Lura Swaim, CPA

02/27/2026

Borrowed:

Helpful advice:

• You do not need to sit down with your tax accountant and watch them prepare your return. Like sausage, you don't want to see how it is made.

• You do not have to explain what a W-2 to is to your tax preparer. If they don't know what that is you should be in a different tax accountant's office.

• Your accountant knows more about than you think. The 1099-R, Code 4, tells me you inherited money from a traditional retirement account. Or, if the taxable amount is much lower, Code 4 again, you inherited a non-qualified annuity.

• If you took a hit of a white powdery substance just before picking up your tax return, I noticed. (True story.)

• If you are intoxicated I noticed that too. (Another true story.)

• Your tax accountant is sleep addled. Please be considerate. Arguing tax strategies you saw on TikTok will not gain you favor with her.

Finally, your accountant loves snacks and other assorted foods. They have suffered sleep deprivation, a poor diet, and high levels of stress. A snack is like a hug, but not creepy.

Thank you

02/06/2026

Thank you Leon Anderson. We appreciate you and your team.

01/29/2026

What You Need to Know About Your W-4 Form

So many taxpayers go all year without enough federal taxes being withheld from their paycheck, and then tax time comes and they’re disappointed because they either owe or their refund is much smaller than expected. Most of the time, the issue isn’t the tax return—it’s the W-4 form. The form confuses a lot of people. When the new W-4 was designed, it was meant to allow taxpayers to take home more money in their paycheck instead of waiting for a refund. Unfortunately, that has led to many people having little to no federal withholding and being shocked when it’s time to file.

One thing many people don’t realize is that if you don’t properly indicate on your W-4 that you have more than one job or that you’re married and they have income, you will almost always have too little tax withheld. For the correct amount of taxes to come out, the form needs to reflect your entire situation. Leaving out key details causes under-withholding.

Another major issue is the dependent section. When the form asks you to list dependents and multiply by $2,000 or $500, many people put all their dependents there without understanding what it means. That section is essentially allowing you to receive the child tax credit throughout the year in your paycheck instead of as a refund. When people enter dependents they won’t actually qualify to claim or enter too many—it results in little or no federal taxes being withheld.

Then there’s the exempt box. When you check exempt, the employer withholds zero federal taxes. So it’s not the bonus, overtime, or paycheck size that caused the issue—it’s how the W-4 was filled out. If no taxes are coming out, it’s because the form told payroll not to withhold them.

At the end of the day, taxes come down to a decision. You can choose to take home more money in your paycheck during the year and possibly owe or get a smaller refund, or you can have more taxes withheld and potentially receive a larger refund if you qualify for certain credits. There’s no right or wrong choice but it is a choice, and only a small percentage of taxpayers can have both higher take-home pay and a large refund.

The key is understanding your W-4 so your paycheck and your tax return aren’t working against each other.

12/25/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FCQwmzUwk/

12/25/2025

Clarification on mailed vs received - good to know info for taxpayers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17wtCiNst6/

12/23/2025

And that's a wrap on another filing season.
As we close out 2025, Lance and I would like to thank each and every one of our clients. We appreciate you and look forward to working together for many more years to come. Merry Christmas 🎄

12/09/2025

Same place, same services, NEW sign. Come see us!

10/15/2025

Have you filed yet?

07/30/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1BiadLjzps/

The bill would empower survivors of domestic abuse or spousal abandonment to file taxes without contacting their abuser.

07/25/2025

Don't be sketchy like Jason.

07/10/2025

A couple of other things to note:

$1,000 per taxpayer for charitable contributions, even if they can't otherwise itemize.

Up to $10,000 above the line deduction for auto loan interest. There are certain requirements to be met for this deduction and it phases out at certain income levels.

07/09/2025

Big Beautiful Bill Highlights:

Social Security benefits can still be taxable, based on other income received; additional above the line deduction of $6,000 per eleigible taxpayer over 65, phase out for income limits of $75,000 single/$150,000 joint.

Overtime- is still taxable; $12,500 single/$25,000 joint above the line deduction. Phase out $150,000 single/$300,000 joint.

Tips- are still taxable; above the line deduction capped at $25,000, phased out $150,000 single/$300,000 joint.

This is NOT an all-inclusive list of the changes resulting from the new BBB.