CPA · IRS Enrolled Agent · Certifying Acceptance Agent · Hillsborough, NJ
When your return stopped being simple
Tax preparation, planning and IRS representation for small business owners, multi-state filers, and families with income or accounts outside the United States.
A CPA and a federally licensed Enrolled Agent — qualified to prepare your return, and to stand in your place before the IRS if anything about it is ever questioned.
Start here
Any of this sound familiar?
- You started a business and nobody told you about quarterly payments until the penalty arrived.
- You have income in two states, or three, and no idea which one taxes what.
- There is an account overseas, or a property, or an inheritance — and you are not sure whether it needed reporting.
- You need an ITIN for a spouse or a child, and the instructions say to mail your passport to Texas.
- A letter came from the IRS and it has a deadline on it.
- Your return was filed correctly, but nobody has ever told you what to do differently next year.
Every one of these is routine work here. None of them is a reason to be embarrassed.
Who we work with
Three kinds of client, one standard of work
Returns, planning and notices
W-2 households, retirees managing distributions, investors with capital gains, first-time filers, and anyone holding a letter from the IRS they would rather not open alone.
See what we handleS corps, LLCs and the books behind them
Entity selection, reasonable compensation, quarterly estimates, payroll and books — decided during the year, while you can still act on the answer.
See what we handleITINs, foreign income and expats
US and India tax under one roof. Foreign income, FBAR and Form 8938, nonresident and dual-status returns, and ITIN applications handled in the office.
US tax complianceThe credentials
Two licences, and why holding both matters
Most tax practices hold one professional credential. This one holds two, and they do genuinely different jobs.
CPA — Certified Public Accountant. A state-licensed accounting credential. It covers financial reporting, business advisory and the books behind the return, not only the return itself.
EA — Enrolled Agent. The highest credential the IRS issues. The name explains itself: enrolled means licensed by the federal government rather than by a state, and agent means authorised to appear in your place before the IRS.
The Enrolled Agent licence is earned by passing a three-part examination covering individual tax, business tax, and representation and ethics — then by completing continuing education in taxation every year to keep it.
One credential is about the numbers. The other is about the return, and about who speaks for you if the IRS asks a question.
Representation
If your return is questioned, audited, or sent to collections, we deal with the IRS directly on your behalf. Both credentials carry unlimited representation rights, and you never have to find a second professional or make the call yourself.
Reach
A state licence stops at the state line. A federal one does not. That is why we can take a client who moved from New Jersey to Texas mid-year, or one who lives in Bangalore and files in the United States, without handing them to somebody else.
And across two countries
Surya also holds the Indian Chartered Accountant qualification, which is why US and India tax questions get answered in the same conversation rather than referred out to a second firm.
Certifying Acceptance Agent
Keep your passport. Get your ITIN.
The standard route to an ITIN means putting your original passport in the post to the IRS in Austin, then waiting weeks — sometimes months — to get it back. For most people that is the worst part of the process, and for some it is the reason they never start.
As an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, we verify your original documents in the office, attach a Certificate of Accuracy to your Form W-7, and submit the application on your behalf. You walk out with your passport in your hand.
It also cuts the rejections. A large share of ITIN applications fail on documentation, and each failure restarts the clock.
Ask about an ITINFree tools
Run your own numbers first
Every calculator here is the same one we use in the office. They are free, they need no signup, and nothing you type is sent to us or stored anywhere — the maths runs in your browser and stays there.
Estimated Tax Calculator
Both safe harbor tests and a four-quarter installment schedule for 2026.
Income & Tax Projection
A full 1040 projection — self-employment tax, QBI, capital gains layering, NIIT.
S Corp Compensation Optimizer
Five salary levels compared on net after-tax cash, with a reasonable-comp floor.
Self-Employed 401(k) Maximizer
What you can actually put away this year, employee and employer side.
How it works
Three steps, no surprises
A conversation, at no charge
Tell us what you are dealing with. We will tell you what it involves, roughly what it costs, and whether it is something we should be doing at all. If it isn’t, we will say so.
An engagement letter
Scope, fee and responsibilities in writing before any work starts. You know what is included and what is not. No surprises on the invoice.
The work, then the plan
We prepare and file. Then we tell you what to do differently next year, while there is still a year left to do it in.
Honestly
We are probably not the right fit if…
- You want the cheapest possible return and nothing else. There are storefronts that will beat us on price, and for a single W-2 with a standard deduction they are a reasonable choice.
- You want someone to file something you know is not right. An Enrolled Agent licence comes with obligations, and we would rather lose the engagement.
- You want to talk once in April and not again. Most of what we are useful for happens in the other eleven months.
If you read that and thought “that’s fine” — we should talk.
About the practice
Surya Padhi, CPA, EA
Sure Financial and Tax Services LLC has worked with individuals and small businesses from Hillsborough, New Jersey since 2021. Surya is a Certified Public Accountant, an IRS Enrolled Agent and an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, and holds the Indian Chartered Accountant qualification — which is why cross-border work between the two countries is handled here rather than referred out.
The practice covers tax preparation and planning, IRS representation, multi-state and cross-border compliance, ITIN applications, bookkeeping, payroll, business formation and corporate compliance.
It is a small practice on purpose. You deal with the person who prepared your return, not with whoever is free.
Credentials
Licensed, not just experienced
- Certified Public AccountantState-licensed; accounting, advisory and attest work
- Enrolled AgentFederally licensed; unlimited IRS representation rights
- Certifying Acceptance AgentAuthorized to certify ITIN documents in office
- Chartered AccountantIndian qualification — cross-border work
- e-File ProviderIRS Authorized Electronic Return Originator
- MembershipsNATP and NAEA
Common questions
Questions people actually ask
What is the difference between a CPA and an Enrolled Agent?
A CPA is licensed by a state and trained broadly across accounting — financial reporting, business advisory and tax. An Enrolled Agent is licensed federally, works only in tax, and can represent taxpayers before the IRS in any state. Both carry unlimited representation rights; they come at the work from different directions. Surya holds both, along with the Indian Chartered Accountant qualification, which is why accounting questions, tax questions and cross-border questions can all be answered in one conversation instead of across three firms.
What do you charge?
It depends on the return, and we will tell you before any work starts — the fee is in the engagement letter, not on the invoice as a surprise. The first conversation costs nothing.
Can you help if I have not filed for several years?
Yes, and it is more common than you think. Back years are a normal engagement, and there are IRS procedures — including streamlined filing for people with unreported foreign accounts — designed for exactly this. The sooner it starts, the fewer years of interest accrue.
Do I have to come to the office?
Only for an ITIN, where your original documents have to be seen in person. Everything else can be handled remotely, and the federal licence means we can work with you in any state.
I got a letter from the IRS. What now?
Read the deadline on it, then call. Most notices are routine and many are simply wrong, but nearly all of them have a response window, and the options narrow once it closes.
Get started
Let’s look at your situation
A return, a notice, an ITIN, or a business decision you would rather not make blind. The first conversation is free and you will get a straight answer about whether we can help.
908-955-0696 · contact@suryapadhiea.com · Hillsborough, New Jersey
Information on this site is general tax education and does not constitute individualized tax, legal or financial advice. Tax law changes and every situation differs — please consult a qualified professional about your own facts.
Sure Financial & Tax Services · Client feedback
What clients say
Surya was extremely helpful in setting up my company and guiding me through all the necessary paperwork and official approval s. The entire process was quite quick and smooth. He also made 2025 tax filing and payment process straightforward and strss-free. I would highly recommend Surya to anyone looking for a reliable a nd knowledgeable tax and business services