Tune in to WAEB 790AM

Tuesday morning May 5th at 9:00am to hear our own Kris DePaolo discuss the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) with host Bobby Gunther Walsh.

Reserve your webinar slot as soon as possible.

Thank you for your interest in our interpretation of the complex new CARES Act. To help facilitate the discussion on the various programs available to business owners we are hosting webinars beginning Tuesday March 31^st. There will be an overview followed by a Q&A session. 

Below is a schedule, please respond with your preferred time slot (simply denote by letter) and we will send out a calendar invite. All times are in East Coast Standard.

Slot B – Tuesday March 31^st 3:30pm

Slot C – Wednesday April 1^st – 10am

Slot D – Wednesday April 1^st – 1:30pm

Slot E – Wednesday April 1^st – 4pm

Slot F – Thursday April 2 – 11:00am

Slot G – Thursday April 2 – 2:00pm

Please call or email to reserve your webinar slot, 610-770-9236 or info@wernercpa.net.

Thank you for your interest and stay safe,
Kristofer M DePaolo, CPA  |  CEO

What a week and what a time in US history!

To Clients and Friends —

I will cut to the point – Governor Wolf ordered that “all non-life sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania close or face enforcement action.” That enforcement will go into effect 12:01am Saturday March 21, 2020. For this reason, we are not staffing our Allentown office after Friday March 20, 2020. Our staff is working remotely and it’s important that you know we will be serving our clients as earnestly as ever. If you were scheduled to meet in-person with a member of our team, we will be in touch shortly to reschedule that meeting to a phone call.  

Parallel to Governor Wolf’s order, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced “We are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15, all taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties.”

What this means to our clients – in the middle of the tension and uncertainty, the tax world is back to normal but pushed back 90 days. If we completed your return and you have a balance due to the IRS, that payment is now due 7/15/2020. You do not need a new voucher or any additional forms, simply make payment on 7/15.  

If your return is not complete as of this email, there is no further action required on your part. Tax Day is now 7/15/2020 and we will continue working on your returns.  As usual, a member of our team will contact you with any questions/information requests.  

We will work as diligently as we can under these new circumstances and your patience is appreciated. It is our responsibility to file your return on time and we will do so. This environment is changing by minute – there are new tax credits, stimulus payments, loan forgiveness among a host of other items in discussion and we update our Emergency Tax Updates webpage as information becomes available.

We at Werner & Company CPAs stand with our community to keep everyone safe and end the spread of COVID-19. Stay safe, everyone – and thank you for the trust you have placed in us. We are confident by working together we will overcome this.

Sincerely,
Kristofer DePaolo, CEO

We would first like to extend our heartfelt wishes that you and your families are as well as can be expected in these times.

To our clients and friends —

Our hearts especially go out to anyone directly impacted by the virus and all healthcare professionals who are battling on the front lines.

At Werner & Co CPAs we are doing our part to help “flatten the curve” and are looking out for our employees and the general well-being of our nation. We are assessing the situation daily, remaining vigilant, and following all recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local authorities.

On Tuesday March 17, 2020, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced taxpayers and businesses will have until July 15, 2020 to pay any unpaid 2019 taxes. All estimated taxes for first quarter 2020 are also delayed until July 15, 2020. All individual U.S taxpayers and businesses qualify for this extension to pay.

What does this mean for you and your tax return – Tax Day remains at April 15^th, 2020. To serve you and make sure we continue to deliver the quality, excellence and timeliness you expect from us. If you have a balance due, we will file for an extension by April 15, 2020. You will then have until 7/15/2020 to make your tax payment. If you are due a refund, we are working vigorously on completing your tax return by the 4/15 deadline. This extension to pay does not impact refunds, refunds are still being paid.

If you are receiving this message and your return has been completed with a balance due, you need not send the payment until 7/15/2020. Nothing needs to be changed on the return or the voucher you have in hand. Simply write the check and mail it by July 15.

If you have specific questions, please feel free to call or email our office. This environment is changing quickly. Next up will be the stimulus package being discussed in the Senate. That will look to provide employers and taxpayers with aid in the form of SBA financing, payroll tax reductions, and direct stimulus payments among other things.

We thank you for your patience and continued trust while we adapt to this everchanging landscape. This pandemic will challenge us all but working together I know we will be successful in navigating this crisis.

We will keep you apprised as things change, in the interim please stay safe.

— Kris DePaolo, CEO

Lehigh Valley Business feature Lists & Leads:
Behind the List with Kristofer M. DePaolo of Werner & Co. CPAs

(republished with permission, Lehigh Valley Business)

Owning and operating a successful business is no easy feat.

Managing operating costs, retaining good employees and many other factors are vital to success. And with all of the dollars flowing in and out daily and with the importance of long-term financial planning, it’s imperative to have an accountant.

Throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley, there are accounting and tax preparation firms equipped with the resources to help your business thrive.

One firm that has a significant presence in the region is Werner & Co. CPAs in Lower Macungie Township.

Here to answer this week’s “Behind the List” questions is Kristofer M. DePaolo, CEO of the firm.

Lehigh Valley Business: How long has Werner & Co. CPAs been operating in the region and what are its primary services?

Kristofer M. DePaolo: Andrew Werner opened the practice in 1988, initially from his home office. Almost 30 years later, we have a location in downtown Wescosville on Hamilton Boulevard and another on West Broad Street in Bethlehem.

We focus primarily on tax planning and preparation for business and individual clients. We work directly with the IRS [Internal Revenue Service] on offers in compromise, installment plans, notices and resolution of a broad range of other difficulties for clients having IRS troubles.

Consulting, bookkeeping and payroll services help round out the primary boutique services we offer to our business clients with an emphasis on consulting and planning.

LVB: What have been some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that Werner & Co. CPAs has encountered throughout its years in business?

DePaolo: One challenge has been finding qualified staff. Our firm is unique in that we invite the clients to ask questions and interact with all the staff members, and we need knowledgeable, personable people to help guide our clients.

Our emphasis for staff is work/life balance, and the fact that we have flexible hours and the technology to work from anywhere helps a great deal with that balance.

In the ever-changing world of technology, the paramount issue for us is security.

Like all CPA [Certified Public Accounting] firms, we handle a tremendous amount of sensitive data for our clients and we don’t take that trust lightly. We outsource our information technology and data security to a technically forward-thinking local company that monitors and manages our network 24/7, continuously updating software, virus protection and making sure everything is sound and secure.

By embracing technology, our firm has grown, and now helps clients anywhere from Allentown to Australia.

LVB: How does Werner & Co. CPAs directly stimulate the local economy? How does it get involved with the local community?

DePaolo: I believe small businesses are the lifeblood of communities, providing employment opportunities, understanding their customers on a personal level and innovating service and delivery methods.

Our firm is also a small business, so we understand the information small businesses need to operate effectively. As we develop information for our clients’ required filings, we try always to apply that information to better manage the business and help the owners improve.

By helping our clients generate usable management information, we try give them an advantage within their own segments of the Lehigh Valley economy. We appreciate the loyalty clients give to us, and, whenever we can, we look for opportunities to reciprocate that loyalty.

Our staff all live and work here in the Lehigh Valley and look to give back in any way they can. Some of the ways we contribute are service on boards of local nonprofits, being active within the local Rotary chapters and volunteering time and energy for several causes.

For example, altogether we have dozens of years of board participation with Camelot for Children, Equi-librium, The Swain School and KidsPeace.

LVB: Does Werner & Co. CPAs provide its services solely in the Lehigh Valley, or does it expand into other markets? Who are some of its most notable clients in the region?

DePaolo: Many of our clients are here in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties. We do have clients in manufacturing and professional services and the retail industry operating in multiple states and/ or living across the country.

With the changes in technology, we can do business anywhere there is an internet connection.

In addition to the industries just mentioned, we serve the real estate industry, financial advisory firms, craft brewers, landscaping companies and private medical practices.

LVB: What does the future look like for Werner & Co. CPAs? Does it have plans for growth?

DePaolo: The future of our profession in whole is bright, and while there will be plenty of changes as automation grows and becomes more involved in all our lives, I don’t believe there will ever be a substitute for client interaction.

Computers can do many things to make our lives easier, but by sitting with clients and helping them with their business, we gain insight and build strong, trusting relationships. In turn, that helps us use our experience to help them avoid problems we’ve seen in the past.

For those and many other reasons, there will always be a significant human element to our practice and the accounting industry.

As for growth, we welcome that small-business owner looking to learn new things, grow their business and take some of the burden off their already overflowing plate.