Office Access Restrictions
To help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and to protect the health of our employees and clients, we have further limited our office access. We will be closed this weekend and starting Monday, March 23, we are requesting that you not come to the office unless it is necessary. We will still be available for drop-off and pick-up but under the following conditions:
- The office will be open, with only a skeleton staff, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- We would like you to drop off all documents through the mail slot to the right of our front door rather than entering the office.
- If your documents do not fit through the mail slot call the office or knock so that you can quickly hand off your documents.
- If you must pick up documents, please call the office in advance so that we can have your documents ready when you arrive. Upon arrival, please wait outside the door and we will bring you your documents. If you will need to sign a document and immediately return it to us, please bring your own pen.
- To limit our staff’s exposure, if you need assistance with your documents, we ask that you call or email with your questions.
Extension of April 15th Deadlines
The U.S. Treasury Secretary has announced that the Federal April 15th deadline for both payments and filing has been extended until July 15th. This means that your individual tax returns and your 1st quarter 2020 estimated payments can be delayed for 3 months without penalties or interest. While North Carolina has not yet announced any changes to the state tax filing deadline, we are expecting that they will do so, and we will provide more information about NC deadline details when they are available. Several other states have already extended their tax deadlines.
Please note that the extension above applies to income tax payments only (individual or corporate); it currently does not apply to payroll taxes, excise taxes etc.
We are grateful for your patience
These are trying and unprecedented times for all of us. We would like you to know that we will continue to work diligently to prepare your tax returns and complete other projects. Like most businesses, the pandemic has already caused major disruptions to our workflow as schools have canceled classes, and employees have had to care for elderly parents and deal with moving college students back home. We are also dealing with the inefficiencies caused by working from home along with overburdened internet connections.
We anticipate further disruptions as we help our small business clients make hard decisions regarding cash flow and staffing. Additional work will also be required as we help clients navigate through the pending tax credit and stimulus packages. This means that it will take longer than usual for us to prepare your returns. Many returns that are typically done before April 15th will most likely have to be filed during the April 15th – July 15th extension window. We request your patience as we work as quickly as we can. Your returns will be filed as soon as possible; we will not be waiting until July to work on them. If you have a major issue with any delay of your tax return preparation, please contact the partner in charge of your account and they will respond as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding during this time. We value you as clients and encourage you to stay safe and healthy. Please feel free to contact us with your questions and concerns.
