Press Release, Fremont, CA – January 5, 2010 Family child care providers have it harder than most taxpayers, with a daunting array of records to collect and organize, all while caring for children up to 12 hours per day. Figuring out how the numbers go onto the tax forms is no easy task either, especially given the special tax rules which apply only to day care businesses. The Community Child Care Council (4C’s) of Alameda County, a non-profit agency which offers technical assistance, resources and training to child care providers, sponsors tax and record keeping workshops at this time of year to help providers make sense of it all. Linda Bringman, Training Coordinator at 4C’s, is pleased to have veteran instructor Tom Copeland scheduled for two workshops this February: “Hiring Practices in the Family Child Care Business” on February 18 in Hayward and “Taxes & Record Keeping Update for 2009” on February 23 in Fremont. Copeland, an attorney, has been a strong advocate for family child care providers since 1981, often interfacing with the Internal Revenue Service on their behalf, proposing new rules to benefit their businesses, and assisting with audits. He is the author of numerous child care business and tax publications. “It's ten below right now with a foot of snow on the ground, so I'm already looking forward to returning to California!,” says the Minnesota resident. ... Education is key for child care providers and also for tax professionals. This past September, 4C’s, Child Care Links in Pleasanton, BANANAS in Oakland, Every Child Counts/First Five of Alameda County, and the East Bay Association of Enrolled Agents all combined forces to sponsor a special workshop with Copeland for tax preparers interested in mastering the unique tax rules affecting child care providers. Many professionals are not that familiar with the nuances of a day care tax return. Fremont Enrolled Agent Alison Jacks credits Tom Copeland’s workshops and publications with sparking her interest in child care tax issues years ago. She now specializes in working with providers. “I’m very grateful for Tom’s help and expertise,” says Jacks, “Tom works tirelessly to educate tax professionals and encourage more of us to serve the large number of child care providers found in our communities.” Copeland has observed that the economic slowdown actually “increases the supply of child care while demand for care decreases, making it difficult for providers to fill their spaces.” Certain parents laid off from their jobs are now offering child care in their homes to earn more income for their families. Thus, even in the current economy, there are more day care providers than ever looking for tax help. One of the main purposes for sponsoring the tax preparer workshop in September was to try and connect with non-English-speaking tax preparers. The family child care profession cuts across all cultural and ethnic groups. The staff at 4C’s sees a great need for tax help among day care providers speaking Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi, and other languages. They have several language-specific tax update workshops scheduled in the next few months. “There is an incredible demand among child care business owners for accurate tax preparation and advice,” says Jacks, who hears from providers all over the country through her website at www.familychildcaretaxes.com. She urges both child care providers and tax professionals to take advantage of Tom Copeland’s local workshops and read his publications (available from Redleaf Press). “I always pick up helpful information at Tom’s workshops.” For further information or to register for Tom Copeland’s workshops on February 18 or February 23, contact 4C’s of Alameda County at 510-584-3114. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to use this article in your print publication if credit is given to author Alison T. Jacks EA of www.familychildcaretaxes.com. Permission is also granted for online publication if you include the following credit at the bottom of the piece: “Article by Alison T. Jacks EA of www.familychildcaretaxes.com.” Tom Copeland is the nation's leading trainer, author, and advocate of business practices for family child care providers. Each year, he conducts numerous workshops on business solutions for family child care providers, tax preparers, and trainers. Tom is also an author of nine books on contracts, record keeping, and other business essentials valuable to providers. Alison T. Jacks EA is an Enrolled Agent and graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. She began working with family child care providers in 1998 and made it the primary focus of her tax practice in 2008. Jacks is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) and the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP). She is also a member of the East Bay Association of Enrolled Agents, the local chapter of the California Society of Enrolled Agents (CSEA). Enrolled agents (EAs) are a diverse group of federally authorized tax practitioners who have demonstrated a high level of technical competence in tax law and are the only taxpayer representatives licensed to practice by the United States government. EAs advise and represent taxpayers before the IRS, including taxpayers who are being examined, are unable to pay or are trying to avoid or recover penalties. EAs also prepare tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts and any other entities with tax-reporting requirements. Unlike tax attorneys and CPAs, who may or may not choose to specialize in taxation, all EAs specialize in taxation and are required by the federal government to maintain their professional skills with continuing professional education. About NAEA
The National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) is a professional society dedicated to honest, intelligent and ethical representation of the financial position of taxpayers before the IRS. Its efforts are supported nationwide through a network of affiliated state and local chapters. Members of NAEA must fulfill continuing professional education requirements that exceed the IRS’ requirements. NAEA membership also entails stringent adherence to a Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct, as well as compliance with the Treasury Department’s Circular 230 regulations. NAEA members are experienced, well-trained tax professionals who effectively represent their clients and work to ensure the tax code is fairly applied and reasonably enforced. To find an enrolled agent in your area, visit the National Association of Enrolled Agents’ website and click on the Find an Enrolled Agent link. |
