Chicago-based Clients nationwide English and Spanish
Tax returns, bookkeeping, and fractional CFO work, directly with me, in English or Spanish, from Chicago or anywhere.
Already a client? Open the client portalNext quarterly tax payment
January 15, 2027
81days to go
Sample tax plan
ExampleWritten in plain English after your consultation
Who it’s for
Businesses, the people behind them, families with more going on than a paycheck, and the nonprofits that serve their communities.
Returns that have outgrown do-it-yourself software: equity compensation, rental property, multiple states, a new business on the side.
S corporations, C corporations, LLCs, and partnerships that want clean books, a real tax plan, and a call before the big decisions, not after.
Self-employed professionals ready to stop overpaying: entity choice, quarterly estimates, and deductions done right.
Mission-driven organizations that need board-ready financials, budgets, and an annual information return they can stand behind.
Many of my clients live outside Illinois. Everything happens through a secure client portal, electronic signatures, and phone or video calls.
Every conversation can be in English or Spanish, and I explain every form and letter in the language you prefer.
Services
From this year’s return to next year’s plan.
Personal and business returns, from a straightforward individual filing to S and C corporations, partnerships, and multistate situations. I prepare every return with next year in mind, and we plan before year-end, while there is still time to act. If a letter arrives from the IRS or the state, send it over before you respond.
Help with IRS and state letters ›Clean, current books in QuickBooks Online, Xero, or the software you already use, reconciled on a regular schedule. If they have fallen behind, I clean them up and bring them current. You always know where you stand, and tax season has fewer surprises.
Senior financial leadership without the full-time hire: cash flow, forecasting, budgets, and the reporting your board and lenders expect, on a rhythm that fits your business.
Fractional CFO for nonprofits ›Entity structure, S corporation elections, owner compensation, and the big decisions where tax and strategy meet: buying or selling, bringing on a partner, expanding into a new state.
S corporation planning ›How it works
The first step is a conversation.
01
Every engagement starts with a free consultation: your situation, your goals, and what is not working today.
02
You get a clear plan in plain English, and a written engagement letter with the scope and the flat fee before anything starts.
03
Returns filed, books kept, and regular check-ins so the plan actually happens.
Free tools
Three free tools. Nothing you enter or choose here leaves this page.
The next one, counted down from today, and the rest of the filing year.
For calendar-year filers. A date that falls on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day.
The 2025 tax law added four deductions for 2025 through 2028. You can take them whether or not you itemize.
Based on IRS guidance (FS-2025-03), not tax advice. For tips, overtime, and the senior deduction, your return needs a valid Social Security number, and married couples must file jointly. For car loan interest, the return must include the vehicle’s VIN.
Compare self-employment tax with S corporation payroll taxes on the same profit.
After expenses, before you pay yourself.
Starts at half of profit. The IRS expects a reasonable salary for the work you do.
Is the business in Illinois?
Enter your yearly profit to see the comparison.
Sole proprietor or single-member LLC$16,955
Self-employment tax
S corporation$10,011
Social Security and Medicare on your salary, employer and employee shares together$9,180
Illinois replacement tax, 1.5%$831
Estimated yearly difference
$6,944
less a year as an S corporation
A rough estimate with 2027 Social Security limits, before payroll service costs, the extra business tax return, other state rules, and income tax effects. It leaves out the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax and unemployment taxes. Not tax advice.
I don’t just file returns. I build strategy.
About
I’m Shan Dass, founder of Life of Accounting. Before opening my practice in 2026, I spent nearly a decade as a tax manager at a Chicago-area accounting firm, working with business owners and families on their returns and their plans. I started Life of Accounting to put the plan first, all year, not just in April.
You work directly with the founder, start to finish. No handoffs to a junior preparer, no explaining your situation twice, no waiting on a call center. Senior attention on every return and every set of books, wherever you are.
Bilingual service in English and Spanish, so your questions get answered in the language you think in.
FAQ
A conversation first. Then a written engagement letter that spells out the scope and the fee. Nothing starts until you have signed it.
Anytime, but the most valuable conversations happen before the year ends, while there is still time to change the outcome. April is for filing, not planning.
Yes. Bookkeeping and advisory can start any month, and I bring the books current from wherever they stand. For tax, the earlier we talk, the more we can plan, but a midyear start still leaves time to adjust estimated payments and withholding before the year ends.
Yes. In fact, many of my clients live in other states. Everything happens through a secure client portal, electronic signatures, and phone or video calls, so where you live does not matter. I prepare returns for clients across the country, including multistate situations.
Yes. Every conversation can be in English or Spanish, and I explain every form and letter in the language you prefer.
Yes, and it is available year-round, not just during tax season.
It depends on what is involved. After the consultation you get a flat fee in writing, before any work begins, covering everything in your engagement letter. That is the number you pay, billed on completion. Business and personal returns are separate engagements, so you always know what each one costs.
Invoices arrive by email from the client portal once the work is complete, with a link to pay online. You can also sign in anytime and pay under Billing.
Through Canopy, a secure client portal, not email attachments. Your invitation arrives by email from Canopy. After that, you upload from your phone or computer, sign electronically, and everything stays in one place.
I confirm they arrived, review everything, and reach out if anything is missing. For a tax return, you review a draft and get your questions answered before anything is filed. Then you sign electronically, and I file. The invoice follows once the work is complete.
A short written summary in plain English that comes out of the consultation or your finished return: the moves worth making before year-end, why they matter, and when to act. Then we check in before the year closes to make sure it gets done.
Yes. Send it over before you respond. Most letters have a deadline and a clear path once someone reads them carefully, and I will walk you through the response.
No. I work in QuickBooks Online, Xero, and most other platforms. If you are starting fresh, I will recommend what fits before setting anything up.
For 1099s, yes: I prepare and file them at year-end for the contractors you paid. For payroll, I set you up on a payroll service and keep it reconciled in your books, so paychecks, tax deposits, and filings run on schedule.
Contact
Tell me a little about your situation and I’ll set up a time to talk. Consultations are free, year-round.
Prefer email? shan@lifeofaccounting.com