Individual Tax Preparation
Your personal return ties the whole year together: wages, investments, rental income, family changes and retirement. We prepare it carefully, claim every deduction and credit you qualify for and explain the result in plain language before anything is filed.
How Nelson & Associates handles Individual Tax Preparation
Florida has no personal income tax, so for most South Florida households the federal return is the only one that matters, and it deserves real attention. Nelson & Associates prepares individual returns the way a CPA firm should: we compare your documents against last year's return, look for income that is missing or reported twice, and test whether itemizing, timing a deduction or using a different filing status lowers your bill.
If you have income from another state or another country, we prepare the additional returns too. Many of our clients earn in Latin America or Europe, own property abroad or have just moved to Florida from a high-tax state, and we handle the foreign reporting and part-year state returns that come with that.
Who this is for
- Employees with W-2 income plus investments or side income
- Families claiming child, dependent care or education credits
- Retirees drawing Social Security, pensions and IRA distributions
- Homeowners who bought, sold or refinanced a home
- New Florida residents filing a final part-year return in their former state
- People with foreign bank accounts, foreign income or property abroad
Everything covered in our Individual Tax Preparation service
- Federal Form 1040 with every required schedule
- Part-year and nonresident state returns for any state you earned in
- Itemized versus standard deduction analysis
- Review of credits: child, dependent care, education and energy
- Foreign account (FBAR) and foreign asset (Form 8938) checks
- Prior-year comparison and a plain-English summary
- Electronic filing and IRS acceptance confirmation
- Help answering any IRS letter about a return we prepared
The paperwork behind Individual Tax Preparation
| Form 1040 | U.S. Individual Income Tax Return |
|---|---|
| Schedule A | Itemized deductions: mortgage interest, state and local taxes, charitable gifts |
| Schedule B | Interest, dividends and foreign account questions |
| Schedule D and Form 8949 | Sales of stock, real estate and other capital assets |
| Schedule E | Rental real estate, royalties, partnerships and S corporations |
| Schedule 8812 | Child Tax Credit and credit for other dependents |
| Form 8863 | American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning credits |
| Form 4868 | Automatic six-month extension of time to file |
What we’ll need from you
Have these ready and your first meeting goes faster. Missing something? We’ll help you find it.
- Photo ID and Social Security numbers or ITINs for everyone on the return
- W-2s from every employer
- 1099s for interest, dividends, brokerage sales, retirement and freelance income
- Form 1098 (mortgage interest) and property tax bills
- Form 1098-T for tuition and 1098-E for student loan interest
- Form 1095-A if you bought Marketplace health insurance
- Records of estimated tax payments made during the year
- Charitable donation receipts
- Last year's federal return and any state returns
How it works, step by step
Free initial consultation
We review your situation, explain what we need and quote the fee.
Send your documents
Bring them to our Doral office or upload them securely from anywhere.
CPA review
We prepare the return, ask follow-up questions and look for savings.
Sign and file
You approve a draft and summary, then we e-file and confirm acceptance.
Why clients choose us for Individual Tax Preparation
Prepared by a CPA firm
Every return is prepared and reviewed by licensed professionals, not seasonal staff.
International know-how
Foreign income, foreign accounts and treaty questions are routine for us.
Planning built in
We flag next year's savings while we prepare this year's return.
Support after filing
If the IRS writes about a return we prepared, we help you answer it.
Individual Tax Preparation across the United States
From our Doral office we provide Individual Tax Preparation to clients in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Hover over a state to see its tax profile and the cities we serve; tap it to open the state page.
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Individual Tax Preparation FAQs
9 answers to the questions clients ask most. Don’t see yours? Ask us directly.
Do I need to file a Florida state return?
No. Florida does not tax personal income, so Florida residents file only a federal return. If you earned income in another state, or moved to Florida during the year, you may still owe a return to that state.
What documents should I bring?
Your W-2s, 1099s, mortgage interest and property tax statements, tuition forms, health coverage forms, records of charitable gifts and last year's return. We send a personalized checklist after your first call.
Should I itemize or take the standard deduction?
We calculate both and use whichever produces the lower tax. Itemizing usually helps when mortgage interest, state and local taxes and charitable gifts together exceed the standard deduction.
What if I need more time?
We can file Form 4868 to extend the filing deadline to October 15. An extension gives more time to file, not to pay, so we also estimate any balance due.
I have a bank account outside the U.S. Do I need to report it?
If the combined balance of your foreign accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the year, you generally must file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). You may also need Form 8938. We check both when we prepare your return.
How long does it take to get my refund?
Most e-filed returns with direct deposit are refunded within about 21 days of IRS acceptance, although some returns are held for extra review.
Is the first consultation really free?
Yes. Our initial consultation is free so you can understand what you need and what it will cost before you decide.
How long should I keep my tax records?
Generally at least three years after filing, and longer for records about property you still own or years where income may have been under-reported.
Do you offer Individual Tax Preparation outside Florida?
Yes. Our office is in Doral, Florida, and we work with clients across the United States and abroad through secure uploads, phone and video meetings and e-signatures. South Florida clients are welcome to meet with us in person.
Talk to a CPA about Individual Tax Preparation.
Your initial consultation is free. Call us, email us or visit our Doral office, and we’ll tell you exactly what you need and what it will cost.