Preparing taxes is not necessarily a matter of numbers, but more about how the tax code is interpreted. It is about language and about making your tax life conform to the tax code.
TTS (also known as Teachers Tax Service) was started in 1979 by Jim Funkhouser, a Professor of Linguistics, who understood that the tax code is made up of words not numbers and is therefore mostly about interpretation. Thirty plus years ago it seemed like audits happened all the time and Jim was no exception. He was audited by the IRS several times in the 1970’s and won all of the audits. Soon word got out and people started to ask for his help. Jim showed his colleagues around the St. Louis area that he not only understood the uniqueness of how Professors complete their jobs, but also what it takes for a professor to develop oneself within the job. He married that understanding with his high level of knowledge of working with the IRS, and TTS was born. Now, Professors from all over the world seek us out.
Throughout the years we have taken Jim’s unique approach and developed it to work for other types of professions. TTS now prepares over 2000 returns a year, for people in every profession, as well as organizations of all types (Partnerships, Corporations, Fiduciaries and Exempt Organizations) all over the U.S.
And when people get a job assignment overseas or people from other countries arrive from overseas things can get tricky. If you have ever tried to prepare a tax return for two states you understand the complications that can arise. When you add issues of tax treaties with other countries it is doubly difficult. TTS has developed a process which helps us navigate through the Tax Treaties, Visas, and the tax code to make them work on your behalf.