Certified public accountants · Ellsmere, Ohio · Since 1987

Careful numbers, plainly explained.

Tax, accounting and advisory work for families, owners and the companies they run. The same partner every year, fees agreed before we begin, and answers you can read.

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A partner's office at Aldridge & Penn: a walnut desk with client folders, a fountain pen on a ledger pad and a brass lamp, beside a tall window in morning light.
Next federal deadline Extended individual returns due Thursday, October 15 in 2 days
First meeting
Forty-five minutes, no charge
Fees
Fixed and in writing, before work begins
Clients
Individuals, families and companies of 2 to 200 people

Note 1

Services

Two practices under one roof. Most of our clients use both: the owner’s personal return and the company’s books are rarely separate questions.

  • Individual tax returns

    Federal, Ohio and city returns, prepared by a CPA and reviewed by a partner before you sign. Wages, investments, rentals and the occasional surprise 1099.

    Fixed feefrom $450

  • Tax planning meetings

    An hour each autumn to look at the year before it ends: withholding, estimated payments, retirement contributions and the timing of large decisions.

    Fixed fee$350 a meeting

  • Trusts and estates

    Fiduciary returns for trusts and estates, and steady help for executors and trustees working alongside the family’s attorney.

    Fixed feefrom $1,200

  • Gift tax returns

    The filing that records a large gift to children or grandchildren, prepared with the paperwork your attorney or advisor will want to see.

    Fixed feefrom $800

  • IRS and state letters

    Send us the letter before you call anyone. We read it, explain it in plain words, and answer it for you when that’s the better course.

    Hourlyestimate first

  • Moving, marrying, retiring

    A short engagement for the years when life changes the return: a move between states, a wedding, a new child, the first year of retirement income.

    Fixed feequoted at the first meeting

Fees are set at your first meeting and confirmed in an engagement letter. If the work changes, you hear it from us before the bill does.

Note 2

Industries we serve

Six kinds of business make up most of our client list. We know their busy seasons, their usual questions and the paperwork their lenders ask for.

Construction and trades

General contractors, electricians, plumbers and builders, from two trucks to forty people in the field.

What we usually handle

  • Job costing set up so each job shows its real margin
  • Work-in-progress schedules for bonding and the bank
  • Certified payroll and subcontractor 1099s
  • Equipment purchases planned before year end, not after

The question we hear most

“We were busy all year. Why is there no cash?”

Usually it’s retainage, slow-paying jobs and a truck bought in cash. We show you where it went, month by month.

Note 3

A year with us

Good tax work is mostly done before April. Here is what a full-year client hears from us, and when.

  1. January

    Your organizer

    A short, personal list of what to send, built from last year’s return, uploaded straight to your portal.

  2. February to April

    Your returns

    Prepared, reviewed by your partner, and walked through with you before you sign anything.

  3. June

    A mid-year look

    A short note on how the year is tracking, and whether estimated payments should change.

  4. October and November

    Year-end planning

    The meeting that matters most: the decisions that still count for this year, while there’s time.

  5. December

    The quiet month

    Payroll year-end, 1099 records gathered, and a calendar for next year sent to your inbox.

A partner reviewing a printed financial statement with a pencil, beside a brass ruler, an adding machine and a cup of coffee.

How we work

We would rather tell you in October than surprise you in April.

  • One partner, every year. The person who signs your return knows your history and picks up the phone.
  • Fees before work. A two-page engagement letter: what we’ll do, what it costs, and when.
  • Answers in writing. Every meeting ends with a short note of what we discussed and what happens next.

Note 4

The tax calendar

The federal dates our clients ask about most, over the next twelve months. Dates that fall on a weekend or holiday are already moved to the next business day.

Next deadline

2 days

Extended individual returns, Thursday, October 15

14 dates

  1. Oct15Extended individual returns dueIndividuals
  2. Jan15Fourth estimated payment for 2026Individuals
  3. Apr15Individual returns due, or extendIndividuals

General information about federal deadlines, not tax advice for your situation. Ohio and city returns, fiscal-year businesses and disaster relief can change your dates. Clients receive a personal calendar each December.

Note 5

The partners

Three partners and a team of nine. Every client has a partner by name, and that partner signs the work.

  • Catherine

    Managing partner · CPA

    Leads the business practice. Works with owner-led companies on their returns, their monthly numbers and the long view: buying a building, adding a partner, selling one day.

    Focus Business tax and advisory

  • Martin

    Partner · CPA

    Leads the individual practice. Families, retirees, executors and trustees, and the planning meeting every autumn that keeps April quiet.

    Focus Individuals, trusts and estates

  • Priya

    Partner · CPA

    Leads reviews, compilations and the nonprofit practice. Presents statements to boards and lenders, and answers their questions in plain words.

    Focus Financial statements and nonprofits

With

  • Owen senior manager, tax
  • Dana senior accountant
  • Luis payroll
  • Mei monthly accounting
  • Ruth client services
  • and four more

Note 6

Sending us documents

Please don’t email tax documents. Your client portal is encrypted, keeps everything in one place, and is where your organizer, returns and signature requests arrive.

  1. Sign in to the portal. Use the invitation we emailed you. Forgotten it? Ruth can resend it the same day.
  2. Upload into this year’s folder. Photos from your phone are fine, as long as every corner is in the frame.
  3. Tick off your organizer. We see what’s arrived and tell you only what’s still missing.
Trouble signing in? (555) 014-3380

Note 7

Questions

The ones we hear most at the first meeting. If yours isn’t here, ask it there.

Do you take new clients during tax season?

Yes, though from mid-February we may file an extension for a new client’s first return so it gets the same care as everyone else’s. An extension gives more time to file, not more time to pay, so we’ll estimate what’s due and help you send it on time.

What does the first meeting cost?

Nothing. It’s forty-five minutes with a partner, at the office or by video. Bring last year’s return if you have it. You’ll leave knowing what we would do, what it would cost, and whether we’re the right firm for you.

Our books are behind. Can you help before the return?

Often, yes. We quote a one-time clean-up separately from the return, catch the books up month by month, and then decide with you whether to keep them current monthly or hand them back.

Can you help with a letter from the IRS?

Yes, including for returns we didn’t prepare. Upload the letter to the portal or bring it in. We’ll explain what it means, what it asks for and by when, and give you an estimate before doing any work on it.

Which software do you work in?

For business books we work in QuickBooks Online or Xero, inside your own company file, which stays yours. Payroll runs through Gusto for most clients. The client portal and e-signatures run on TaxDome.

Do you give investment advice?

No. We don’t sell or recommend investments. We will happily explain the tax side of a decision, and work alongside the financial advisor you already trust.

Request

Request a consultation

Tell us a little about what you need. A partner’s assistant will reply within one business day to set a time.

Length
Forty-five minutes, with a partner
Where
At the office on Court Street, or by video
Bring
Last year’s returns, if you have them
Cost
None, and no obligation

Rather talk now?

(555) 014-3380

Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm

Your request

All fields are required unless marked optional. Please don’t include Social Security numbers or account details.

Who is it for?

What would you like to talk about?

For example: “Two rental homes, and we moved from Pennsylvania in June.”

We reply within one business day.

Note 8

The office

On the second floor of the Hollins Building, at Court Street and Third, across from the county courthouse lawn.

The Hollins Building on Court Street: red brick and pale limestone, tall sash windows and a navy front door, under autumn trees.

Address

Aldridge & Penn, CPAs
118 Court Street, Suite 200
Ellsmere, Ohio

(555) 014-3380

office@aldridgepenn.example

Hours

Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm

Monday to Friday
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Feb 1 – Apr 15
Weekdays until 7 pm, Saturdays 9 – 1

Getting here

Free client parking behind the building, off Third Street; ring the bell at the rear door. The Court Street bus stops at the corner.

Access

Step-free entrance at the rear and an elevator to the second floor. We’re glad to meet at your home or business when that’s easier.

Our secure client portal

Uploads, signatures and your returns live in our client portal, run on TaxDome. On the firm’s live site, this button opens the portal’s sign-in page in a new tab.

This is a sample site, so there’s no portal behind this button.

 Sample site · See our work