A Kaplan CPA, P.C.

Tax planning as a Certified Tax Coach

A Kaplan CPA, P.C. is an accounting firm on Staten Island, New York. The firm holds the Certified Tax Coach designation and presents its work as proactive planning rather than the filing of returns alone. Its argument is that many accountants are trained mainly around compliance, meaning the accurate preparation of returns, and do not spend time searching the tax code for the credits and deductions a client may be owed.

The firm says the training behind the designation lets it find credits and deductions that a general accountant or an Enrolled Agent might miss. It describes its approach as working within legal and ethical limits to reach the lowest lawful tax bill for each client.

Who the planning is aimed at

The firm's copy aims the service at small business owners and at individuals on higher incomes, and it says people at that level should work with a tax coach rather than a compliance-focused preparer. Its reasoning is one of complexity. The firm points out that the United States tax code runs to more than 67,000 pages and changes often, so a client needs someone whose full-time attention is on the law.

How an engagement runs

A new client begins with a consultation, after which the firm builds a tax strategy around that client's own situation. It then explains in plain language what needs to be done and why, and it sets out practical steps the client can take straight away to reduce tax. The emphasis throughout is on education, so that the client understands the reasoning behind each recommendation rather than simply following it.

The firm also publishes a tax planning book titled Writeoffs to the Rescue. It presents the book as a way to explain the planning ideas the practice uses with its clients.