Your Questions, Answered in One Place
Direct answers, organized by topic — and a person one call away if yours isn't here.
How this page works
Ask Everything Before You Commit. That Is What This Page Is For.
Getting Started With GFG
What Accounting Costs
No — it is a genuine estimate. The range reflects the information you enter; final pricing is confirmed in the formal proposal after we verify the details against your actual books.
One month of backwork plus the Initial Strategy Sessions — the catch-up and setup that let monthly service start clean. Backwork depends on the state of your books; if catching up takes more than a month, additional backwork may incur extra charges, and you hear that at verification.
Choose "I'm not sure." The calculator uses a sensible middle value so you still get a range, and the real count gets confirmed at verification.
The calculator returns an estimate, not a package. Service structure and options are laid out in the formal proposal, once we have verified your details — built for your business rather than pulled off a shelf.
Choosing a Firm
A dedicated, multi-disciplinary team; proactive planning throughout the year instead of once-a-year communication; payroll, benefits, 401(k), and business insurance integrated with the accounting; and a pricing estimator that shows you a range before you ever talk to us.
Yes — as tools, under professional review. Nothing an AI tool produces goes to a client, the IRS, or an insurance carrier without a licensed professional reviewing it and standing behind it. The full policy is on our Policy & Ethics page.
Yes. Mid-year switches are normal — we take your books in whatever state they arrive, bring them current, and coordinate the transition with your previous provider where needed.
Use the pricing estimator. It returns a range based on the details you enter, and final pricing is confirmed after we verify those details together.
Credentials, Answered
Three CPAs licensed through the AICPA and registered with the Washington State Board of Accountancy, plus two Enrolled Agents admitted by the IRS — with two more Enrolled Agents in progress.
An Enrolled Agent is a tax professional admitted by the IRS to represent taxpayers directly in tax matters — audits, notices, and correspondence. It is the highest credential the IRS awards.
Yes. Four team members hold Washington life and health insurance licenses, and the firm holds CRIS (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist) and MLIS (Management Liability Insurance Specialist) designations through IRMI.
CPA licenses are searchable through the Washington State Board of Accountancy. Enrolled Agent status can be confirmed with the IRS. Insurance licenses are searchable through the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Ask us and we will point you to the exact lookup.
Your Information
No. Client information is shared only as your engagement requires — tax filings, payroll processing, carriers you have engaged — or as the law requires.
Through the secure client portal — for tax documents, that is SmartVault. If you are unsure, call and we will walk you through it, or send you a fresh invitation. We avoid email for sensitive material.
They are yours. We return or transfer them on request. We retain copies of anything we filed for you — and anything used to prepare it — for seven years, then may archive or remove records at our discretion. You can request removal of your information after that window.
Standards and AI
No. AI-assisted tools may speed up parts of the work, but your return is prepared and reviewed by licensed professionals, and a person signs it. Nothing goes to the IRS without professional review.
We are — the licensed professionals on your account are responsible for all of the work they sign off on. That accountability is enforceable through the licensing bodies listed on this page, which is exactly the difference between a firm and a software subscription.
Yes. We are an independent firm with relationships across many institutions, so recommendations are based on what fits your business.
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Day-to-day transaction recording, bank reconciliation, cash-flow monitoring, and regular financial statements — the work that keeps your books current and your numbers trustworthy. The exact scope is fitted to your business and confirmed in the proposal.
Yes. Catch-up backwork is a normal part of onboarding — we bring the books current first, then monthly service keeps them that way. The one-time backwork investment is shown in your pricing estimate up front.
Software records what you tell it; it does not reconcile accounts, catch discrepancies, or tell you what the numbers mean. We work with your existing systems and organize your books so the reports coming out of them are ones you can act on.
It depends on your transaction volume and complexity — which is exactly what the pricing calculator asks about. Run it and you get a real range in minutes, no callback required.
Payroll & Benefits
Group health plans including medical, dental, and disability coverage, plus HSAs and HRAs. We help you compare network types, plan designs, and deductible levels, then manage enrollment, renewals, and changes after the plan is live.
Yes — payroll and payroll taxes are handled together, which is the point of running payroll through your accounting firm: the filings, the books, and the tax picture stay consistent.
Yes, and it is the recommended shape — payroll entries flow straight into books the same team maintains, so nothing is double-entered and nothing falls between vendors.
Before open enrollment, with enough runway to compare options — but a review is worth doing whenever hiring, retention, or plan costs are on your mind. We watch the market year-round so you do not have to.
Business & Individual Tax
Yes — and it usually works better that way. Business and household taxes affect each other, and one team seeing both sides catches what two separate preparers miss.
Start the online organizer or request a personalized checklist from the office — it tells you exactly what applies to you. Documents go through the secure client portal, not email.
Bring it to us. GFG's Enrolled Agents are admitted by the IRS to represent taxpayers directly in tax matters — audits, notices, and correspondence — so you are not answering the IRS alone.
Before the year ends — ideally as part of ongoing work. Most tax-saving decisions have to be made during the tax year; by filing season, the options have mostly expired.
Yes. Tax documents move through SmartVault, a secure client portal; we avoid email for sensitive material, use multi-factor authentication on client work software, and retain filed records for seven years. The full practice is on our Security & Privacy page.
Business Insurance
Business liability, commercial auto and fleet, equipment, and property coverage, among others — built into a policy based on your industry, business size, location, and employee base. If your business needs a line we have not named, ask; independence means we can shop for it.
It is the document that proves your coverage to a client, landlord, or lender — often required before a contract is signed. GFG handles certificate requests with urgency, because winning work sometimes depends on it.
Yes — construction is a specialty. The firm holds the CRIS designation (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist) and is a member of the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities, so contractor policies get built by people who know the exposures.
Coverage your bank buys on your behalf — at your cost, usually worse and pricier — when it cannot verify you carry your own. The fix is responsive coverage management: policies kept current and proof delivered fast, which is how GFG runs.
Yes. A review means analyzing your current accounts, finding gaps and overlaps, and competitively shopping the market — then telling you directly whether what you have is right, even when the answer is "keep it."
Asked everything?