Clarity Tax & CPAs
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Clarity Tax & CPAs
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Blaine businesses have come to us for our tax and audit expertise since 1976. Our experienced CPAs and IRS Enrolled Agents, bookkeepers and tax accountants know what you need, whether that's cross-border tax advice for Canadians working in Blaine, or small businesses navigating local and state sales tax laws.
We're here year-round to answer your questions and reduce your stress. Whether you need help with bookkeeping, financial statement audits, or negotiating with the IRS, we're the partner you've been looking for. We can also help you file Washington's B&O tax on businesses.
Some CPA audit firms close when tax season ends. Our Bellingham office stays open year-round.
Your finances do not pause when April ends, and neither do we.
Our office is about 24 miles south of Blaine, a straight shot down I-5. Many of our Blaine and Peace Portal Drive area clients, including cross-border commuters near the Peace Arch crossing, work with us by phone or video, though you are always welcome to visit our Bellingham CPA firm in person.
1326 E Laurel Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
About 24 miles, roughly a 30-minute drive south on I-5
Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(360) 862-6556
Tax preparation, strategy and planning for construction, farming, dairies, and other small businesses, financial statement audits, single audits, Yellow Book audits, HOA audits, year-round bookkeeping services, including B&O tax filing, and cross-border tax services for US and Canada tax residents
CPAs and IRS Enrolled Agents
1040, 1040-NR, Schedule C, Schedule E, Schedule F, 1120-S, 1065, 8938 (FATCA), FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR), 3520, 3520-A, 5471, 5472, 8621, and more
Our services are built around this border community. Since 1976 we have handled tax preparation, financial statement audits, and planning for Whatcom County farms, dairies, and small businesses. We understand Washington tax law and the issues that matter to border-area filers, and we keep the office open every month, because tax problems rarely wait for spring.
Blaine sits directly on the international border, with the Peace Arch crossing on I-5 and the Pacific Highway truck crossing just to the east. It is one of the busiest passenger crossings between Washington and British Columbia, and that location shapes who lives and works here: NEXUS commuters, Canadians who own homes around Semiahmoo, Birch Bay, and Drayton Harbor, and workers crossing on TN, H-1B, and L-1 visas.
All of that creates cross-border tax questions most local firms will not take on. We help Canadians and dual residents work through the Substantial Presence Test, FBAR and Form 8938 reporting, TFSA and RRSP filings, and the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures for catching up on prior years. Whether you commute across the Peace Arch for work or own property on the water at Semiahmoo, our team can help you stay compliant on both sides of the line and avoid paying tax twice on the same income.
Blaine sees more of Canada's departure tax than almost anywhere else we serve. If you are leaving Canada for the US, our cross-border tax services team can plan around the Canada departure tax before you go.
Blaine's signature landmark is the Peace Arch itself, the 67-foot white monument dedicated in 1921 that straddles the U.S. and Canada line inside Peace Arch Historical State Park, where the gardens are replanted with thousands of flowers each year. Down at the waterfront, the historic Plover ferry still carries passengers across Drayton Harbor to the Semiahmoo Spit and its old cannery, and Blaine Marine Park looks out over Semiahmoo Bay. We point to these because the people around them, the cross-border commuters, dual citizens, and Canadian property owners on the water, are exactly who our Blaine practice is built for. For park details, hours, and the border-crossing setting, see Washington State Parks.
If you have a farm in Blaine, you may already know all about Schedule F tax forms. In our years of working with local farms, we've helped many dairies, hay farmers, berry farmers and other local agricultural businesses with Schedule F.
Our tax preparers and small business accountants regularly help local growers:
Construction accounting is one of our specialties. You can save thousands if you know the right deductions to take and how to depreciate your assets correctly.
The IRS won't advertise these strategies to you, but we will. We're always trying to help you save money, and assisting you with your tax strategy is just one way we can do that.
Here are just a few of the construction tax services we can help you with:
If you don't have rental income or foreign accounts, you might not need a CPA to prepare your tax returns.
If you have any rental properties generating income, or want to optimize your equity compensation, retirement and/or business activities, partnering with a CPA could save you a lot of money on your taxes.
If you have foreign income, you could be subject to double taxation if you don't report it. The penalties for failing to report are severe, but our cross-border accountant can help you avoid double taxation and reduce, or even eliminate penalties, in some cases.
If you're a Canadian working in Blaine, you may need cross-border tax services to avoid paying taxes twice on the same income. Both the United States and Canada might try to claim you as a tax resident and require you to report foreign income and accounts.
Failing to report your worldwide income to the IRS can lead to severe penalties. If you have already fallen behind on your US returns, our cross-border tax manager, Kelly Sheng, CPA, can tell you whether the IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures are a fit for catching up, and in many cases we can help shrink the penalties.
Most CPA firms don't offer cross-border tax services, but it's one of our specialties.
Here are the services Blaine clients ask us for most:
Need a return prepared? We handle both individual and small business returns for clients across Whatcom County, including farms and dairies.
Individual tax returns usually take about 2 to 3 weeks once you give us everything we need. Business returns take longer depending on how complex your operation is. Your tax preparer will give you a timeline and quote your cost before we begin, so there are no surprises.
Tax accountants can help you far more than a once-a-year filing. When you file on your own, it is easy to miss deductions that lower your bill, and to buy equipment or property at the wrong time. If you're a high earner looking for ways to cut what you owe, we can build a plan around your year instead of reacting in April.
Bookkeeping keeps you on track all year instead of scrambling at tax time. If you dread reconciling your accounts each month, let one of our experienced bookkeepers, including Tiffany van Duker, handle it for you.
Our bookkeepers track down past-due payments, flag duplicate or suspicious charges, and keep your Washington B&O filings current. Clean, current books also mean less cleanup work and a faster, cheaper return when it is time to file.
If IRS issues have you tearing your hair out, whether it's an audit you're facing or back taxes you owe, ask one of our CPAs or IRS Enrolled Agents to deal with the IRS on your behalf and make it as painless as possible.
We speak taxes. We don't expect you to. Having an expert speak to the IRS for you can save you a lot of money and stress.
We'll meet with you by phone, on video, or in person at our Bellingham office so we can see what you need and what's involved.
We'll send you a quote within 1-2 days. This is usually a flat fee, based on what you need.
We'll send you an engagement letter with all of the information.
We'll give you a single point of contact, someone who will work with you and answer any questions you have. We'll also assign a CPA to review your case.
Most individual tax returns take about 2-3 weeks once you give us all the info we need to prepare your return. A business tax return takes longer. We'll let you know upfront how long it will take.
The price you pay is usually a flat fee for the specific service you request. If you need a financial statement audit, single audit or Yellow Book audit, your cost is based on the complexity of your business and how many hours we think it will take.
If you need help with an IRS issue, we bill you by the hour. The total number of hours depends on how the IRS responds.
Tax preparation is based on your tax status (individual or business) and how complex your income is. Do you have any of the following types of income?
These types of income may require additional tax forms that increase the cost of your tax preparation. If you need bookkeeping cleanup services, that could increase your cost as well. Every new client gets a free initial consultation and a flat-fee quote based on your exact situation.
Or visit our office at 1326 E Laurel Street, Bellingham, WA 98225. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.