Photo Essay by Calli Mueller

Surviving Tax Season at K.A. Mueller Accounting

“Tax season is the busy season for many tax preparers and accounting professionals. This three and a half month period is the time that people collect the necessary paperwork, including wage and earnings statements (such as 1099s or W-2s) and assemble tax returns.”

                Kendrew Mueller was working a different job when he started his accounting business. When he started it he was working out of the basement, and then he realized he could make a business out of this. In 2006 he opened his official accounting office in Hastings Michigan. His number of clients is growing every year

Tax season for my dad and his staff means the busiest and most stressful time of the year. He works weekends and late nights. April 15th is the due date for filing the annual tax return so he is constantly worried about the deadlines. To keep clients in a good mood we keep a community jar of tootsie rolls for their enjoyment. It is basically a feeding frenzy and the jar is refilled quite often.

My sister Emma has been working in the office since 2008 and one of her many jobs is to assemble a tax return. The process begins when the client drops off the tax documents and the front staff enters the tax return. My dad then reviews the tax return before it is printed, scanned, and compiled into the client folders. After this the clients are called to pick up, sign, and pay for their tax return. Then as the final step my dad efiles them.

So far the business has been doing well, and we even opened up a branch in Caledonia for a while. He has been making enough money to support us, and the main income period for us is during tax season. Through this business he has been to benefit the community by providing a few jobs and a hospitable tax service.

Accountant Kendrew Mueller opening the office for the day.



A mug sitting in the foreground with accountant Kendrew Mueller in the background working at his desk.

 

Kendrew Mueller, owner of K.A. Mueller Accounting in Hastings MI.

 

Kendrew Mueller reviewing tax return source documents before they are assembled.

 

A copier sitting on one of the desks, next to the stack of client files.

Stacks of client files waiting to be processed.

Employee and daughter of Kendrew Mueller, Emma Mueller.

Emma Mueller going through the process of assembling a tax return.

Emma Mueller highlighting an important part of the tax return for the client.

Emma Mueller scanning in the source documents for the tax return.

Emma Mueller stapling the assembled tax return.

Emma Mueller calling the client telling them that their tax return is ready to be picked up.

Employee Emma Mueller handing a tax return to a client.

A jar of tootsie rolls for the clients.

Kendrew Mueller working late into the evening at the office.

Kendrew Mueller locking up the office after a long day of work.

The End