What to Expect at Your First Appointment With a CPA
Most people put this call off longer than they need to. Usually it’s one of a few reasons: they assume the meeting itself will cost something, they’re embarrassed about the state of their records, they’re not sure what they’re even supposed to ask, or they have a letter from the IRS sitting on the counter that they’d rather not think about.
If any of that sounds familiar, here’s what actually happens when you come see us.
You’ll be offered coffee, and then we’ll listen
You’ll sit down with a partner of the firm — an actual CPA, not just an intake meeting — along with a staff accountant or financial analyst. That’s on purpose. The person who can answer the hard question is in the room from the beginning.
Then we mostly listen. We want to understand you and your situation: what you do, how the business is set up if you have one, what’s changed lately, and where you’re trying to get to. That includes what’s in front of you now — this year’s return, getting the books in order — and what’s coming later, like expanding, retiring, or selling the business. Only after that do we talk about what you might need, whether that’s tax work, bookkeeping, an audit, or something else. Sometimes it’s less than people expect.
What to bring
One thing helps more than anything else: your prior year tax return. It tells us more in five minutes than an hour of questions would.
Beyond that, bring whatever you already have on hand — recent financial statements, a profit and loss report, this year’s tax documents, and any notices you’ve received. If you don’t have those things, come anyway. We can work from the return.
There’s no need to organize it first. Genuinely. We’ve seen every version of this, and nobody has ever walked in with a shoebox that surprised us.
And if you don’t know what to ask
That’s our job. Come in, tell us what’s going on, and let us ask the questions. Most people find that the conversation goes somewhere they didn’t anticipate — a question about this year’s return turns into a useful conversation about next year, or about how the business is structured.
By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of where things stand and what, if anything, you’d want help with. Some people leave ready to start right away. Others leave knowing they’re in reasonable shape for now. Both are worth the hour.
Come see us
We’ve been doing this for 45 years, and the first conversation is always the same: we listen first.
Visit our contact page to schedule your first meeting with us.
