“I drive, I freelance, I have a W-2 and a 1099 and no idea what I owe.”
Side-hustle income means self-employment tax, quarterly estimates and deductions most people never claim. We set it up once so April stops being a surprise.
CTEC Registered Tax Preparer · Tustin, CA
You shouldn’t have to guess whether your taxes are right.
Tax preparation and year-round planning from a preparer who shows you the fee before you sign, explains every line before it’s filed, and still answers in July when the letter comes.
- Fees in writing before any work starts
- You review the return before it’s filed
- One person, start to finish
Tustin, CA · By appointmentSee who it’s for
Sound familiar?
Three situations we see every week.
“I get tips and overtime. I heard the rules changed. Nobody has explained them to me.”
The 2025 tax law created new deductions for tipped and overtime pay. They have limits and paperwork. We check what you qualify for and make sure your W-2 supports it.
“We had a baby, bought a house, got married. Our return got complicated overnight.”
A life change moves credits, deductions and filing status at the same time. One careful pass now beats an amended return later.
What we do
Filed right. Planned ahead.
Filed.
For W-2 households and first-time clients.
- Federal and California return, e-filed
- A review call before anything is filed
- A document checklist so nothing is missed
- “What does this letter mean?” support for 12 months
RhythmOnce a year, January to April.
Planned.
For 1099 earners, tipped and overtime workers, new homeowners.
- Everything in Filed
- A mid-year check-in in June
- A fourth-quarter projection in November so there are no surprises
- Quarterly estimate calculations
- A review of last year’s return for missed deductions
RhythmThree touchpoints a year.
Year-Round.
For side-hustles becoming businesses and families with real complexity.
- Everything in Planned
- Quarterly meetings
- Unlimited questions by email
- Year-end bookkeeping tidy-up
- New-business setup guidance
RhythmQuarterly.
Add-onsAmended returnsIRS and FTB letter responsePrior-year catch-up filingExtensions
Fees are quoted in writing before any work starts. California requires it of every CTEC Registered Tax Preparer; we’d do it anyway.
Ask about feesGot a letter?
Got a letter from the IRS? Breathe. Most of them are not audits.
Notices are usually about a missing form, a math adjustment or a payment the IRS has not matched yet. Send a photo of the letter. You get a plain-English answer about what it means and what, if anything, to do next.
Email a photo of the letterHonest answer
TurboTax is fine. Until it isn’t.
Software is enough when…
- One W-2
- No dependents
- No side income
- Standard deduction
- Nothing changed this year
Call us when…
- Any 1099 or app income
- Tips or overtime on your W-2
- A new baby, home, marriage or divorce
- A letter from the IRS or FTB
- You have not filed for a year or more
- You want to plan, not just file
Devin Smith · Tustin, California
About
Hi, I’m Devin Smith.
I started Diligence Tax Services with one rule: nobody should sign a return they don’t understand. I prepare and plan taxes for workers, side-hustlers and families in Orange County, I show you the fee before we start, and I walk you through every line before it’s filed.
CTEC Registered Tax Preparer
California requires registered preparers to complete 60 hours of approved education, renew every year and carry a bond. Verify any preparer, including me, at ctec.org.
Verify my registration
Why the mark
Four operations. One return.
Subtract, add, percent, equals. That is a return: income minus deductions, plus credits, at a rate, equals what you owe or what comes back. The rails connect them in order, because the order matters. The multiply and divide in the middle are the part most people never see: the schedules, the worksheets, the checks. Every line on this site, like every line on your return, is here on purpose.
How it works
Three steps. No surprises.
01
Book a 15-minute call
Tell me your situation. You get a written fee and a checklist the same day.
02
Send your documents
Upload or drop them off. I’ll tell you exactly what’s missing.
03
Review, then file
We go through the return together before it’s filed. You sign when you understand it.
Questions
What people ask first.
Start with a 15-minute call.
No forms to fill out first. Tell me your situation, I’ll tell you the fee and what to bring.
Book a 15-minute callPrefer email? devinsmith@diligencetaxservices.com
Flexible hours by appointment · Tustin, CA