A quarterly briefing on what’s changing for small businesses, founders, and high-earning households in the Carolinas — published by the CPAs who file your return.
- p.02Q2 estimated-tax recalculation window
- p.04NC pass-through entity tax update
- p.07R&D credit re-amortization — what to file by July
- p.11Asheville restaurant ARR comp study
Your numbers, kept in the quiet, measured hands of a CPA firm that has been doing this for twenty-five years.
We’re a fiduciary practice in downtown Asheville. We file 1,200 returns a year, run the books for 184 small businesses, and have saved our clients $15.4M in tax since opening. We answer the phone when you call. We sign every return.
Every client gets read-only access. We update it weekly. How that works →
Six lines on the ledger. One firm signs them all.
We’re a full-service practice. No outsourcing, no white-label software resold to you at a markup, no partner who hasn’t met your business. Every engagement is reviewed by a credentialed CPA before it leaves the building.
Tax Planning & Preparation
Federal & state returns, multi-state filings, quarterly estimated tax, K-1s, amended returns, IRS correspondence. Year-round planning is included on every engagement — not a separate invoice.
Business Accounting & Bookkeeping
Monthly close, AR/AP, general ledger, QuickBooks & Xero, financial statements, KPI dashboards, board packets. Cash-basis or accrual, your choice. Reconciled weekly.
Audit & Assurance
Compilations, reviews, full GAAP audits for nonprofits and lenders. PCAOB-compliant workpapers, clean-opinion track record at 100%. Yellow Book audits for federal grants on request.
Payroll Services
Full-service payroll for 1-200 employees, multi-state, 1099 contractors, garnishments, 401(k) sync. Gusto & Rippling partners. Quarterly 941s and annual W-2s filed by us.
Business Advisory & Fractional CFO
Cash-flow forecasting, pricing analysis, entity restructuring, S-corp elections, exit planning, fundraise prep. Monthly partner call included. Most clients see ROI within two quarters.
Estate, Trust & Succession Planning
Form 1041 fiduciary returns, Form 706 estate, gift tax (709), trust accounting, generation-skipping strategy. We coordinate directly with your attorney and wealth manager.
We don't believe in the "tax prep is filed and forgotten" model.
§ 1 — One partner, every engagement
You get a named partner who signs your return, takes your call, and stays on your file year after year. No rotating juniors. No automated triage. The partner-to-client ratio at Summit is 1:42 — the AICPA recommends 1:75 as the upper limit.
§ 2 — Quarterly, not annual
A Q1 check-in catches the things that get expensive by Q4. We meet you four times a year, every year, and the meeting is included in your fee. It’s how the $8,400 average savings number actually happens.
§ 3 — Software you actually own
Read-only client dashboard built on top of QBO or Xero — not a proprietary lock-in. If you ever leave, you take your data with you. We won’t hold your books hostage. (We don’t have a clause that lets us.)
— Marie A. Whitaker, CPA, Managing Partner
Four lines from four real client files.
Client names redacted; dollars are real, audited, and represent retained tax savings — not gross revenue growth.
S-corp election + accountable-plan reimbursement. $14k/yr recurring lift, year 4.
Section 174 re-amortization + state R&D stack. Coordinated w/ Series A close.
3 entities, multi-location. Documentation kept clean for the eventual audit (no action).
GST exemption allocation + irrevocable life-insurance trust coordination with counsel.
Four kinds of file on our desk.
Small & Mid-size Businesses
Construction, restaurants, healthcare practices, professional services. Typical revenue $400k–$25M.
Startups & Venture-Backed
Delaware C-corp, Section 174, R&D credit, board reporting, 409A coordination, equity tax for founders.
Individuals & Families
High-earner W-2, multi-state, rental real estate, K-1 investors, RSU/ISO concentration, education planning.
Nonprofits & Foundations
Form 990, single audit (Uniform Guidance), grant compliance, board treasurer support, restricted-fund accounting.
Three names on the door. One signs your return.
Marie A. Whitaker, CPA
UNC Kenan-Flagler ’01. PwC tax (4 yrs) before founding Summit. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist (PFS). Leads the fractional-CFO desk.
Daniel Park, CPA
Wake Forest ’08, KPMG audit (6 yrs). Leads our assurance practice — nonprofits, Yellow Book, lender-required reviews. PCAOB & AICPA peer-reviewed.
Aisha Bell, CPA, MAcc
App State ’12, Dixon Hughes (5 yrs). Runs the monthly close team and payroll desk for 184 retainer clients. QBO & Xero certified ProAdvisor.
A 30-minute call with a partner, on us.
Bring last year’s 1040 (or your business return) and we’ll mark it up — every line where we’d have done something differently, every credit you may have missed, every entity-structure question worth re-opening. No sales pitch. If we can’t add value, we’ll say so on the call.
- Tell us a little about your situation.
- Upload your prior-year return (encrypted).
- We'll schedule a 30-min Zoom with a partner within 3 business days.
- You get a written one-page memo whether or not you hire us.
Encrypted upload available after submission. Marie or Aisha will personally reach back within 3 business days.
Receipts. From real returns.
“Marie caught a $14,000 mistake on our prior CPA’s 2024 return in the first half-hour of our review call. Three years later, she’s our fractional CFO and we just closed our Series A — with her on the diligence call.”
“The quarterly meetings sound like the kind of thing that doesn’t happen. They actually happen. I show up, Aisha has my P&L printed, and we go line by line. I’ve never felt more in control of the business.”
“We needed a Yellow Book audit at 6 weeks’ notice for a federal grant. Daniel and his team turned it around clean, on time, and the auditors didn’t push back on a single workpaper. Hire Summit. Then sleep at night.”
Downtown Asheville.
Suite 410. Knock anytime.
Summit CPA Group, PLLC
84 Battery Park Avenue, Suite 410
Asheville, NC 28801
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- Mon – Fri
- 08:00 — 18:00
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- Saturday
- 09:00 — 13:00 · by appt.
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- Sunday
- Closed
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- Filing season
- Extended hours Feb-Apr
An Asheville-based fiduciary accounting practice. Founded 2001. Three partners. 184 retainer clients. We sign every return.
- Office
- 84 Battery Park Ave · Suite 410 · Asheville, NC 28801
- Phone
- (828) 555-0188
- [email protected]
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00 · Sat 09:00-13:00 by appt.
Memo: Member, AICPA & NC Association of CPAs. PCAOB-registered for audit. Peer-reviewed every 3 years; most recent pass rating, 2024.