Frequently asked questions

Christen Gamache. C.G. Accounting Services is a one-person practice, so the person you talk to is the person who keeps your books, prepares your statements and plans your taxes.

No. Most businesses start with one thing, often bookkeeping or tax planning, and add more as they need it. The first conversation is about what would help you most.

Yes. Catching up is common. Past periods are rebuilt from bank statements and whatever records you have, then kept current from there. See historical financials on the services page.

Nothing formal. It helps to have your most recent tax return, a few recent bank statements and access to your current books, if you keep any, but a description of the business is enough to start.

The goal is that you pay what the law requires and nothing more. That comes from planning through the year: tracking the deductions you’re entitled to, timing purchases and income, and setting up the business in a way that suits it. A lot of savings are lost simply because the records weren’t there to support them.

Christen focuses on the planning and the books a return is built from. The returns themselves are prepared by a partner tax firm she works with, so they start from records that are already complete and organized.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles are the standard rules for preparing financial statements in the United States. Statements prepared under GAAP are consistent from year to year and comparable with other businesses, which is what banks, buyers, investors and auditors expect to see.

When something doesn’t add up: cash that should be there and isn’t, an employee or partner you’re concerned about, or figures that need to be checked independently in a dispute. A forensic audit traces the transactions and documents what the records show.

It depends on the work and the size of your books. Either way, you’ll know the cost in writing before anything starts.

Yes. Your records are seen by Christen and by no one else unless you ask for them to be shared, for example with your bank, attorney or tax preparer.