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Service
Restaurant Tax Planning & Prep
Know your April number by October — with the cash already set aside.
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The Approach
Tax confidence ahead of the bill — not after it.
Most restaurant owners meet their tax bill in April, when it’s too late to change it. We plan year-round: quarterly estimates, entity structure, tip credits, and depreciation strategy — so you know what April looks like by October, and the cash is already set aside.
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Who we help
Independent restaurant and bar operators who want the tax bill known before it arrives.
Single units cleaning up after a surprise notice, and growing groups whose preparer files on time but never calls with an idea. If your tax strategy is “wait and see what the accountant says in March,” you’re who we built this for.
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Process
How year-round planning actually works.
Filing the return is the last step — not the strategy.
STEP 1.
Baseline
We review your prior returns, entity structure, and payroll setup — and look for what was missed: unclaimed FICA tip credits, misclassified depreciation, a structure that’s quietly costing you self-employment tax.
STEP 2.
Plan
Quarterly estimates tied to actual performance, not last year’s guess. Depreciation strategy sequenced around your buildout. Sales and meals tax mapped to every jurisdiction you operate in.
STEP 3.
No Surprises
By October you know the year-end number, and the cash is set aside. Filing season becomes paperwork, not panic.
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Features
Explore every tax service
A closer look at what restaurant-specific tax work actually includes.
FICA Tip Credit
A federal credit for the employer’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes on reported tips. Many restaurants under-claim it or miss it entirely. We calculate it correctly, claim it every year, and review prior years for amounts left on the table.
Quarterly Estimates
Tied to actual performance and updated as the year moves. No more April sticker shock — and no more overpaying just to be safe.
Entity Structure Review
Sole proprietorship, partnership, S corp — the wrong structure quietly costs you every year. We review yours against how the business actually runs, and fix it if it’s costing you.
Sales, Meals & Alcohol Tax
DC, Maryland, and Virginia each treat food, beverage, and alcohol differently. We map every jurisdiction you operate in and file on time in each — and we keep up as you expand.
Depreciation & Buildout Strategy
FF&E, leasehold improvements, bonus depreciation, and Section 179 — sequenced around your buildout so the deductions land when they help most.
Tip Reporting Compliance
Annual tip reporting for large food and beverage establishments, tip allocation, and the new federal tips-deduction rules — handled correctly, so your employees’ W-2s are right and you’re covered if anyone asks.
Year-Round Access
Tax questions don’t wait for filing season. Thinking about a second location, a partner buyout, or new equipment? Call before you sign. Planning beats cleanup, every time.
Coordinated with Your Books
A tax plan is only as good as the numbers under it. Because we keep the books and run payroll, your plan is built on reconciled actuals — not a shoebox handed over in February.
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What we fix
Every operator we work with has hit at least one of these. Most have hit several. They aren't eight different problems — they're the same problem, eight different moments.
Challenges we solve:
- A tax bill that shows up in April with no warning
- Quarterly estimates based on last year’s guess, not this year’s numbers
- A FICA tip credit you’re not sure anyone is claiming
- Sales, meals, and alcohol tax across more than one jurisdiction
- An entity structure nobody has reviewed since you opened
- A buildout finished before anyone planned the depreciation
- Tip reporting you hope is right
- A preparer who files your return but never calls with an idea
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FICA tip credit — and can you claim it for me?
The FICA tip credit is a federal income-tax credit for the employer’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes paid on employee tips above a wage floor frozen at $5.15 per hour. It’s claimed on Form 8846 — and many restaurants under-claim it or miss it entirely. We calculate it correctly, claim it, and can review prior-year returns for credits left on the table.
Does the new “no tax on tips” law change anything for my restaurant?
Mostly on the reporting side. The federal deduction for qualified tips — up to $25,000 per year for 2025 through 2028, with income limits — belongs to your employees, not the business. But it depends on tips being reported and classified correctly, and payroll taxes still apply, so your FICA tip credit is unaffected. We keep your tip reporting clean so your team gets the deduction and your credit stays intact.
Do you handle DC, Maryland, and Virginia filings?
Yes. Sales, meals, and alcohol taxes across DC, Maryland, and Virginia — including the different treatment of food versus beverage — plus the related state filings. If you operate or expand across state lines, we keep you compliant in each jurisdiction.
I just need my return filed. Is that you?
Probably not — and we’d rather tell you now. Our value is year-round planning built on clean books; the return is the output, not the service. If you want a once-a-year filing at the lowest possible price, a volume preparer will serve you better.
Keep exploring:
Know your April number by October.
Book a 20-minute fit call. We’ll tell you — honestly — whether there’s money being left on the table.
