Returns we prepare
Individuals and families
Form 1040 with the California return, equity compensation, rental property, and multi-state situations. Many of our Folsom clients commute to Sacramento or work remote for Bay Area employers, and we handle the wrinkles that come with that.
Small businesses
S corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietors. If you run a business anywhere along the Highway 50 corridor, we prepare the business return and your personal return together, because the two only make sense as a pair.
Catch-up and cleanup
Behind a year or three? It happens more often than you would guess. We file past-due returns and get you current with the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board without judgment.
Why an Enrolled Agent
Trailhead Tax is led by Clay Welch, MST, EA. An Enrolled Agent is licensed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury specifically in taxation, with unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. That specialization matters in California, where the state's rules frequently depart from the federal tax code that Congress writes, and where the Franchise Tax Board is famously persistent. An enrolled agent is licensed directly by the IRS to prepare returns and represent taxpayers, which is the credential most Folsom searchers mean when they look for a tax expert nearby.
We are proudly local. Formerly known as C&A Welch Inc, we have served Folsom for years from our office at 101 Parkshore Drive, and the rebrand to Trailhead Tax reflects how we work: preparation is the trailhead, not the summit. The return documents the year you already had. The planning we do together shapes the year you are about to have, which is where the real savings live. That ongoing work is what we call the climb.
What working together looks like
We start with a short intro call to make sure we are a fit. From there you get a secure portal for your documents, a clear fixed quote before any work begins, and direct access to the person actually preparing your return. Prefer to meet in person? We are five minutes off Highway 50 near Folsom Lake. Prefer never to leave your house? The whole process works remotely too.
If you also need your books kept straight through the year, we pair tax preparation with bookkeeping in Folsom so your return starts from numbers you can trust.
Folsom tax preparation questions
Do I have to come into the office?
No. Our office is at 101 Parkshore Dr Suite 100 in Folsom, about five minutes off Highway 50 near Folsom Lake, and you are welcome to meet in person. The whole process also works remotely, with documents shared through a secure client portal.
How much does tax preparation cost?
You get a clear, fixed quote before any work begins, so the price is settled up front. Current membership pricing is on our pricing page.
Can you help if I am behind on filing?
Yes. We file past-due returns and get you current with the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board, without judgment. Being a year or three behind happens more often than people guess.
Can you answer an IRS or Franchise Tax Board notice for me?
Yes. An Enrolled Agent is licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS, and routine notices (balance due, math error, missing information) for years we prepared are included for our Ascent members, and Summit members have every notice for years we prepared handled by us, then the cause is fixed so the letter does not come back.
Do you prepare business returns as well as personal ones?
Yes. We prepare returns for S corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietors, and we prepare the business return and your personal return together, because the two only make sense as a pair.