Consider joining some FB groups for tax pros too. I'm in "Tax Professionals" and "AFSP & EA Study Group" and they've been super helpful for specific questions. Just be careful not to give client details when asking questions!

Congratulations on getting your AFSP! That's a huge accomplishment. I'm about 3 years into my practice now and wanted to add a few things that really helped me in the beginning: Marketing-wise, start building relationships early. Join your local chamber of commerce, attend small business networking events, and consider offering friends/family discounted rates your first year in exchange for honest reviews and referrals. Word of mouth is everything in this business. For client management, invest in a simple CRM system early - even something basic like HubSpot's free tier. Track where your clients come from so you know what marketing efforts are working. I wish I had done this from day one instead of trying to remember everything. One expense I didn't anticipate was continuing education. Even with AFSP, you'll want to stay current on tax law changes. Budget for webinars, courses, and maybe a professional conference. The investment pays off when you can confidently handle more complex situations. And don't underestimate the importance of setting boundaries early - define your busy season hours, response times for client questions, and stick to them. It's much harder to change client expectations after you've already set them too high. Best of luck with your new venture! Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions as you get started.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with a small firm (3 preparers) and have been putting off the WISP requirements because it felt so daunting. Reading everyone's experiences makes it seem much more manageable. I especially appreciate the practical breakdown from Edward about the 5 key elements to focus on. We're already doing some of these things but not consistently documenting them. The reminder about actually implementing versus just documenting really resonates - I can see how easy it would be to create a beautiful plan that sits in a drawer unused. One question for the group: how often should we be reviewing and updating our WISP? Is this something that needs annual updates, or only when we make significant changes to our practices? Also, @Marilyn Dixon, I feel your pain about the email attachments - we've been doing the same thing for years without thinking twice about it. Definitely time to move to a secure portal system!

This whole discussion has been a wake-up call for me! I've been procrastinating on the WISP requirements for months, thinking it was some massive undertaking that would take weeks to complete. Reading through everyone's experiences here makes it clear that the biggest hurdle is just getting started. What strikes me most is how many practical solutions people have shared - from the IRS template that Louisa mentioned, to the various tools and services that actually worked for folks who were initially skeptical. It's reassuring to know that even small firms like ours can get this done without hiring expensive consultants. I'm particularly grateful for Edward's reality check about implementation versus documentation. It's easy to fall into the trap of creating a perfect document that doesn't actually improve our security practices. The five key elements he listed are things we can start implementing immediately while we work on the formal documentation. One thing I'd add for other small firms: don't let perfect be the enemy of good. It sounds like the IRS is more interested in seeing that we're taking data security seriously and making reasonable efforts to protect client information, rather than having a flawless document that checks every possible box. Time to stop making excuses and actually tackle this WISP. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's made what felt impossible seem totally doable!

One thing no one's mentioned yet - don't forget about your business licenses and permits! Moving states means you'll need new ones specific to Colorado requirements. For a photography business, check if Colorado or your specific city/county requires: 1. General business license 2. Home occupation permit (if working from home) 3. Sales tax license (if you sell physical products like prints) 4. Professional licenses (some places require them for photographers) Even if you keep your NM LLC as a foreign entity, you'll still need Colorado-specific licenses to operate legally there.

Great question! I recently went through a similar move with my small marketing consultancy from Texas to Florida. Here are a few additional considerations that helped me make the decision: **Tax implications beyond just annual fees:** Look into Colorado's income tax rates vs. New Mexico's. Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax, while New Mexico has graduated rates up to 5.9%. Depending on your LLC's income level, this could influence your decision. **Banking relationships:** If you have established business credit lines or relationships with your current bank, ask them about transferring accounts vs. opening new ones. Some banks make it easier to update an existing LLC's address rather than closing and reopening everything. **Client contracts:** Review your existing photography contracts - some may have specific language about jurisdiction or governing state law. If you dissolve and recreate, you might need to execute new agreements with existing clients. **Timeline considerations:** The foreign LLC registration is typically faster (2-3 weeks) compared to dissolving one LLC and creating another (4-8 weeks total). If you need to maintain business operations without interruption, this might be the deciding factor. I ended up going the foreign registration route and it's worked well for me. The dual compliance is manageable, and keeping my established business identity was worth the extra annual fees.

Also consider HOW you file when married. You can do married filing jointly or married filing separately. Most of the time joint is better but sometimes separate makes sense. Like if one of you has lots of medical expenses or other itemized deductions that have AGI thresholds, sometimes filing separately can help. Just another thing to think about!

Great question! Based on your situation, getting married in December would very likely benefit you tax-wise. With one income of $95K, three kids, and a new home purchase, you'd probably see significant savings filing jointly vs. separately. A few quick things to consider: You'd get the larger married filing jointly standard deduction ($27,700 vs. $20,800 for head of household), your income would be in lower tax brackets when filing jointly, and you can fully utilize that mortgage interest deduction. The Child Tax Credit would also be more secure at your income level when married. However, definitely run the actual numbers first - either through one of the calculators mentioned here or by speaking with a tax professional. Every situation is unique, and you want to be sure before making such an important decision. The marriage itself should be about more than just taxes, but it sounds like the financial benefits would be a nice bonus to your existing plans!

i think ur overthinking this tbh. i did travel nursing during covid and got reimbursed for mileage and the company never included it in my taxes. if the company paid u using the irs mileage rate and u submitted all ur trips through their system ur probably fine. did they give u a w-2 that looks way bigger than what u actually made? if not dont worry abt it

I went through this exact situation when I worked as a traveling medical technician for COVID testing sites. The fact that you were reimbursed at the standard IRS mileage rate and had to submit documentation through their system is a very good sign that it was handled properly. Here's what I learned: Since you didn't have a regular, permanent workplace and were assigned to different temporary locations, your travel qualifies as business travel rather than commuting. The IRS considers any work assignment expected to last less than one year as "temporary," so even locations you visited regularly would still count. For the Accountable Plan question - if your reimbursements were processed separately from your regular pay (like separate deposits or checks) and you had to document business purpose, dates, and mileage, that strongly suggests they followed Accountable Plan rules. Most importantly, check your W-2 Box 1. If it only shows your actual wages and doesn't include the reimbursement amounts, then your employer correctly treated them as non-taxable. The biggest red flag would be if your W-2 Box 1 amount is significantly higher than what you remember earning in actual wages - that would mean they incorrectly included reimbursements as taxable income and you'd need to address it.