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Accounting Services

Written by Jason Watson, CPA Senior Partner, WCG CPAs & Advisors | Author of Taxpayer’s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps | 20+ years advising business owners on entity selection, tax strategy, and structure optimization. Last updated: May 2026

Welcome to our Accounting Services hub — your one-stop resource for bookkeeping, financial analysis, rental property accounting, and payroll. Sure, anyone can buy a QuickBooks subscription and feel like a CPA for about 45 minutes. But accounting is a profession, not a hobby, and it extends far beyond checking off boxes in a bank feed. We often hear: “What do you mean my books are a mess? All my accounts are reconciled!” And we just smile. Because reconciling isn’t accounting. At WCG, we define accounting as Bookkeeping + Analysis. The bookkeeping ensures your data is clean, defensible, and tax-ready. The analysis tells you what all those numbers actually mean — and more importantly, what you should do about them. The goal here isn’t to overwhelm you with options. It’s to help you find the right level of accounting support so you can stop wrestling with QuickBooks on a Sunday afternoon and get back to doing what you’re actually good at.

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Who Is This Page For?

This page is for small business owners, self-employed professionals, and real estate investors who need accounting support — whether that’s full-service bookkeeping, rental property tracking, financial reporting, or payroll. Specifically:

  • You’re tired of DIY bookkeeping and want someone who actually knows what they’re doing to take over
  • You’re a rental property investor with a handful (or a gaggle) of properties and need clean books for tax time
  • You need payroll set up correctly and don’t want to become a payroll specialist in the process
  • You want financial statements that tell a story — not just numbers that make your eyes glaze over
  • You’re growing and need reporting, analysis, and cash flow insights to make smart decisions
  • You’ve been doing your own books and are wondering if it’s costing you more in missed deductions than you realize

If any of that resonates, you’re in the right place. Browse by topic below, or jump directly to the section that matches where you’re at.

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WCG CPAs accounting services — bookkeeping, analysis, rental property accounting, and payroll

Bookkeeping + Analysis: The WCG Difference

The best reason to use a small business accountant isn’t just “compliance” — it’s opportunity cost. Your time is best spent in your zone of genius; let us handle ours. We see over 6,000 financial statements a year. We know what looks good, what is actually good, and what is one hot mess. Phantom income from mismanaged invoices. Negative balance sheet accounts from botched payroll entries. Missed tax deductions due to improper coding. Commingled personal expenses mixed in with business (you would never!). The list goes on and on, like a Journey song.

WCG is more than just a data-entry service. Our approach is designed to contextualize performance so you understand how your business is trending, benchmark success so you see how you stack up against competitors, and enable precision to drive accurate tax planning and minimize your tax burden. Banks, lenders, and the IRS trust financials prepared by professional accountants — they review records daily and can spot inconsistencies from a mile away. Having a CPA involved from the start provides a “seal of approval” that DIY software simply can’t offer.

Our Coordinated Approach

Accounting decisions don’t exist in isolation. Your bookkeeping feeds your tax return. Your financial statements inform tax planning. Your payroll impacts your reasonable salary and retirement contributions. And your rental property accounting determines whether that $5,000 invoice gets buried in a 27.5-year depreciation schedule or claimed as a current-year repair. When one piece is off, problems tend to follow — if not immediately, then eventually.

That’s why we don’t treat these as separate decisions. We take a coordinated approach that aligns bookkeeping, reporting, payroll, and tax strategy into one unified system. The goal is clean data, actionable insights, and a tax consequence that’s as low as legally possible. We look at the full picture — business type, transaction volume, rental portfolio size, industry nuances, and your tolerance for involvement — before recommending any service level.

Business Bookkeeping

Reclaim your Sunday. Would you rather be closing your next sale, BBQing with friends, or getting sucked into a QuickBooks rabbit hole on a Sunday afternoon? Anyone? Focus on growing your business. We’ll focus on analyzing the data, handling the operational reporting, and ensuring your tax consequence is as low as legally possible. Our accounting department is led by Karlee Tiesler, EA, Director of Accounting Services, and supported by experienced Managers Michelle Ihlefeldt, EA, and Mitchell Wade. To maintain a small-firm feel with large-firm resources, our team is structured into agile “Pods” — so your dedicated professionals stay in constant communication with your tax preparer.

Small Business Accounting Overview

A comprehensive look at WCG’s accounting services including our fee model, cadence options, what’s included, and how our team is structured. Covers everything from monthly reconciliation to financial statement delivery by the 25th of the following month, one-on-one reviews, and Reach Reporting visual analysis.

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CPA Concierge Services

Want to skip the line? Our CPA Concierge add-on gives you enhanced access — your emails returned first, your calls answered even if the office is on fire, and fast-tracked tax return preparation when life demands it. Starting at $960 per year as an add-on to Business Advisory and Tax Patrol agreements.

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Small Business Bookkeeping (Fractional Controller)

WCG’s Fractional Controller model partners with Bench for back-office bookkeeping while WCG handles interfacing, monitoring, and financial statement delivery. A one-throat-to-choke approach — your first and only call is to us. Pricing varies by monthly spend with discounts for Telluride and Aspen advisory plans.

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Small Business Accounting Methods

Cash basis versus accrual — most small business owners are cash-based, and recent IRS code changes have expanded eligibility. If you need accrual-based accounting for investors, franchisors, or a better near-term tax position, we’ll walk through the trade-offs and set things up correctly.

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Online Tax Accountant

WCG has been offering remote tax preparation since 2007 — long before it was trendy. Whether you’re in Colorado or Connecticut, our cloud-based approach means your accounting, tax prep, and advisory services work seamlessly from anywhere.

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Accounting Method (Knowledge Base)

A deeper dive into the mechanics of cash versus accrual accounting, hybrid methods, and how the IRS code determines which method your business can (or must) use. Includes recent changes expanding cash-basis eligibility for more taxpayers.

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Why Should I Keep Tax Records?

The IRS doesn’t just want your numbers — they want your proof. This resource covers retention requirements, what to keep, how long to keep it, and why proper record-keeping protects you in an audit. Boring? Sure. Important? Absolutely.

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Rental Property Bookkeeping

Where defensive bookkeeping pays for itself. WCG specializes in real estate investors, and rental properties are a business like any other. The proper tracking of revenue and — more importantly — the associated expenses are essential. The bookends to the varying service levels are your common single-family rental (SFR) home on one end and a large commercial property with several tenants on the other. That’s the X axis. The Y axis becomes tax return complexity based on number of owners, number of activities, or both.

Most real estate property owners with 1–5 rentals opt for annual compliance bookkeeping at $1,200 annually. Once you hit 6 or more properties, quad-monthly or bi-monthly accounting handles the volume. And for short-term rentals — especially in that first year of furniture purchases, linens, repairs, and platform fees — formalized accounting isn’t optional. It’s a non-negotiable.

The real magic is in how we classify expenditures. A standard bookkeeper sees a $5,000 invoice and guesses between “Expense” or “Asset” based on a hunch. That’s a coin flip you can’t afford. We leverage the Unit of Property framework and the BRA test (Betterment, Restoration, or Adaptation) to maximize current-year deductions and avoid capitalizing otherwise deductible expenditures. Laid it on pretty thick there, huh?!

Real Estate CPAs

WCG’s dedicated real estate team understands the unique tax and accounting challenges facing property investors — from material participation requirements to passive activity rules, cost segregation strategies, and multi-entity structuring for rental portfolios.

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Rental Expert Pod

Our Pod structure means your rental property accounting is handled by specialists who talk to your tax preparer daily. The Rental Expert Pod is purpose-built for investors who need coordinated bookkeeping, tax planning, and compliance support across their entire portfolio.

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Rental Property Accounting

A detailed walkthrough of how WCG handles rental property accounting — from classed transactions and expense allocations to improvements vs. repairs, commercial property nuances, and partnership accounting on Form 1065. Covers QBO, Xero, and REIHub options.

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Service Level Comparison at a Glance

Here’s a side-by-side view of how our accounting cadences compare. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer — each option has trade-offs that depend on your business type, transaction volume, and how much you rely on financial statements for decision-making. But it gives you a solid starting point.

Feature Monthly Bi-Monthly Quad-Monthly Annual Accounting Annual Compliance
Starting Fee $525/month $280/month $190/month $1,800/year $1,200/year
Deliverable Frequency 12x/year 6x/year 3x/year 1x/year 1x/year
Full Financial Statements ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No (Excel pivot tables)
Bank Reconciliation Monthly Every 2 months Every 4 months Annual (starts April) ❌ Not guaranteed
Reach Reporting Visuals ✅ Included ✅ Included ✅ Included ✅ Included ❌ Not included
Tax Planning Readiness Excellent — data always current Strong — frequent enough for mid-year planning Moderate — May/June data available for tax planning season Limited — data available late in year Minimal — designed for tax return prep only
One-on-One Analysis Reviews ✅ Monthly ✅ Every 2 months ✅ 3x/year ✅ Annual ❌ Not included
Cash Flow Visibility Real-time Near real-time Periodic Retrospective Retrospective
Best For Businesses relying on financial data for operational decisions, high transaction volume Value-conscious owners who want regular data without monthly noise Small businesses not relying on financials for daily decisions Owners who want full accounting but can wait until spring DIY owners who just need clean data for tax prep
Platform QBO, Xero, or REIHub QBO, Xero, or REIHub QBO, Xero, or REIHub QBO or Xero Excel (no accounting platform)

All starting points assume two bank accounts (such as one checking and one credit card) and fewer than 250 transactions and 10 manual checks per month. Do we really count each transaction? No, but we have to start somewhere.

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Reporting & Analysis

Numbers without context are just noise. Anyone can crunch numbers. But we crunch numbers and tell you what they mean, plus offer business consultation and coaching to create a successful future. WCG leverages Reach Reporting to integrate seamlessly with QuickBooks Online and Xero, providing real-time financial reporting with powerful dashboards and enhanced visuals. Backed by SOC 2 Type I and Type II certifications, Reach Reporting connects your profit & loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statement to create a comprehensive view of your financials with automated cash flow forecasting.

Our analysis includes common-size (vertical) analysis where categories are compared to revenue, year-over-year or period-over-period (horizontal) analysis where categories are compared to themselves over time, and a review of the data for tax savings and operational opportunities. There are two questions we want to answer: What does a financial statement mean to you? And how can you use it to get more out of your business?

Cash Flow Management

When does a business need cash flow management? During high-growth phases, seasonal swings, or when lenders require formal projections. WCG’s cash flow management services include feasibility assessments, 3–5 year projections, stress testing, and working capital analysis. Typically included in the Aspen Business Advisory plan.

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Restaurant & Industry-Specific Accounting

Restaurants face unique accounting challenges — cost of goods sold tracking, tip reporting, high cash volume, and tight margins. WCG’s industry-focused accounting helps restaurant owners factor the impact of COGS, labor, and rent on profits, with statistical comparisons and trend analysis using Fathom and First Research.

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Section 199A Reporting on K-1

The qualified business income deduction (Section 199A) adds reporting requirements to K-1 statements. Proper accounting ensures the additional information flows correctly and you don’t leave money on the table — or trigger unwanted IRS attention.

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Payroll Quick Launch

Ugh! Every business owner hates payroll. Hates running it. Hates paying to run it. Yet, here we are. WCG partners with ADP to make payroll as painless as possible. We set it up correctly, build a payroll plan tied to your tax strategy, train you, and then you run payroll inside ADP — where ADP does the heavy lifting. Our Payroll Quick Launch (PQL) prevents the messy stuff that happens when setup goes wrong: missing accounts, incorrect settings, local registrations skipped, or configuration mistakes that trigger agency notices later.

For a typical flat fee of $950, WCG will open your state and local payroll tax accounts, coordinate ADP setup, provide a 90-minute live screen-share tutorial, and give you 60 days of email support after launch. Most clients find that after the first one or two payroll runs, it becomes a simple monthly routine — especially with ADP’s mobile tools and recurring payroll options.

Nationwide Payroll Processing

The complete guide to WCG’s payroll model — setup, planning, and DIY processing with ADP. Covers the Payroll Quick Launch, payroll planning tied to tax strategy, family member payroll strategies, and why we shifted to this model (hint: so your WCG team focuses on saving you taxes, not processing paychecks).

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Payroll Plan Review

Payroll isn’t just payroll — it’s tax planning in disguise. We customize payroll plans based on entity type, income patterns, and your household tax picture. Includes reasonable salary calculations, withholding strategy, cadence guidance, and adjustments for lumpy or seasonal income. The Goldilocks zone, if you will.

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Adding Your Spouse to Payroll

Adding a spouse can expand household retirement contributions, improve deductibility of certain expenses, and qualify you for household credits. But it can also create unnecessary payroll taxes. This is a strategy decision, not a default move — and we only recommend it when the math works.

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Spouse on Payroll (Knowledge Base)

The detailed mechanics of adding your spouse to payroll — what it means for Social Security, unemployment taxes, retirement plan eligibility, and how to document it properly. Coordinated with reasonable salary planning and entity structure.

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Additional Payroll Taxes

Beyond the standard federal withholding and FICA, certain states and localities pile on additional payroll taxes — from state unemployment to local transit taxes. Understanding these ahead of time prevents surprises and keeps your payroll plan accurate.

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Which Accounting Cadence Is Right for You?

Use this as a starting point — not a final answer. Every situation has nuances, but this framework covers the most common decision paths we see with our clients.

What best describes your business?

  • Solo consultant or freelancer, under 100 transactions/month Annual compliance bookkeeping ($1,200/year) likely covers your needs. Your business is relatively simple, you don’t rely on financial statements for daily decisions, and you mainly need clean data for tax return preparation. If you already have QBO, consider the full annual accounting option ($1,800/year) for proper financial statements.
    Request an Accounting Assessment →
  • Established small business, 100–250 transactions/month The bi-monthly cadence ($280/month) is a sweet spot for many of our clients. You get data frequently enough for the “where am I spending my money” question and mid-year tax planning, without the noise of monthly deliverables. Frankly, going from 12 deliverables to 6 allows you to focus more on the impact of each set of financial statements.
    Learn about our accounting services →
  • Growing business with employees and operational complexity Monthly accounting ($525/month) gives you real-time visibility, cash flow monitoring, and financial statements that are always tax-planning-ready. If you’re making hiring decisions, evaluating expansion, or managing seasonal swings, you need current data — not data from four months ago.
    Schedule a Consultation →
  • Rental property investor with 1–5 properties Annual compliance bookkeeping ($1,200/year) works for most investors at this level. We download bank data, categorize transactions, and build tax-ready reports. If you already have QBO or Xero, full annual accounting is also an option. For short-term rentals leveraging the STR loophole, consider quarterly or bi-monthly cadences for defensive documentation.
    Learn about rental property accounting →
  • Real estate investor with 6+ properties or commercial holdings Quad-monthly accounting at minimum, bi-monthly preferred. The volume of transactions demands regular attention, and proper classification of improvements vs. repairs requires timely review. Commercial properties with NNN leases, multiple tenants, or partnership returns need formalized accounting with full financial statement packages.
    Explore real estate CPA services →
  • DIY owner who just needs help getting started Our QuickStart program ($750) sets up your QBO, links bank accounts, configures your chart of accounts, and provides a 90-minute training session plus three follow-up support sessions. You handle bookkeeping yourself — we make sure you don’t start with a mess that compounds over time.
    Learn about QuickStart →

How This All Works Together

Each of these pieces feeds into the others. Your bookkeeping accuracy impacts your tax return. Your financial statements fuel tax planning. Your payroll plan determines your reasonable salary. And your rental property accounting dictates whether a $12,000 HVAC replacement is depreciated over 27.5 years or claimed as a current-year repair. We digress.

Here’s a real-world example of how this plays out:

Sarah runs a marketing consultancy earning $180,000 in net income and owns three rental properties. She comes to WCG overwhelmed — her QuickBooks is a mess, she’s behind on reconciliations, and her rental property expenses are tracked in a spreadsheet that would make an accountant weep.

Step 1: Bookkeeping cleanup.

We migrate Sarah’s business to QBO, reconcile her accounts, fix misclassified transactions, and set her up on bi-monthly accounting at $280/month. Her three rentals go on annual compliance bookkeeping at $1,200/year.

Step 2: Payroll Quick Launch.

Sarah’s S Corp needs payroll. We open her state accounts, configure ADP, set a reasonable salary of $75,000, and train her to run payroll in under 10 minutes per month. Total PQL fee: $950.

Step 3: Rental property strategy.

During her first rental property review, we reclassify $8,500 in “improvements” as current-year repairs using the BRA test and de minimis safe harbor. That’s $8,500 in additional deductions this year instead of spread over 27.5 years — saving her roughly $2,800 in taxes immediately.

Step 4: Tax planning integration.

With clean books, proper payroll, and defensible rental accounting, her mid-year tax plan is precise. No guessing. No surprises. Her total tax savings from switching to professional accounting? Approximately $14,000 annually — far more than the cost of all services combined.

None of these are standalone decisions. They’re all connected. And having an advisor who sees the full picture means each decision builds on the last one instead of creating a new problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

These resources go deeper on topics that connect directly to your accounting decisions:

What’s the difference between bookkeeping and accounting?

Bookkeeping is recording and categorizing transactions — bank feeds, reconciliations, and data entry. Accounting adds analysis, financial statement review, tax planning readiness, and strategic interpretation. At WCG, we define accounting as Bookkeeping + Analysis. A bookkeeper tells you where the money went. We tell you what that means, how it compares to your peers, and what you should do differently. The analysis component is where the real value lives — it’s the difference between data and decisions.
Learn more about our accounting approach →

Do I need monthly bookkeeping for my rental properties?

For most investors with 1–5 single-family rentals, annual compliance bookkeeping at $1,200/year covers the basics. You don’t need QuickBooks for a handful of straightforward rentals — that’s killing a housefly with a sledgehammer. However, once you scale to 6+ properties or start leveraging the short-term rental loophole, more frequent accounting becomes important. Short-term rentals generate high transaction volumes and need defensive documentation for material participation claims. We’ll help you find the right cadence.
Explore rental property accounting →

Can I keep doing my own books and just have WCG do my taxes?

Absolutely — and many of our clients do exactly that. If you enjoy bookkeeping (or at least tolerate it), our QuickStart program ($750) sets up your QBO correctly and trains you on the basics. That said, one of our concerns with financial records not prepared by a CPA firm is that you might not be getting all the tax deductions you’re entitled to. We see missed deductions, phantom income, and commingled expenses regularly. The cost of professional accounting often pays for itself in tax savings alone.
Learn about QuickStart →

What accounting software do you support?

We exclusively support QuickBooks Online, Xero, and REIHub. All are cloud-based with real-time visibility from any device. For rental property investors, Xero is often the more economical choice — especially when you need Classes to segregate properties without paying for a premium QBO subscription. REIHub is purpose-built for rental investors and integrates nicely with our workflow. WCG maintains 100% custody of the financial data for integrity, with clients having full read-only access. In other words, please don’t help. In some cases, we’d rather pay you to just watch.
See our accounting services page →

How does WCG handle improvements vs. repairs for rental properties?

This is where professional accounting earns its keep. Under IRS regulations, we don’t just look at “the house” — we look at all nine critical building systems separately: structure, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, elevators, escalators, fire protection, gas distribution, and security. By identifying these systems individually, we often classify major expenses as current-year repairs using the BRA test (Betterment, Restoration, or Adaptation). We also leverage de minimis, small taxpayer, and routine maintenance safe harbors. A standard bookkeeper sees a $5,000 invoice and guesses. We apply a framework that’s built to defend every deduction.
Learn about rental property deductions →

What is the QuickStart program?

QuickStart ($750) is designed for DIY business owners who want professional help getting started with QBO. It includes account setup, chart of accounts configuration, bank account linking, a 90-minute training session covering invoicing, payments, bank feed coding, reconciliation, and adjusting journal entries, plus three scheduled follow-up support sessions. It does not include payroll setup. This has been super popular with new business owners who want to handle their own books but don’t want to start with bad habits that compound over time.
Learn more →

Let's Chat

If you’re trying to figure out which accounting service level makes sense — whether that’s taking bookkeeping off your plate entirely, setting up rental property tracking, launching payroll, or just getting your QBO configured correctly — let’s talk it through. We typically start with an Accounting Assessment to understand your current setup and tailor a scope of work that actually fits.

The tax advisors, business consultants and rental property experts at WCG CPAs & Advisors are not salespeople; we are not putting lipstick on a pig expecting you to love it. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide within our ethical guidelines and your risk profiles.

We see far too many crazy schemes and half-baked ideas from attorneys and wealth managers. In some cases, they are good ideas. In most cases, all the entities, layering and mixed ownership is only the illusion of precision. As Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn’t make it a good idea. In other words, let’s not automatically convert “you can” into “you must.”

Let’s chat so you can be smart about it.

We typically schedule a 20-minute complimentary quick chat with one of our Partners or our amazing Senior Tax Professionals to determine if we are a good fit for each other, and how an engagement with our team looks. Tax returns only? Business advisory? Tax strategy and planning? Rental property support?

The tax advisors, business consultants and rental property experts at WCG CPAs & Advisors are not salespeople; we are not putting lipstick on a pig expecting you to love it. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide within our ethical guidelines and your risk profiles.

We see far too many crazy schemes and half-baked ideas from attorneys and wealth managers. In some cases, they are good ideas. In most cases, all the entities, layering and mixed ownership is only the illusion of precision. As Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn’t make it a good idea. In other words, let’s not automatically convert “you can” into “you must.”

Let’s chat so you can be smart about it.

We typically schedule a 20-minute complimentary quick chat with one of our Partners or our amazing Senior Tax Professionals to determine if we are a good fit for each other, and how an engagement with our team looks. Tax returns only? Business advisory? Tax strategy and planning? Rental property support?

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Call Our Team

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After almost 6 years with this CPA group, there is NO ONE else we would trust to do our taxes.

L. Matisek

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We've worked with multiple bookkeepers and accountants over the years and WCG has completely blown us away.

N. Sellden

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As a novice business entrepreneur they provided me with the tools to both structure and tax my business efficiently

Mayon Hight

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They've made my taxes a breeze and are worth every dime I pay them for the peace of mind their services provide.

Lynn Shannon

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The good folks at WCG have impressed me, as being highly competent, patient & friendly.

Fred LeBlanc

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They've made my complicated business life simple and I'd recommend them to anyone with a slightly complicated-to-overwhelmingly complicated tax strategy!

Nic J

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For nearly nine years, I have had the privilege of working with WCG and their team of exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced CPAs.

Alex Hickman

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Amanda - WCG CPA - You guys have been invaluable in helping us get this business and tax planning setup properly and executed correctly.

Lance Dodd

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WCG is extremely knowledgable, timely and attune to the unique aspects of our businesses.

Carl Protsch

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WCG CPAs are professional and a pleasure to work with.

Nakapan P.

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They go beyond the call of duties to assist me not only with Tax return matters but with any questions on other personal and company tax matters.

Juan Mayorga

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I've always dreaded tax season, but WCG has made things so easy, even as we changed to an S corp. So happy we found them!

Paige de Kock

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It was great to find an accounting firm eager to take on new clients, answer initial questions in depth, and support our “keep it simple” philosophy.

Stuart B.

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Working with WCG was so easy, shout out to Sally Rhoades who handled my complicated tax situation this year wonderfully and was available for all my questions.

Stefani Cinto

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I am so thankful to be a client of WCG CPAs & Advisors.

Carol Kersten

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It's a wonderful and rare treat to find a company like WCG these days with their high level of service, personal approach, and deep knowledge of accounting.

Jeffree Hilton

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Such a great firm. Great communicators, great attention to detail and overall great people.

Jeff Owens

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