Business Diagnostic

Who it is for

It suits a business with two or more of these at once:

• An owner joined, left or was bought out
• Returns missing for a year or more, or filed on a form that doesn't fit the business
• An IRS or New Jersey letter that is still open
• Sales into other states, directly or through a marketplace. Other-state sales-tax registration and filing are outside this service; describe the records issue in your inquiry.
• Books that are months behind or can't support a return
• A sale, purchase or loan waiting on clean books and filed returns

What you receive

1. What the business appears to have been required to file, for which years, and why. Each point is marked confirmed, likely or unknown, with the record that would settle it.
2. Where the records allow, a preliminary estimate of tax, penalties and interest, and what drives them. Agency balances and any penalty relief are confirmed later.
3. How special items are treated, such as relief funds, an ownership change or an entity mistake.
4. Where the books stand, and what it would take to make them ready for a return.
5. A recommended route to compliance, with a quote for the next phase.
6. When owners have changed: a schedule of ownership percentages, contributions, distributions and the tax items reported, for the owners and their attorney. It quotes the agreement where needed and does not interpret it.

What it costs

The diagnostic is a paid first step, credited toward the cleanup if you hire me for it.

What it does not include

Preparing late returns and rebuilding the books are quoted separately as the next phase. New Jersey sales-tax history may be quoted separately as part of the work. Other-state sales-tax registration and filing are outside this service. Payroll corrections, state voluntary disclosure and representation before a tax agency are considered case by case under a separate written engagement and may be referred to an independent specialist. Legal advice about an owners' agreement stays with your attorney.

Who the client is

The business is the client. When owners don't agree, the people named in the engagement letter receive the same findings at the same time. The Diagnostic is for your internal use. It is not an audit, review or compilation, and it does not include a lender, investor or due-diligence package. Any later work is separately scoped.

What a diagnostic summary looks like

The samples page shows a fictional diagnostic summary.

How the labels work: confirmed means a record shows it; likely means the records point that way but one is missing; unknown means the records needed have not arrived.

See the fictional diagnostic summary

How to start

To ask about one, use the contact form, choose “Several business problems at once (diagnostic)”, and say which of the signs above apply. The bookkeeping self-check has five optional tax-filing questions.

If someone is leaving, my when the bookkeeper leaves guide includes a map you can print for the handoff.