by performing financial tasks that can be legally and efficiently performed by entities other than CPAs and accounting firms. Many CPAs offer bookkeeping services as well, but their rates are higher and they often are not as agile with QuickBooks as bookkeepers are. CPAs are better suited forpulling information outof QuickBooks (attested financial statements and taxes) thanputting it in(bookkeeping).By Patrick Bonnaure, founder ofProLedge Bookkeeping Services ...read more
By ProLedge Bookkeeping Services April 15, 2011
Hello to our neighbors! Time to prepare your individual taxes is running out! Bring us your information and we will take care of it! Our service is friendly and more than competitive than the big chains. Our pricing is dependent on exactly what you have to work with and file. We are located at the intersection of Wells Branch and MoPac on the North East Corner in a four story brown brick building. Our office is on the third floor in suite 310. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. HURRY - TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Stephanie Ward Marketing Dir. Frank A. Ward, PC Certified Public Accounting Firm 13915 North Burnet Rd. (MoPac and Wells Branch) Austin, TX 78728 (512) 990-1233 ...read more
By Ward Frank A PC CPA April 08, 2011
Payroll accountants are responsible for tracking the expenditure of money and assets through a company. Their job is to help companies track their income and maintain a timely payment record for expenses and bills. If you are interested in becoming a payroll accountant, you will have to be... ...read more
Computer files can sometimes be deleted by accident, get lost or damaged. This could be a potential nightmare, especially if these are small business accounting files. You have peace of mind by knowing how to use the "Backup and Restore" function in Microsoft Small Business Accounting. With a few keys... ...read more