Home › Services › Tax Strategist for Business Owners
Year-round tax planning led by a CPA. We look for legal savings while the year is still open, then help you put them in place.
Schedule Your Free Tax Strategy SessionFree strategy call. No obligation.
A tax strategist plans your taxes during the year instead of reporting them after it ends. Laura Dohanes, CPA, and her team review your business and personal tax picture, pick the legal strategies that fit, help you set them up, and track the results through the year. We work with business owners anywhere in the U.S., fully virtually.
If all you need is a return filed once a year, we're probably not the right fit, and we'll tell you so on the first call.
Tax preparation reports on a year that's already over. Tax planning happens while you can still change the result. By the time a return is being prepared, the decisions that set your tax bill have already been made: how you were paid, how the business is structured, and what you bought and when.
| Tax preparation | Tax planning (what we do) | |
|---|---|---|
| When | After the year ends | All year, before decisions are final |
| Goal | File accurately and on time | Legally lower what you owe and keep more cash in the business |
| Who drives it | Deadlines | Your goals, cash flow and growth plans |
| Result | A return | A written plan, implemented strategies and tracked savings |
More on this: tax compliance vs. tax strategy and CPA vs. tax strategist.
We start with your books, entity structure, owner pay and prior returns, so the plan is based on your real numbers.
Strategies chosen for your business, ownership and goals from our library of 98+ legal strategies in the tax code.
We help you set the strategies up: payroll, elections, accountable plans and retirement plans. Why so many tax strategies never get implemented.
Dedicated accountants keep income and expenses categorized, and you get an online dashboard with KPIs for your industry.
We review results during the year, plan before December 31, and update the plan when your business or the tax law changes.
Laura has represented more than 3,000 clients in audits, and we document each strategy so it holds up if the IRS asks.
Which of these apply depends on your situation. These are the ones we use most often.
If you own rental property, see our real estate tax planning.
Many profitable owners lower their self-employment tax with an S corporation election and a documented reasonable salary. See S corp tax planning & entity structuring and reasonable compensation.
The 20% qualified business income deduction is now permanent under the 2025 tax law (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). Wage limits and the rules for specified service businesses can reduce it, and planning helps you keep more of it. Why some owners lose the 20% · SSTB rules.
S corp owners can be reimbursed tax-free for business use of their home, mileage and other expenses through an accountable plan. How it works.
The right retirement plan can shelter far more than an IRA. SEP IRA vs. Solo 401(k).
Paying your children for real work in the business can move income into lower tax brackets. The rules.
100% bonus depreciation is back for qualifying property acquired after January 19, 2025, and the Section 179 limit is $2.5 million for 2025, so when you buy equipment affects the deduction. Bonus depreciation strategy · Section 179 limits.
The SALT deduction cap rose to $40,000 for 2025 and phases down at higher incomes. Pass-through entity tax (PTET) elections are still available. PTET after OBBBA.
In some situations, giving through the business saves more tax than giving personally. When it works.
Firm figures as reported by My CPA Pro.
★★★★★"The tax planning is amazing. I'm literally saving thousands."
Chad DavidsonGoogle review
★★★★★"Working with My CPA Pro has been a great decision for my business. I never realized how much I was overpaying in taxes. They do a fantastic job communicating and helping me navigate the tax code."
Jeff TrappGoogle review
For a worked example, see our tax strategy case studies.
Our fee depends on how many entities, owners and states are involved and how much help you need setting things up. After the free strategy call we'll give you a clear quote. A plan should save you more than it costs, and if planning won't pay off for you yet, we'll tell you.
For questions to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring, see how to choose a tax advisor.
Schedule Your Free Tax Strategy Session
Many CPAs focus on compliance, meaning accurate returns filed after the year ends. A tax strategist works ahead of time: choosing the structure, timing income and expenses, and setting up strategies while they can still change the result. Laura is a CPA and a tax strategist, so the planning and the filing stay connected. More on the difference.
As early in the year as you can. S corp payroll, equipment purchases and accountable plans generally have to be in place by December 31 to count for that year. Starting late still helps, with fewer options.
We can't give you a number before we've seen your facts. Savings depend on your profit, your structure and what's already in place. Across our clients, we've tracked more than $11.3 million in tax savings through 2023.
Usually once the business makes a consistent profit and you're paying a meaningful amount of tax. On the free call we'll look at your numbers and tell you whether planning would pay for itself yet.
Yes. We work virtually with business owners throughout the United States. Laura Dohanes is licensed by the California Board of Accountancy (License #129889).
Yes. We use strategies written into the tax code and document them to IRS standards. Arranging your affairs to owe less is legal. Tax evasion is illegal, and we don't do it.
We look at your business, your current tax picture and your goals. Then we tell you whether planning makes sense for you and what the next step would be.
Let's look at your numbers and see what a plan could change this year.
Schedule Your Free Tax Strategy Session
This page is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice for your situation. Tax rules change and depend on your facts, so talk with a qualified professional before acting.
© 2026 My CPA Pro, P.C.
Laguna Beach, California · (949) 208-9087
Serving business owners throughout the United States