# FAQs | The Saini Ledger - California Bookkeeping and Tax Source: https://thesainiledger.com/faqs/ > Honest answers on services, scope, and response times - from Form 990 deadlines to what a CRTP can and cannot do, in plain language. --- # Real questions. Real answers. These are the questions clients ask us most often. If yours is not here, ask us directly. We add to this page often. Six short chapters. Open the questions that matter to you, and skip the rest. 01 ## Working together How we operate — and what to expect from us. 7 questions ### How is my financial information kept secure? We use a secure client portal for document exchange, not email attachments and not shared drives. Files are encrypted in transit and at rest. We never offshore data. We treat your records the way we would want our own family’s records treated. ### I’m not sure what I need. Can you help me figure that out? Yes. The complimentary 30-minute conversation is exactly for that. We ask, we listen, and we tell you what we honestly think you need, even if that means recommending a different kind of professional. ### What if my books or my records are a mess? You are not alone. The majority of new clients arrive with messy books. There is no judgment here. We diagnose what we are working with, give you a clear scope and quote, and get you back to clean. ### Will I be able to understand the reports you give me? Yes. If a report or a return makes sense only to an accountant, we have not done our job. ### Do you only work in person, in Fairfield? No. We work with California clients across the state by video call, secure portal, and phone. Our office is in Fairfield, and our clients are everywhere from San Diego to Crescent City. ### How quickly do you respond? Within 12 hours, every business day. During the peak of tax season, mid-March through April 15, responses may take up to two business days. We will always respond, even if it is to say we are at capacity. ### How do I get started? Use the contact form or the Start a Conversation button anywhere on this site. We will be in touch within 12 hours, every business day, to confirm a time. 02 ## Credentials and scope What a CRTP can do, and — just as honestly — what we cannot. 3 questions ### What is a CRTP, and how is it different from a CPA? A CRTP, a California Tax Education Council Registered Tax Preparer, is one of the four credentials California legally allows for paid tax preparation, alongside CPAs, Enrolled Agents, and attorneys. The CRTP credential focuses specifically on tax preparation. CPAs hold a broader license that includes attest work such as audits and reviews, and a different educational path. CRTPs complete state-mandated tax education every year, hold a $5,000 surety bond, and are regulated under California Business and Professions Code sections 22250 to 22259. ### If you are not a CPA, what can’t you do? We do not perform financial statement audits, reviews, or compilations. Those are reserved for licensed CPAs. We do not represent clients in U.S. Tax Court. Our IRS representation is limited to returns we prepared and signed, under an IRS Annual Filing Season Program Record of Completion, and the IRS limits it to “only during an examination of the tax year or period covered by the tax returns they prepared and signed.” It does not extend to Appeals or Collections, and we cannot execute closing agreements or waivers, extend a statutory period, or sign a document on your behalf. We do not prepare Form 1120, Form 1120-S, or Form 1065 returns. Those go to a CPA partner. We are open about every line. ### Do you have a CPA you can refer me to? Yes. We keep a small network of trusted California CPAs for audits, S-corporation and partnership returns, and complex matters. We coordinate, we stay in the loop, and we make the handoff easy for you. 03 ## Nonprofits The four-agency maze, and how we keep you clear of it. 5 questions ### Can a nonprofit lose its tax-exempt status? Yes, and automatically. Miss the IRS 990 series three years running and federal law revokes your exemption. No hearing, no appeal, and getting it back means applying all over again. California mirrors this on the state side: three missed Form 199 filings and the FTB revokes too, and a lapsed RRF-1 gets you listed as delinquent, which bars raising or spending charitable funds. We track every one of these dates so none of it ever starts. ### What is the RRF-1, and is it really required? Yes, and it’s the most-missed filing in California charity compliance. It’s the annual renewal filed with the Attorney General’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, separate from anything you file with the IRS or the FTB. Small charities that don’t file a full IRS 990 or 990-EZ attach the CT-TR-1 treasurer’s report with it. Skipping the RRF-1 means delinquency, and a charity that is not in good standing with the Registry may not operate or solicit donations in California. ### Do we need to file a 990 if we made under $50,000? Yes, in almost every case. A small 501(c)(3) with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less generally satisfies the requirement with Form 990-N. Churches and organizations covered by a parent's group return are the main exceptions, and private foundations file Form 990-PF at any size. Three consecutive missed filings means automatic loss of tax-exempt status. ### A donor gave $20,000 for one specific program. How do we track it? Whether a gift is restricted turns on what the donor said and what the gift instrument records. Where it is restricted, it has to stay separate from operating money, in the books and on the statements. That separation is something we set up and reconcile monthly. ### We got a delinquent or suspended notice. What now? Both are common, and both are recoverable. The steps depend on which agency sent it. Send us the notice. We’ve walked clients through every version of this. 04 ## Solopreneurs and small business Side income, estimates, and 1099s, in plain language. 3 questions ### I have a W-2 and side income. Do I need help? It depends on your net number, income minus business expenses. Once that reaches $400 for the year, the IRS adds self-employment tax on top of income tax, the calculation DIY software most often mishandles. Below $400 the income is still reportable, there’s just no SE tax. Either way, a conversation costs nothing. ### What are quarterly estimated taxes? Instead of one large bill in April, the IRS and California collect through the year when withholding won’t cover what you owe. Federally that starts once you expect to owe $1,000. California starts at $500, or $250 if you’re married filing separately. We calculate each payment and tell you what to pay and when. ### Do you file 1099s for my contractors? Yes, on the Pro tier. For payments made on or after January 1, 2026, a Form 1099-NEC is generally required once you pay a contractor $2,000 or more in the year. Payments made in 2025 still follow the old $600 rule. We collect the W-9s, prepare the forms, and file them. 05 ## Individuals Life changed your taxes. Here is what it means. 3 questions ### My RSUs vested. Do I owe more tax? Probably, and the bigger risk is overpaying. The vesting value was already taxed on your W-2, yet brokers routinely report a cost basis that omits it. An uncorrected return taxes the same money twice. We review every 1099-B and make the IRS’s prescribed correction. ### I moved to California mid-year. What now? A part-year California return on Form 540NR, plus a return in your prior state. We handle both. ### Can you help with an ITIN? Yes. An ITIN is a tax ID number for someone who needs to be on a return but can’t get a Social Security number. We handle the Form W-7 application and file accordingly. 06 ## The Give Back program Sarbat da Bhala — the welfare of all. 2 questions ### What is Sarbat da Bhala? Our annual program. One California nonprofit receives six months of full monthly bookkeeping, in-kind. It’s rooted in the principle “the welfare of all.” Details, criteria, and the application window are on the Give Back page. ### When can we apply? October 1 through November 15 each year. The recipient is announced in early December, and service runs January through June. Every applicant, selected or not, receives the California Nonprofit Compliance Checklist and a free 30-minute conversation. --- ## Didn’t find your question? Ask it directly. Thirty minutes, free, no pitch. [Start a Conversation](https://thesainiledger.com/contact/) --- ## About this practice The Saini Ledger is a boutique California bookkeeping, accounting, and tax practice based in Fairfield, serving nonprofits, solopreneurs, and individuals across the state. Avneet Saini is a CTEC Registered Tax Preparer, registration A361273, and a QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor. He is not a Certified Public Accountant, an Enrolled Agent, or an attorney. The practice does not perform financial statement audits, reviews, or compilations, and does not represent clients in U.S. Tax Court. Its IRS representation is limited to returns it prepared and signed, under the Annual Filing Season Program. Audited financial statements must be prepared by an independent CPA. California clients only. Nothing on this page is tax, legal, or financial advice for a specific situation. 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