Q. Why doesn't Q&A file tax returns for its clients?
A. We don't file tax returns for our clients because there are others more qualified for that function (and set up for it).
Every CPA attends, on average, forty or more hours per year of CPE (Continuing Professional Education), and prepares many returns in a tax season. We could legally file your tax returns,
but we think it would be unethical to do so, given that others are so well qualified.
Our job is to get your QuickBooks® company file cleaned up and ready for your tax filing.
Q. How does one become a QuickBooks® Certified ProAdvisor?
A. QuickBooks® Certified ProAdvisors must take an online course, then score at least 85% on an online examination, both
administered by Intuit®, the makers of QuickBooks®. The ProAdvisor then receives credit for sixteen hours of CPE (Continuing
Professional Education). It is an important certification; if the ProAdvisor possesses honesty and good experience, you
will probably be in good hands with that individual. However, there is no guarantee that a ProAdvisor will have expert
accounting skills or good business ethics. We know and interact with several ProAdvisors and believe them to be proficient
and of good character. Some ProAdvisors are CPAs, but most are not.
Q. Why can't I find Q&A's Certified QuickBooks® ProAdvisor on the ProAdvisor website?
A. We are working with Intuit® to correct this error. In 2007, Intuit® combined two of its service programs (both designed to
support ProAdvisors) and asked us to create a single login for access to both programs. We complied, but somehow got lost in
the changeover.
Q. Could someone other than a Certified ProAdvisor help me with my QuickBooks® concerns?
A. Yes. Many individuals have the experience and knowledge to help resolve your QuickBooks® concerns, and not all of them
are Certified QuickBooks® ProAdvisors (or degreed accountants, for that matter).
A bit of advice: The best accountants are good listeners. The way you perceive your business
and the kinds of reports you'll need most often are important factors your QuickBooks® advisor should consider. There
are standard ways of handling most situations. Occasionally, though, accounting issues arise where any sensible person would
seek advice before committing to a particular course of action. You're unlikely to have such an issue, but, if you do,
you will want that sensible person as your QuickBooks® advisor.
Certified ProAdvisors have access to resources not available to non-certified individuals: We receive unlimited support from
QuickBooks® on technical issues and capabilities of the software. QB also sends us newsletters with helpful content, from
upcoming tax law changes to new methods of helping our clients. Another big plus is the QuickBooks Community®, an online
forum where we can post questions or answers, even on complex accounting issues. The forum participants have a combined
total of hundreds of years experience with QuickBooks® and accounting in general.
We are a Georgia corporation in good standing. Therefore, our clients are not required to report payments made to us, nor
issue a 1099-MISC to us at year's end.
Q. Why does Q&A insist that I be represented by a CPA or other accounting professional?
A. Once we complete the job of putting your QuickBooks® company file into good shape, you need a tax professional to, in
effect, summarize your business activities for the IRS and other taxing agencies.
The dollars you spend on a good CPA or PA, especially for preparing tax returns and providing advice on tax strategies, tax
planning, SEPs, etc. can come back to you several times over. He or she can also prevent losses you might incur by trying
to do it all yourself. These are functions we don't (and can't) perform.
Your CPA can far better serve you if your QuickBooks® file accurately tells the story of your business activities. We
can make sure that it does. That is our area of expertise, which requires good knowledge of accounting. However, the kind
of knowledge a CPA employs on your behalf is at another level entirely. We strongly believe in professional representation.
Q. I want to prepare my own tax returns. Will Q&A work for me on that basis?
A. Yes, we will, with a stipulation. If, in the preparation of your company file, we require professional consultation, you
must provide a consulting authority or allow us to provide one for you. This need is unlikely to arise. Most companies
have no complex accounting issues.
Q. Will Q&A recommend a CPA if I haven't retained one for my company?
A. Yes. At your request, we will provide a list of several accounting professionals for your consideration.
Q. How much does Quilliams & Associates, Inc. charge for its services?
A. Our usual rate is about $30.00 per hour. For some projects, we can offer an overall fee with no hourly rate involved.
Q. The IRS holds each taxpayer solely responsible for bad financial data. Since I pay for your services, will you record my
transactions exactly as I instruct?
A. We are not tax collectors. We want all our clients to minimize their tax burdens.
That having been said, the question was, "Will you record my transactions exactly as I instruct?" No, not if you instruct
us to misrepresent the facts of your business activities. We won't create a company file that we know to be inaccurate.
Below is a partial list of reasons for our policy regarding this issue.
1) We consider it against your interests, and therefore unethical, to deliberately misrepresent the facts. 2) The IRS
isn't the only source of potential trouble. 3) The IRS might hold Q&A responsible; we really don't know, since the issue
has never arisen. 4) Even if we knew that we'd never be questioned about the bad data, we still wouldn't record it. Our
mission is to produce a clean, accurate QuickBooks® accounting file.
Your CPA or other tax professional will usually have you sign a waiver, with words to this effect: We prepared this
return based on information received from the client. We have not audited the information received and are not responsible
for errors or deliberate missatements of fact within the information received.
Q&A cannot ask for a similar waiver. Most of our work product is derived from original business documents, making it more
likely than not that we would have full knowledge of bad data within the digital accounting file.
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