Surya Padhi, CPA, EA · Certifying Acceptance Agent · Hillsborough, NJ
Tax work that goes beyond the return
From filing to facing the IRS — preparation, planning, representation, cross-border compliance and the books behind them. Every engagement priced as a flat fee, quoted before any work begins.
Flat fees, agreed in writing. Every engagement is quoted upfront in a free consultation and confirmed in an engagement letter before work starts. No hourly meter, no surprise line on the invoice, and no charge for the first conversation.
Tax preparation & filing
Accurate returns. Every deduction you are entitled to. Filed on time.
Individual Tax Returns (Form 1040)
Federal and state returns for W-2 households, retirees, investors and the self-employed. Prepared, reviewed and e-filed by the person you spoke to.
Who it is forEmployees, retirees taking distributions, investors with capital gains, first-time filers, anyone moving on from DIY software.
IncludesAll schedules, Schedule A/B/C/D/E, Form 8949 and basis reconciliation, estimated tax planning for the following year
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Business Returns (1120-S, 1065, 1120)
S corporation, partnership and C corporation returns, with the K-1s that follow and the owner’s personal return coordinated to match.
Who it is forLLCs taxed as S corps, multi-member partnerships, single-owner corporations.
IncludesAll K-1s, depreciation schedules, basis tracking, reasonable-compensation review, owner 1040 coordination
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Self-Employed and Schedule C
Returns for freelancers, contractors and sole proprietors, including the home office, mileage and equipment decisions that get made wrong most often.
Who it is forConsultants, gig workers, 1099 contractors, single-member LLCs.
IncludesSchedule C, Schedule SE, home office and mileage substantiation, Section 179 and depreciation, quarterly estimate schedule
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Multi-State Returns
Returns for people who lived, worked or owned property in more than one state during the year — including part-year and nonresident filings, and the credits that stop the same income being taxed twice.
Who it is forAnyone who moved mid-year, works across state lines, or owns rental property out of state.
IncludesPart-year and nonresident returns, residency determination, credit for taxes paid to other states, apportionment where required
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Amended Returns and Back Years (Form 1040-X)
Returns for years that were never filed, and corrections to years that were. Filing late is a common situation with a standard remedy, and the sooner it starts the less interest accrues.
Who it is forAnyone behind on filings, or who has found an error on a prior return.
IncludesTranscript retrieval and analysis, prior-year preparation, Form 1040-X, penalty abatement request where grounds exist
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
IRS representation
We speak to the IRS, so you do not have to.
IRS Notices and CP Letters
Most notices are routine and a fair number are simply wrong — but nearly all carry a response deadline, and the options narrow once it passes. Bring the letter in and we will tell you what it means before anything is agreed.
Who it is forAnyone holding a CP2000, CP14, CP04 or any other IRS or state notice.
IncludesNotice analysis, transcript review, written response and supporting documentation, follow-through until it is closed
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Audit Representation
Correspondence, office and field audits handled on your behalf. As an Enrolled Agent we hold unlimited rights to represent you before the IRS, so you do not have to attend or make the calls yourself.
Who it is forAnyone under examination, or who has received an initial contact letter.
IncludesForm 2848 power of attorney, document assembly, all correspondence and meetings, appeal if the outcome warrants one
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Payment Plans and Collections
Owing more than you can pay is a solvable problem with several routes, and the cheapest one is not always the obvious one. We work out which applies before anything is filed.
Who it is forAnyone facing a balance due, a lien, a levy or wage garnishment.
IncludesInstallment agreement, currently-not-collectible, or offer in compromise as the facts support; Form 433 preparation; collection hold where available
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Penalty Abatement
Failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties can often be removed — either under first-time abatement or on reasonable cause. Interest generally cannot, which is why timing matters.
Who it is forAnyone assessed a penalty who has an otherwise clean compliance history, or a genuine reason for the lapse.
IncludesEligibility review, first-time abatement request or reasonable-cause statement, follow-up to assessment
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Cross-border & ITIN
US and India tax, under one roof.
ITIN Applications (Form W-7) — Certifying Acceptance Agent
As an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent we verify your original documents in the office and submit a certified application. Your passport never leaves your hand and never goes in the post to Austin.
Who it is forSpouses and dependents without a Social Security Number, nonresident owners of US entities, anyone whose ITIN has expired.
IncludesDocument verification in office, Certificate of Accuracy, Form W-7 preparation and submission, renewal applications
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Foreign Account Reporting (FBAR and Form 8938)
Two separate requirements with different thresholds, different forms and different agencies — and it is entirely possible to owe one and not the other. We work out which apply before anything is filed.
Who it is forAnyone with foreign bank accounts, foreign pensions, or an interest in a foreign entity.
IncludesThreshold analysis for both regimes, FinCEN Form 114, Form 8938, Form 5471 or 8621 where required
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Expat and Nonresident Returns
Returns for US citizens living abroad and for nonresidents with US income. The choice between the foreign earned income exclusion and the foreign tax credit is usually worth more than the return costs.
Who it is forAmericans living overseas, nonresident aliens with US income, dual-status filers in a year of arrival or departure.
IncludesForm 2555 or Form 1116 analysis, Form 1040-NR, treaty positions, dual-status returns, state residency determination
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Streamlined Filing Compliance
The IRS procedure for taxpayers who did not know about their foreign reporting obligations. It exists precisely for people in this position, and it closes off if the IRS contacts you first.
Who it is forAnyone with unreported foreign accounts or income whose failure to file was not willful.
IncludesNon-willfulness assessment, three years of amended returns, six years of FBARs, the required certification statement
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
India–US Coordination
Questions that touch both systems — NRE and NRO accounts, Indian property, provident fund, capital gains taxed in both countries — answered in one conversation rather than referred to a second firm.
Who it is forIndian nationals in the US, NRIs, anyone holding assets or income across both countries.
IncludesTreaty analysis, foreign tax credit coordination, Indian income characterisation for US purposes
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Business & advisory
Clean books. Clear picture. Decisions made in time to matter.
Bookkeeping
Monthly books kept current, so that tax planning is possible during the year rather than reconstructed in March. The difference between planning and archaeology.
Who it is forAny business owner whose books are behind, or kept by whoever has time.
IncludesMonthly reconciliation, categorisation, financial statements, year-end close and tax-ready file
Flat monthly fee, quoted at your free consultation
Payroll
Paychecks, deposits and quarterly filings run on schedule — which is how the notices never start in the first place.
Who it is forBusinesses with employees, and S corp owners who need to run their own reasonable compensation.
IncludesPayroll runs, federal and state deposits, Forms 941 and 940, W-2s and 1099-NECs at year end
Flat monthly fee, quoted at your free consultation
Company Formation and Compliance
Entity selection first, formation second. Which entity is right depends on your numbers, and the answer changes as they change.
Who it is forAnyone starting a business, or an existing LLC considering the S election.
IncludesEntity analysis, state formation filing, EIN, S election (Form 2553) with timing, annual report and registered agent coordination
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
Tax Planning
Work done between April and December, when the outcome can still be changed. Retirement contributions, entity structure, timing of income and deductions, estimated payments sized properly.
Who it is forBusiness owners, high earners, anyone whose income changed materially this year.
IncludesFull-year projection, scenario comparison, written action list with deadlines, quarterly estimate schedule
Flat-fee quote at your free consultation
CFO Services
The strategic financial partner most small businesses cannot justify hiring full-time — cash flow, pricing, and the numbers behind the decisions that are not tax decisions.
Who it is forGrowing businesses that have outgrown bookkeeping but are not ready for a finance hire.
IncludesMonthly or quarterly review, cash flow forecasting, KPI reporting, budget and scenario modelling
Flat monthly fee, quoted at your free consultation
Honestly
Work we turn down
- The cheapest possible return and nothing else. For a single W-2 with a standard deduction, a storefront or good software is a reasonable choice and will beat us on price.
- Anything you know is not right. A CPA licence and an Enrolled Agent licence both come with obligations, and we would rather lose the engagement than file it.
- A conversation in April and nothing else. Most of what we are useful for happens in the other eleven months, and a once-a-year engagement wastes what you are paying for.
- Audit and attest work for entities requiring an independent opinion — that is a different engagement type and we will point you to someone who does it.
If none of those describe you, the first conversation is free.
What happens next
Three steps, and you know the fee before step two
A conversation, at no charge
Tell us what you are dealing with. We will tell you what it involves, 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, flat fee and responsibilities in writing before any work starts. You know exactly what is included and what is not.
The work, then the plan
We prepare, review and file. Then we tell you what to do differently next year, while there is still a year left to do it in.
Common questions
The three questions everybody asks first
What does it cost?
It depends on the return, and you will know before any work starts. Every engagement is quoted as a flat fee in the free consultation and confirmed in an engagement letter — never an hourly meter, never a charge you did not agree to. If your situation is straightforward we will tell you that too, including when software would serve you better than we would.
Do I have to come to the office?
Only for an ITIN, where the IRS requires original documents to be seen in person. Everything else is handled remotely through a secure portal, and the federal Enrolled Agent licence means we can work with you in any state.
Can you help if I have not filed for several years?
Yes, and it is more common than you would think. Back years are a normal engagement — we pull transcripts to establish what the IRS already has, prepare the missing returns, and request penalty relief where there are grounds. The sooner it starts, the less interest accrues.
What is the difference between a CPA and an Enrolled Agent?
A CPA is licensed by a state and trained broadly across accounting. 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. You get both here, along with the Indian Chartered Accountant qualification — which is why an accounting question, a tax question and a cross-border question can be answered in one conversation.
I got a letter from the IRS. What should I do?
Do not ignore it — notices carry response deadlines and the options narrow as they pass. But do not panic either: many are routine and a fair number are simply wrong. Bring the letter to a free consultation and we will tell you what it means, what your options are, and whether representation is worth the cost.
Can you handle both my US and Indian tax questions?
Yes. Surya holds the Indian Chartered Accountant qualification alongside the US credentials, so questions about NRE and NRO accounts, Indian property, provident fund or income taxed in both countries are answered here rather than referred to a second firm.
Get started
Get your flat-fee quote
Fifteen minutes, no charge, and a straight answer about whether we are the right fit. Bring the notice, the prior return, or just the question.
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.