The Firm of Gardner & Billing, CPAs PLLC

Students and parents can now fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2017-18 year beginning on Oct. 1, 2016! Things to Remember Your student's FAFSA will need to be completed by the school’s priority deadline for priority consideration for scholarships and financial aid awards. For some schools this is Dec. 1, 2016. You and your student will use completed tax information from two years prior when submitting the FAFSA. So, use 2015 tax information if your student plans on attending college during the 2017-18 school year. If parents and students filed a 2015 federal tax return, they should use the FAFSA IRS Data Retrieval Tool to populate their income on the FAFSA. This will prevent having to submit a copy of the tax return to the financial aid office at a later date. Newly admitted students who meet the Dec. 1 priority deadline will receive award notices before Jan. 1. Current students will begin receiving award notices before March 15. Famil...

Remembering 9/11: The Photo Archive A photographer documents the efforts of Ground Zero workers in the days after September 11th. Part of the Emmy Award winning web series, Remembering 9/11

We want to keep you informed about some major changes coming in 2017.   As it turns out, tax year 2016 is the year of deadline changes!   The IRS has put several new and important filing deadlines in place for the coming tax season that have a BIG impact on both you and our office.... **1065 Partnerships** New entity filing structures have been put in place for the 2016 tax year which has moved the due date of 1065 Partnership tax returns forward to MARCH 15, 2017. In prior years, 1065 filing was due by April 15 th , so this new deadline means you have 30 fewer days to prepare your tax information.   Now is a good time to get your record up to date, so that you only have to finish the final few months to have your information completed.  **1120 Corporations** New entity filing structures have been put in place for the 2016 tax year which has extended the due date of your 1120 Corporation (C-Corp) tax return to APRIL 15, 2017. ...

The office of Gardner & Billing CPAs  will be closed Monday, September 5th  in observance of Labor Day.   Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend!

 You may have recently received a business mailing from the Montana Secretary of State.   In fact, you may have received multiple mailings containing activation codes for the new SIMS(be) online system.   So what exactly is SIMS and why is your code important?   What is SIMS (BE)? The new Secretary of State Information Management System (SIMS) Business Entity (BE) system allows online access to business documents and filings with the Montana Secretary of State.   What that means is, once registered, you can access your business entity documents (such as articles of incorporation) and submit your business report filings online.   Why register and why is the code important?     If you manage a corporation or LLC, you are required to file an annual report with the MT Secretary of State each year by April 15 th .   Previously, you could very simply file this report online via the SOS website by using your business ...

If you filed a 2015 tax return extension, the final filing deadline is October 17th, 2016.    The summer is slipping away and October will be here before we know it, so it's a good time to start thinking about your bookkeeping!  If we have not yet received your complete tax information, please start rounding it up now.  We need all information by October 1st (at the very latest) to ensure we have enough time to complete your returns.  If you have any questions or concerns related to your tax extension, please feel free to call our office, or stop by.  Following Labor Day, our office is back to regular hours and we will be open 5 days a week.