Appointment, Tax Filing, Pricing & Policy Updates Effective 01/01/2026
Appointments: Better... Faster!
Your time is valuable- We're doing away with sitting in our office for what can sometimes hours during your tax filing visit. Most appointments should now be completed within a half-hour or less! To achieve this goal, we've implemented the following booking requirement:
Tax Documents including Forms, Letters, Notices, Receipts, Worksheets MUST be Uploaded to the Tax Portal or dropped off at our office 24-Hours PRIOR to your scheduled appointment.
Note: Email and Text are NOT considered secure document delivery methods per IRS and IL State regulations.
Access the Tax Portal here or use the MyCTS.app
Our Office Mailing Address is:
CTS Financial Services, LLC
5362 W Lawrence Ave - Suite CW
Chicago, IL 60630
Note: The USPS may return mail without the Suite # so be sure to include "STE CW"
Tax Filers: Let's Get it Writing!
Before we can start of the review, preparation, submission or presentation of your tax returns, a written work order must be signed by and an authorized member of our our office team. In the accounting field, these work orders are known as Engagement Letters or engagement agreements. The engagement letter protects you and us by outlining the work that will be performed by our office, what you can expect to pay for the work, when payment is due and any actions you must take, and documents you must provide in order to assist us in the process.
A sample of this engagement letter may be viewed here.
Retainer Deposits
In addition to the signed work order (Engagement Letter), an initial deposit or retainer fee may be required prior to the start most fee-based service including tax return preparation.
Taxpayers who are eligible for, and elect to have their filing fees debited from the anticipated tax refund (via the use of our tax refund product providers) are generally Not required to to make a deposit or prepayment, however, a backup payment source or separate payment arrangement may be required to serve as a backup in the event the IRS or state agency does not fund the return for any reason or before June 1, 2026.
Tax Filing Rate & Fee Structure Changes
We have moved away from a flat-fee mode for individual and business tax return filings. Instead fees are based on the type, length and complexity of the return, as well as the amount of time expected to be spent on the preparation, data entry, research, review and submission costs.
While many filers may see only a modest increase in fees, this filers of longer, lengthier returns, filers of certain types of income (such as rental and self-employment), filers with a large numbers of income documents (such as W-2, 1099) and for taxpayers with a large number of brokerage or cryptocurrency transactions (typically reported on form 1099-B or 1099-DA).
Rush Fee May Apply to Some Requests
A Rush Fee of up to 60% of the total standard return filing fees may apply to individual tax returns presented to our office for processing seven (7) or less days prior to the filing deadline (or extension deadline) and fourteen (14) days prior to the filing deadline (or extension deadline) for business returns.
Q: What if I submit my documents or have my return completed prior to these dates, but come in (or finalize remotely) during these dates?
A: This fee does not apply to returns and required documentation presented to our office for completion prior to these dates, even if the return is completed or paid for and filed during these dates,
Non-Cash Payment Service Fee
A 3.5% convenience fee may be added to non-cash payments tendered. This fee does not apply to payments via checks or money orders drawn on U.S. Banks, Postal Money Order, or to network payments made via Zelle, CashApp, Venmo, OnePay, Apple Cash or Chime.