You didn't ask for this role — we'll help you carry it
If you're managing taxes for a parent, spouse, or family member as a power of attorney, guardian, conservator, executor, or trustee, we'll handle the filings and explain exactly what's required — in plain language, not jargon.
Find the situation that matches yours
Every fiduciary role comes with different authority and different filing obligations. Pick the one that matches your situation and we'll walk you through exactly what's required.
POA & Guardian
Managing taxes for someone under a durable power of attorney or court-appointed guardianship.
ViewConservator
Court-supervised financial management, including tax filing and conservatorship accounting.
ViewDeceased & Estates
Handling the final return, estate income tax, and estate tax filings after someone passes.
ViewTrusts
Ongoing trust tax compliance for trustees, whether the grantor is living or has passed.
ViewBeneficiaries
You received a K-1 from an estate or trust and need help with the return it generates.
ViewManaging someone else's taxes when they can no longer manage them
If you hold a power of attorney or have been appointed as guardian, you may be responsible for filing tax returns — federal and state — on behalf of the person in your care. We handle the tax side so you can focus on everything else.
What this involves
A durable power of attorney that covers financial matters — or a court order appointing you as guardian — gives you authority to act on someone's behalf in tax matters. We file their annual returns, respond to IRS and state notices, and file Form 2848 so we can communicate with the IRS directly on your behalf. Unlike conservators, POA holders and guardians typically don't have formal court accounting requirements — but the tax filing obligation, including state returns, is very real.
Annual Tax Filing — Federal & State
Individual federal and state returns for the person in your care, signed under your authority as POA or guardian.
Learn moreRetiree Tax Returns
RMDs, pension income, Social Security — many POA and guardian situations involve elderly individuals with complex income streams.
Learn morePrior Year & Unfiled Returns
Catching up on personal federal and state returns that weren't filed before your authority was established.
Learn moreCourt-supervised financial management — including the tax and accounting obligations
As a conservator, you're responsible for managing another person's financial estate under court supervision. That includes tax filings — federal and state — and often a formal conservatorship accounting for the court as well.
What makes conservatorships different
Unlike a POA, a conservatorship is court-supervised with periodic reporting obligations — including a formal accounting of all assets, income, and disbursements. We prepare both the ward's tax return and the conservatorship accounting, coordinated so nothing falls through the cracks.
Annual Tax Filing — Federal & State
Individual federal and state returns for the ward, signed under your authority as conservator.
Learn moreConservatorship Accounting
Formal accounting of the ward's estate for court filing — receipts, disbursements, and current inventory.
Learn morePrior Year Returns
Catching up on returns that weren't filed before your appointment — federal and state.
Learn moreWhen someone passes, the tax obligations don't
Death triggers a cluster of tax filing requirements — for the decedent, for the estate, and potentially for estate and gift tax. We handle all of them together, coordinated around your probate timeline.
What typically needs to be filed
Most estates involve several returns that each serve a different purpose. The final 1040 covers the decedent's income up to the date of death. The estate's Form 1041 covers income earned after death. Form 706 is the estate tax return — with a $15 million exemption in 2026, many estates won't owe tax, but it's still worth filing to preserve the portability election (DSUE) for a surviving spouse. Form 709 covers gifts made in the year of death. We look at the full picture and make sure nothing is missed.
A note on who has authority: In most estates the executor named in the will files everything. When there's no will, a court-appointed administrator fills that role. In contested or time-sensitive situations, a court may appoint a special administrator — someone with limited authority to preserve assets or handle a specific task while the full appointment is pending. If you've been appointed in any capacity, we can work with whatever authority you hold and advise on the scope of your filing obligations.
Final 1040 — Deceased Taxpayer
The decedent's last individual return — income from January 1 through the date of death.
Learn moreEstate Income Tax (Form 1041)
The estate's income tax return — covers income earned after death, with K-1s for each beneficiary.
Learn moreFederal Estate Tax (Form 706)
Required for larger estates — and worth filing for the DSUE portability election even when no tax is owed.
Learn moreDSUE & Portability Election
Preserving the deceased spouse's unused exemption — a nine-month deadline that can't be missed.
Learn moreGift Tax Return (Form 709)
Gifts made in the year of death require a final 709, coordinated with the estate tax return.
Learn moreProbate Tax Support
Prior year unfiled returns, amended filings, and IRS notices that surface during estate administration.
Learn moreFiduciary Accounting (UPIA)
When distributions are unequal or complex, a formal accounting tracks every beneficiary's share correctly.
Learn moreTrust tax compliance — whether the grantor is living or gone
Trusts can exist entirely independent of a death event, and their ongoing tax obligations are often misunderstood by the trustees responsible for them. We handle trust income tax returns and the accounting that goes with them.
Trusts have their own tax obligations
An irrevocable, special needs, or charitable trust is its own taxpaying entity — it needs its own EIN, its own annual Form 1041, and K-1s for any beneficiaries who received distributions. If the trust has multiple beneficiaries with different interests, a UPIA accounting ensures every distribution is properly allocated between income and principal.
Trust Income Tax (Form 1041)
Annual income tax return for the trust, with K-1s for each beneficiary who received a distribution.
Learn moreFiduciary Accounting (UPIA)
Principal and income accounting — especially important when income and remainder beneficiaries have different interests.
Learn moreBeneficiary 1040 with K-1s
We can prepare beneficiary returns alongside the trust return to keep everything coordinated.
Learn moreYou received a K-1 — now what?
K-1s from estates and trusts have unique rules that most preparers don't deal with regularly. We handle them correctly — including the final-year excess deductions and inherited IRA situations that are frequently missed.
Beneficiary 1040 with K-1s
Individual return preparation for beneficiaries receiving K-1s from estates or trusts.
Learn moreInherited Assets & Stepped-Up Basis
Sale of inherited property and basis questions that arise when assets pass through an estate.
Learn moreInherited IRA & Retirement Accounts
The 10-year rule, annual RMD requirements, and the distribution planning that determines your tax exposure.
Learn moreInvestments & K-1s
If the estate or trust passed through partnership K-1s or complex investment income, we handle those too.
Learn more