Tax and Research

10/02/2026

Spread the word and come out and celebrate with me Sunday October 11th. Puff about to win an Oscar 😂😂😂💪🏽💪🏽

09/30/2026

The filing deadline for the 2025 tax year (returns filed in 2026), the standard deadline was April 15, 2026, or October 15, 2026, if you filed for an extension. Thank you for support. Tax and Research

09/21/2026

Tax clients here are a couple of new Highlights

Impacted Employers: Illinois employers with more than 25 employees.

Effective Date: January 1, 2027

Summary: Illinois has enacted legislation that will require employers with more than 25 employees to provide paid jury duty leave.

Next Steps: Covered employers should review and update:
Jury duty leave and pay policies.
Supervisor guidance relating to jury service absences.
Anti-retaliation policies concerning jury service.
More detailed next steps can be found below.
The Details

Background

Under existing state law, all employers must:
Give employees time off to serve on a summoned jury.
Permit jury service regardless of the employee's work shift.
Not require a night-shift employee to work while serving on daytime jury duty.
To be entitled to jury-duty leave under the law, the employee must:
Be duly summoned for jury service.
Provide the employer with reasonable notice of required jury service.
The law defines "reasonable notice" as providing the employer with a copy of the jury summons within 10 days after the summons is issued to the employee.

The law also prohibits all employers from retaliating against an employee because of jury service.

What Changed?

Effective January 1, 2027, employers with more than 25 employees must provide paid jury duty leave by paying employees their regular rate of pay for time spent serving on jury duty. Employers with 25 or fewer employees aren’t subject to this requirement.

Next Steps

Covered employers should:
Budget for paid jury-duty absences.
Update payroll processes to pay employees their regular rate for jury-duty service.
Revise jury-duty leave policies.
Review employee handbooks and leave policies for consistency with the new paid jury-duty requirement.
Clarify employee notice procedures and include the requirement that employees provide a copy of the summons within 10 days of issuance.
Reinforce anti-retaliation requirements.
Ensure managers understand that employees must be allowed time off for jury service.
Ensure night-shift employees are not required to work while serving daytime jury duty.
Set up a Jury Duty earning by following the steps below:
Log into the RUN Powered by ADP® (RUN) payroll platform.
Go to Settings > Earnings and Deductions > Add an earning.
In the search bar, type Jury Duty.
Select Jury Duty from the results, then click Let’s go to complete the setup.
Use the Jury Duty earning to pay employees for time spent serving on jury duty.

09/16/2026

Happy Wednesday Everyone.

We will be wrapping up for the end of the 2025 tax season soon. I will be running Janky discounts to help you all get your taxes complete as well as to promote the comedic movie I’m in called Janky Dearlership that we are just about done filming. I hope to see you all at the premiere. The end of the season is near. Please book your appointments before Oct 15 if you are going to Efile. After that all returns have to be mailed in and it will take longer to receive your refund. You can book by going to taxandresearch.com or text 708-963-7530.

Do you know what the Maximum Refund looks like for your Business or Individual financial position? Sadly, most people don't. Tax and Research is a leader in maximizing refunds as well as educating our clients on how changes in their finances affect their tax liabiity.

08/23/2026

Listen up 🚨

07/14/2026

I got over 10 reactions on one of my posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

06/29/2026

We, at Tax and Research,would like to wish our CEO Tara Gougis a Happy Birthday Today and Many More to Come.

06/12/2026

Tara Gougis is an experienced executive leader and financial professional with a strong background in:
• Tax strategy & compliance
• Business consulting
• Accounts receivable & financial operations
• Strategic planning and organizational growth
She combines entrepreneurship with deep accounting and finance expertise, supporting businesses in improving profitability, compliance, and operational efficiency.

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Current Role
CEO — Tara Gougis DBA Tax and Research (2019–Present)
• Founded and leads a tax, research, and consulting firm
• Advises clients on:
• Tax planning and compliance
• Business formation and growth strategies
• Financial management and risk mitigation
• Oversees all business operations, including client engagement, financial oversight, and strategy
• Conducts market research and builds data-driven frameworks
• Collaborates with attorneys, accountants, and financial professionals
• Delivers executive-level insights to stakeholders
Key achievements:
• Grew consulting business through referrals and client acquisition
• Helped small businesses increase profitability and operational performance
• Supported startups, restructuring, and succession planning
• Reported $1.9M in sales over 6 months (repeated over multiple years)

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Previous Experience Highlights
Accounts Receivable & Financial Operations (2009–2019)
Held multiple roles across companies including:
• Cheetah Digital Inc.
• Advanced Group
• TTX Company
• McDonald’s Corporation
• Bradford Exchange
• Kehe Food Distribution
• American Bar Foundation
Core responsibilities:
• Managing accounts receivable, collections, and cash applications
• Reducing delinquency and improving cash flow (DSO reduction)
• Reconciling accounts, handling billing discrepancies, and reporting
• Supporting audits, forecasting, and financial analysis
• Working with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, etc.)
Notable impact:
• Managed and collected on large portfolios (e.g., $26M book of business)
• Improved collections processes and implemented automation tools
• Supported revenue goals and financial reporting accuracy

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Leadership & Core Competencies
• Executive Leadership
• Tax Strategy & Compliance
• Business Development
• Financial Analysis & Forecasting
• Operational Excellence
• Market Research & Competitive Analysis
• Risk Management & Governance
• Change Management
• Client Relationship Management

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Education
• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (Accounting concentration)
Robert Morris College, Chicago, IL

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Technical Skills
• Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access)
• Financial & ERP systems: SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, QuickBooks, ADP
• Data & reporting tools
• Accounting and financial platforms
• Additional tools: AS400, Metasys, Outlook, ChatGPT

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Overall Impression
Tara Gougis is a results-driven finance and consulting executive with:
• Strong entrepreneurial success as a business owner
• Extensive experience in accounts receivable and financial operations
• Proven ability to drive profitability, improve processes, and lead organizations strategically

04/15/2026

Today is the deadline. After today we return on Friday April 24th. 💪🏽💥