How Do I Start

How Do I Start?

Your US and individual state income taxes can be prepared through our offices near Lake Chapala no matter where you live!
I have clients in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Colima, Guanajuato, Mazatlan, San Miguel de Allende, San Luis Potosi, South Africa,
Kuala Lampur, China, Buenos Aires, and the United States, either from referrals or people moving away. Location is not an issue!

What I need from you:

A copy of your prior year’s return, if you filed one. This should contain your personal information such as names, Social Security numbers, address, etc. I will also need the date of birth for everyone listed on the return (yourself, spouse, dependents, etc), and phone numbers and email. If anything from the prior return has changed, such as your address, please let me know what address you want to use. If you are using a forwarding address in the US, some states (such as Texas, from Mail Boxes or Handy Mail) are much easier than others. If you are permanently living in Mexico, you don’t need to be paying state income taxes to your former state! If you have a forwarding address to a friend in California, for example, this can cause problems in the state wanting you to pay taxes there. We can discuss these issues. If you just moved to Mexico this year, please give me the date of your move.
All “official” paperwork received by you, such as W-2s, 1099s, from banks, pensions, IRA withdrawals, employers, etc. I don’t have to have the actual originals, but I do need a copy or fax of the originals. I would also prefer to have the official statement (has pink colored paper on it) from Social Security, but not everyone receives this. If you don’t have it, I can get this number from bank statements or what you received last year. This is the only exception to seeing the originals.
All brokerage statements, NOT the 12/31 statement, but the one labeled “Important Tax Information” which will contain your official 1099s. If you have sales of investments (shown on a 1099-B), there will be a number for “Gross Proceeds from Sales”. I also need a statement showing the gains and losses for investments. Some brokers include this with this statement; others do not and you have to ask them for it separately.
A copy of a US check (write VOID over it) so I can get routing and account numbers for direct deposit of a refund. It is NOT advisable to have a refund check mailed to you in Mexico.
If you have a rental property, I will need the information from the prior year return as to address, etc. Please make sure you have a depreciation schedule for an ongoing property. If not, ask your previous accountant to provide one. If we are setting up a rental for the first time, we will talk for more details.
If you are working overseas and use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, I can obtain information from your prior return if your situation is the same, but will need to ask you more questions if you are setting this up for the first time.
Deductions: Many people overseas use the Standard Deduction because they are no longer paying mortgage interest, real estate or state income taxes, and do not meet the level for itemizing deductions. However, if you do have enough deductions to itemize, I will need the 1098 form for mortgage interest and taxes, and a list of other deductions, such as medical expenses, charity, etc.

ALL OF THIS PAPERWORK, INCLUDING STATEMENTS FROM BROKERS, CAN BE FAXED DIRECTLY TO ME AT (303) 474-6460.
This is my American fax number (e-fax) which I make available for free to all my clients, so you don’t have to wait to receive statements in the mail. No prior permission or cover sheet necessary. This is much easier for everyone!

There is also available an Adobe file with an official “organizer”. Some of you may have used this with other preparers. To me it feels like a lot of paperwork to fill out, but if you prefer to work in this fashion, I’m more than happy to send you the file.

This is basic personal information I will need from everyone, but obviously each situation is different. For new clients, we need a simple interview, either by phone or in person, to take basic personal information and to assess the work you need. If you are in the Lake Chapala area, please call for an appointment (roughly one-half hour) at (376) 765-5273.
From a US or Canadian area code, call Vonage number 720-226-0561 (U.S. number but rings in Mexico – no international long distance charges!).

No appointment necessary for former or current clients!

If you are a former client and nothing has changed, feel free to just drop your information off during normal hours, or mail or fax to me directly. If you are a current client (or even former, such as from a few years ago), the important thing for me is to confirm that your prior information is still the same: address, email, bank deposit information, phone, same number of dependents, etc.

If you prefer, you can also send documents directly to me through Estafeta (Mexican overnight mail service – much cheaper than Fed-ex within Mexico), and I can return a paper copy plus your paperwork to you in that same fashion. Estimated cost is 150-200 pesos per mailing.

Payment can be received in dollars through PayPal (US debit, credit or personal PayPal account), by US or Mexican check, by cash pesos if you live in the Lake Chapala area, or transfer to a Bancomer account from elsewhere in Mexico. All fees are shown in US Dollars, but will be converted to pesos if you are paying in cash or to Bancomer. Conversion rates are through www.xe.com as of the day the work is finished on your return.

A deposit is required to begin work on your return for new clients, and will be credited to your final price. For Lakeside residents, the deposit will be 750 pesos, received in cash in person. For website clients or anyone wishing to pay by credit card or in dollars, the deposit will be $100. You will receive an email with a link to PayPal requesting a deposit payment after our initial phone call. All your financial information is completely secure, and you do not have to have your own PayPal account.

You will be invoiced for your final bill, with all schedules shown per the fee schedule, before the return is e-filed and/or copies and original documents returned.

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