Your 2026 year-end checklist: nine things to do before December 31
The moves that have to happen inside the calendar year, from owner salary and equipment purchases to W-9s for the new $2,000 1099 threshold, with the dates that matter.
7 min read
Next deadline: Extended 2025 individual and C corporation returns, All deadlines See the deadline calendar
Tax returns, books and payroll for Naperville businesses, priced before we start.
We prepare business and owner returns, close the books by the 15th and run payroll for owner-run companies with 1 to 40 people. Every fee is quoted in writing before any work starts.
- Ruth Abernathy, CPA and Daniel Prewitt, EA Sample
- Business returns from $650 Sample fees
- On Jefferson Avenue since 2014
- Open all year with Saturday hours until April 15
Who we work with
Owner-run businesses in Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook and nearby towns. Most have between one and forty people and do between $150,000 and $4 million a year in sales.
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Cafes and restaurants
Tip reporting, sales tax and payroll for 6 to 30 staff.
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Trades and contractors
Job costing, 1099s for subs, vehicle and equipment records.
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Salons, studios and gyms
Booth rent, memberships and owners paid by S corporation salary.
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Consultants and agencies
Quarterly estimates, retirement plans and multi-state clients.
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Shops and online sellers
Inventory counts, marketplace sales tax and year-end stock.
Services and fixed fees
What each service includesEvery engagement starts with a written quote. The ranges below are where most clients land. Sample fees
| Service | Fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Tax preparation Business returns and the owner returns that go with them, federal and Illinois. | Business returns and the owner returns that go with them, federal and Illinois. | $650 to $950 |
| Bookkeeping Monthly books in QuickBooks Online or Xero, closed and sent to you by the 15th. | Monthly books in QuickBooks Online or Xero, closed and sent to you by the 15th. | $375 to $950 a month |
| Payroll Pay runs, tax deposits and every filing for 1 to 40 people. | Pay runs, tax deposits and every filing for 1 to 40 people. | $95 a month |
| Quarterly planning Four meetings a year to set estimated taxes, owner pay and year-end moves. | Four meetings a year to set estimated taxes, owner pay and year-end moves. | $1,600 a year |
What will this cost for your business?
Pick how the business is set up, answer three short questions on the Services page, and see a yearly and monthly range.
How working together goes
From the first call to your first quarterly meeting, this is what happens and when.
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Free 30-minute consult
By phone or at our office on Jefferson Avenue. Bring last year's return and a rough idea of monthly sales.
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A written fixed-fee quote
It lists what is included and what costs extra. Nothing starts until you sign it.
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Set-up and catch-up
We connect your bank feeds, open a secure document portal for you and bring any behind months up to date.
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Planning meeting
You leave with your estimated tax amounts and a short list of decisions for the next three months.
The people you'll work with
About the firm-
Ruth Abernathy
Founder, CPA, licensed in Illinois Sample
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Daniel Prewitt
Tax manager, Enrolled agent (EA) Sample
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Lucia Castellanos
Bookkeeping and payroll lead, bookkeeper since 2011 Sample
Recent advice
All 7 articlesShort, specific articles on taxes, bookkeeping and payroll for Illinois small businesses, written by the people who do the work.
Which business records to keep, and for how long
A table of the records a small business keeps, how long the IRS and Illinois can ask for them, and a simple way to store them so you can find them in five minutes.
6 min read
Hiring your first employee in Illinois: the payroll checklist
Every registration, form and deadline between the offer letter and the first paycheck for an Illinois small business, in the order you will meet them.
8 min read
Book a free 30-minute consult
Tell us what you need help with. We'll look at last year's return or your books, answer what we can on the call, and send a written fixed-fee quote within three business days.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.