The questions owners actually ask.

Grouped by what you're trying to work out.

What kind of businesses do you work with?

Self-employed people and owner-led businesses — sole proprietors, single-member LLCs, S corporations and growing small businesses — plus individuals, families and nonprofits.

Do I need to be local to work with you?

The office is in North Easton and you're welcome in it, but the work runs fine remotely too. Whether we're the right fit depends on your business rather than the distance — ask, and we'll give you a straight answer for your situation.

Can you take over from my current accountant?

Yes. We'll need the prior-year returns and access to the existing books; the handover is usually more straightforward than people expect.

How do I send documents securely?

Not through the website. Once we're working together we'll share a secure route — please don't email tax returns, Social Security numbers or bank details.

What's the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?

A bookkeeper records and reconciles what happened. An accountant interprets it, files on it and plans around it. Murphy does both, which is the point — the books are kept by the same firm that files the return.

My books are months behind. Can you still take this on?

Yes. The backlog is scoped and priced separately first, then monthly work starts from a clean position.

What does 'closing the month' actually mean?

It means the period is finished, not just recorded: accounts reconciled to statements, unexplained items chased down, and statements you can rely on rather than a running list of transactions.

Will I still be able to see my own books?

Yes. They're your records. You keep access throughout.

How often will I hear from you?

A reporting rhythm is agreed at the start so you know when statements arrive and when we talk. Between those points we're reachable — you won't be waiting on a ticket queue.

What if I only need a cleanup and not ongoing work?

That's a normal request. Catch-up work can be a standalone project, and there's no obligation to continue monthly afterwards.

Do I have to change accounting software to work with you?

This is a question to work through rather than a policy. What matters is that the books can be reconciled and closed reliably; several platforms support that perfectly well. If a change is genuinely worth making we will explain why, including what it would cost you in time — migrations are not free, and moving for its own sake usually creates a year of opening-balance problems.

What if my books have never been reconciled?

That is common and it is a different piece of work — a catch-up or cleanup, which establishes a defensible starting point first. Starting monthly bookkeeping on top of unreconciled accounts repeats the problem rather than fixing it, so the sequence matters.

Will you tell me if something looks wrong during the year?

That is much of the point of closing monthly rather than annually. Something unexplained surfaces while the context still exists and someone can still remember what it was. A year-end-only arrangement finds the same items in March, when the answer is often that nobody knows.

How much of my time will this take?

Most of the ongoing effort is getting statements and documents to us, and answering questions when a transaction cannot be identified from the record. The volume of questions is highest at the start and settles once the recurring patterns are understood. We will tell you what we need and by when rather than leaving it open-ended.

What's the difference between tax preparation and tax planning?

Preparation reports what already happened. Planning changes what will happen — timing, entity structure, how owner compensation is set. Preparation is mandatory; planning is where the room usually is.

Do you handle both my business and personal returns?

Yes. For most owner-led businesses they're the same financial picture, and filing them in isolation is how things get missed.

Can you tell me what I'll save?

Not before seeing your facts, and not as a promise. Anyone quoting a saving before reviewing your return is guessing. What we can do is show you the decisions available and what each one changes.

When should planning happen?

Before the year closes. Once it has, most levers are gone — the return can only report what already occurred.

What do you need from me to start?

Prior-year returns and current books. If the books aren't current, that's the first piece of work.

When is the right time to have a planning conversation?

While the year is still open and there is enough of it elapsed to know what is happening — which for most businesses means the second half rather than the final weeks. A conversation in the last days of a year has very little room left in it, and one in the following spring has none.

Can you tell me how much I will save?

Not before reviewing your situation, and be cautious of anyone who does. Savings figures quoted in advance are derived from marketing rather than from your facts. Some years the honest answer after a review is that nothing material should change.

Do you handle both the business return and my personal one?

For owner-led businesses the two are usually driven by the same facts, and handling them together avoids the gap where each preparer assumes the other dealt with something. Whether that is the right arrangement for you is part of the initial conversation.

What do you need from me to start?

A current picture of the business — books that are up to date, prior returns, and how the business is structured. Where the books are behind, getting them current is usually the first piece of work, because a planning conversation built on an unreliable record is speculation.

Why do S-corp owners need payroll at all?

An S-corp owner who works in the business is generally expected to take reasonable compensation as W-2 wages before taking distributions. What counts as reasonable depends on the facts — the role, the hours, what the work would cost to replace. It needs a conversation, not a rule of thumb.

Can you fix payroll filings that were done wrong?

Bring them to us and we'll tell you what's involved. Whether amendments are in scope depends on what went wrong and when — that's part of the scoping conversation, not something to assume either way.

Does payroll have to be in scope if you do my books?

No. Plenty of clients keep payroll with a provider they're happy with. The point is that the filings and the books agree, not that everything sits in one place.

Do you run payroll, or do I?

That is exactly the question the responsibility document answers, and it is agreed in writing before any work starts. Different arrangements suit different businesses, and describing one on a web page would tell you nothing reliable about yours. Ask, and you will get a specific answer.

We already use a payroll platform. Does that change anything?

Usually it means the mechanical side is handled and the open question is reconciliation and coordination — whether what the platform reports matches what the books record, and who is watching the boundary between them. That is worth establishing explicitly rather than assuming.

What happens if a payroll notice arrives?

Who responds, and in what capacity, is part of the responsibility document rather than something to assume. Send it to us and we will tell you where it sits.

We are about to make our first hire. When should we talk to you?

Before the hire rather than after. Registrations and setup are straightforward in advance and awkward retrospectively, because obligations attach to the payment rather than to the paperwork. This is the single most common avoidable problem with a first employee.

Can you tell me whether someone should be an employee or a contractor?

It depends on the actual working relationship rather than on preference or on what an agreement calls it, and the relevant tests are fact-specific. It is a conversation to have about your particular arrangement, ideally before the person starts.

Is payroll included with bookkeeping?

What is included is set out in writing before work begins rather than assumed from a service page. Ask about your situation and you will get a specific answer covering who does what.

What if we only pay one person — the owner?

That is still payroll, and for owner-led businesses it is often the arrangement with the most riding on it, because owner compensation sits across payroll, bookkeeping and tax at once. The right treatment depends on how the business is structured, so it is worth establishing deliberately rather than by habit.

How is this different from just having an accountant?

A compliance relationship looks backwards once a year. This one looks forward on a schedule, using the same numbers.

What happened to Virtual CFO?

It's part of this page. Rather than run two pages that describe overlapping work, advisory covers the range — from periodic review through to recurring forecasting and reporting for businesses that need it. What you get is set by the engagement, not by which page you landed on.

Do I need my books with you to get advisory?

Not necessarily, but the advice is only as good as the numbers under it. If the books aren't reliable, that's where we'd start.

What do I actually receive?

Reviews on an agreed rhythm, the reporting prepared for them, and a written record of what was decided. The specifics are set in the engagement.

How is this different from just having good bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping produces an accurate record; advisory is the conversation about what it means and what to do next. They are sequential rather than alternative — an advisory conversation on unreliable books is speculation, which is why the two are usually paired.

How often should these conversations happen?

Regularly enough that the pattern is familiar and infrequently enough that there is something new to look at. Quarterly suits many owner-led businesses; some want monthly, and a stable business may need less. The cadence is agreed in writing at the start rather than left informal.

Will you produce forecasts and budgets?

What is included is defined in writing before the work begins rather than assumed from a website. If forecasting is what you need, say so early — it is a specific piece of work with its own scope, not something that arrives automatically with a regular review.

Do I need to be a certain size for this to be worthwhile?

Less about size than about whether decisions are being made that the numbers should inform. A very small business facing a hire, a price change or a structural question gets more from a regular review than a larger one on autopilot. If it would not change anything, it is not worth paying for — we will say so.

What if I only want this occasionally?

That is a legitimate arrangement, and it is worth naming rather than drifting into. The value of a regular cadence is continuity; the value of occasional work is that you pay for it when you need it. What does not work well is an agreement that is nominally regular and actually occasional.

What should I bring to a tax appointment?

Prior-year return, income documents, and records for anything that changed during the year. We'll send a specific list before we meet rather than leaving you to guess.

Can you file my business and personal returns together?

Yes, and for most owner-led businesses that's the intent — they're one financial picture.

Can you get me a bigger refund than last year?

That depends entirely on your facts, and anyone promising otherwise before seeing them is guessing. What we can do is make sure the return reflects what you're actually eligible for.

What if I need an extension?

Extensions are routine and we'll handle it. Worth knowing: an extension moves the filing deadline, not the payment deadline.

Can you prepare my personal return if you do not do my business books?

It is possible, but for owners the two sides are usually driven by the same facts, and preparing one without visibility of the other is where gaps appear. Whether it makes sense in your case is part of the first conversation.

How should I send you documents?

Through a secure route we will set up with you. Please do not send Social Security numbers or tax documents through a web form or ordinary email — the intake form on this site is deliberately not built to receive them.

I have not filed for a previous year. Can you help?

That depends on the circumstances and is a conversation to have specifically rather than something to generalize about. Bring what you have and we will tell you what is involved.

Do you handle returns for people who are not business clients?

The practice is built around owner-led businesses, and personal returns are generally prepared for people connected to that work. If you are asking about a standalone personal return, ask — the answer depends on the situation rather than being a fixed policy.

What happens if something is missing when you start?

We tell you what is outstanding rather than estimating around it. Most delays in preparation are missing information rather than complexity, so the faster route is usually a specific list early rather than a general request.

Will you explain the return before I sign it?

Yes. Signing a return you do not understand is a bad position to be in, and the explanation is part of the work rather than an extra. If something in it is unclear, that is worth raising before rather than after.

How far in advance should I get in touch?

Earlier than most people do. The filing season compresses everyone into the same weeks, and a return started early is one where missing items can still be chased without pressure. If a planning conversation is what you actually want, that belongs in the second half of the year rather than the following spring.

Where do I start?

With the letter number in the top right corner. It tells you what stage the account is at and what clock is running, and the hub above is organized around exactly that. If the letter mentions a right to a hearing, that is the urgent one.

Can you make the IRS settle for less than I owe?

Nobody can promise that. An offer in compromise is accepted where a calculation of your assets and future income comes out below the balance, and the calculation is run first. For a great many people the honest answer is a payment plan, a partial pay agreement, or a hardship status — and one of those is often a better outcome than an offer would have been.

The amount they are demanding is not right.

That is common enough to be the first thing checked. The usual causes are a payment applied to the wrong period, a return the IRS prepared in your place with no expenses and no cost basis allowed, or an examination adjustment made without your records. Each has a route, and the routes are different.

I have not filed for several periods. Is that a problem?

It is the problem, usually. No resolution the IRS offers is approved while a required return is outstanding, and returns filed over the IRS's own versions frequently cut the balance substantially. Filing comes first, and it is often the largest single reduction available.

Do you handle Massachusetts as well as federal?

The two are separate agencies with separate procedures, and resolving one does nothing for the other. Tell us what you have from each and you will get a straight answer about what we would do and what, if anything, sits outside what we handle.

Can you speak to the IRS for me?

There are two different authorizations here and they are worth understanding. One lets someone see your file, which covers most of the work that decides outcomes. The other lets someone act for you, and only certain categories of professional may hold it. Tell us what your letter says and you will get a direct answer about what the work involves and who should be doing which part of it.

How quickly do I need to move?

It depends entirely on the letter. A first balance notice is not urgent in days. A final notice of intent to levy gives 30 days and losing it costs a right you cannot get back. A bank levy gives 21 days before the money moves. Those three are not the same situation.

Will this cost more than the tax?

It should not, and if the work would not pay for itself we would rather say so. Some of these are a transcript review and a conversation. Others are several periods of unfiled returns, a reconstruction and a financial statement. You get a scope and a price in writing before anything starts.

Is it too late if I already ignored several letters?

Rarely too late for everything, though specific rights may be gone. What is left depends on which notices were issued and when, and that is answerable from transcripts in a fairly short space of time. It is worth finding out rather than assuming.

How far behind is too far behind?

We haven't found that point yet. Years is common. What matters is what records survive, not how much time passed.

Will I be penalized for filing late?

Possibly, depending on what's owed and how late. Penalties and interest are set by the IRS and Massachusetts DOR, not by us — but getting current usually stops them growing, and relief is sometimes available depending on the circumstances.

Do I have to sign up for monthly work afterwards?

No. Cleanup can be a standalone project. Most people do continue, but it isn't a condition.

What if some records are just gone?

That's normal and there are accepted ways to reconstruct from what remains. We'll tell you where the gaps are rather than quietly guessing.

How long does a catch-up take?

It depends on the state of the records and how quickly questions can be answered — the second is often the bigger factor. We will give you a scope and a timeframe in writing once we have looked at what exists, rather than a general figure that would not mean anything for your situation.

What if I do not have all the statements?

That is normal and usually solvable — most institutions can supply historical statements, though older periods can take longer to obtain. Where something genuinely cannot be recovered, the right outcome is to record that limitation rather than fill the gap with an assumption.

Will this fix an unfiled return?

Getting the books to a reliable state is the prerequisite for dealing with an unfiled return, not the same thing as dealing with it. What follows depends on your circumstances and is a conversation to have specifically, not something to generalize about.

Do I need to keep going monthly afterwards?

Not necessarily. The conditions that caused the gap are usually still there, so it is worth deciding deliberately rather than by default — but the right answer might be monthly bookkeeping, a clearer in-house process, or genuinely just an annual exercise. That decision is easier with the finished picture in front of you.

Should I tidy things up before contacting you?

No — and the impulse to do so is one of the main reasons catch-up work gets delayed. Reorganizing records without knowing what the work requires often creates more to undo. Bring it as it is.

Is it embarrassing? Do you see this often?

It is the ordinary consequence of running a business that got busier than the admin time available. It is one of the more common reasons owners get in touch, and it is a scoping conversation rather than a judgement.

Can you work with whatever software I already have?

Usually. What matters for catch-up work is reaching a reconciled position, and most established platforms support that. Where a change is genuinely worth making we will say so and explain what it costs you in time, because a migration mid-cleanup adds an opening-balance problem to a problem you already have.

What if the previous bookkeeper did some of it wrong?

That is a normal finding rather than an accusation, and it is one reason cleanup work is scoped after looking rather than before. Part of the job is deciding what to keep and what to unpick, and undoing existing entries is often slower than building missing ones.

Which filings do you handle for nonprofits?

The specific forms and the scope boundary are being confirmed before they are published. An organization choosing an accountant on the basis of a form number needs that number to be right, so we would rather answer it directly for your organization than list something provisional here.

Do you perform audits?

No. Audit and attestation work is a distinct engagement performed under separate professional standards, and it is not what this page describes. If your funders or your state require one, that is a different provider and a different conversation.

Our treasurer is a volunteer. Is that a problem?

It is the normal situation for small organizations and it shapes what is useful. A board report a volunteer can read and question is a different document from an annual filing, and producing only the second tends to leave a board engaging with its finances once a year.

We are very small. Do we still need an accountant?

Not necessarily, and it is a fair question to ask directly. Some small organizations manage well with a capable treasurer and an annual review; others are past that point without having noticed. The useful conversation is about what you currently have in place rather than about size alone.

Can you take over from our previous accountant?

Usually — it is a normal transition. What matters is establishing the current state of the records first, so that the first year is not built on assumptions about work someone else did.

Our records are behind. Where do we start?

With establishing the current state rather than with the filing. Reporting built on records nobody has reconciled tends to be redone, and for a nonprofit the added difficulty is restriction — working out retrospectively what each fund was given for is slow and sometimes not possible. Start by finding the last dependable point.

Can you work with our existing bookkeeper?

Often, and it can be the right arrangement where the bookkeeping is sound and what is missing is the annual work. What matters is that the boundary is explicit, so that nobody is assuming the other party has handled something.