Medical contractor on full SE tax for years. Prior preparer never raised S-corp. Election filed, reasonable comp set, Solo 401(k) opened. Year-one savings ~$11K, recurring annually.
If you cleared $100K as a 1099 and nobody raised S-corp with you, you've been overpaying by ~15% on every dollar.
The S-corp election isn't a secret. It's the most basic move in a 1099 contractor's tax life. But most preparers don't bring it up — because most preparers don't plan, they file. If your prior preparer never modeled S-corp savings with you, that's where the money is.
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Your tax life looks like one of these. Then the S-corp conversation should have happened years ago.
- Solo 1099 contractor clearing $100K+ net and paying full 15.3% SE tax
- Single-member LLC taxed as a sole prop because nobody filed Form 2553
- S-corp already elected but reasonable comp was never modeled and you're guessing
- S-corp set up by a prior preparer who never set payroll or an accountable plan
- Medical, legal, consulting 1099 with one big client and a clean expense picture
- Trades or services business finally past TurboTax but no real entity strategy
- First year on 1099 from a W-2 transition and the quarterly estimates are guesswork
- Past the LLC step, never got to the election conversation, owe more every April
You're not paying for a strategist. You're paying for an annual file clerk.
These are real things real S-corp-candidate prospects told us in the last 90 days. Names removed. The pain is universal.
"Every time I asked him what we could do for next year, he said: just pay more taxes. That's not what I wanted to do."
$145K 1099 medical · Apr 2026
"I've been on 1099 for three years. My CPA never once said the word S-corp. I found out about it from a YouTube video."
Solo consultant · Mar 2026
"I elected S-corp. Nobody told me I had to actually run payroll. I just kept taking owner draws like before. The IRS noticed."
$180K trades business · Feb 2026
Six moves. Most of them happen in the first 14 days.
The Tax Analysis is where it starts. Here's what shows up in the deliverable when you're in this segment.
- 01
Model the S-corp election with your actual numbers
Not "S-corps save you money in general." Your numbers, your industry, your expenses, your reasonable comp benchmark. The dollar amount you'd have saved last year if the election was already in place.
- 02
Set reasonable comp the IRS won't fight
The number where your payroll tax base is low enough to save real money, high enough that the IRS doesn't audit. We model it against industry benchmarks and document the rationale so it's defensible.
- 03
Build the accountable plan
Home office, vehicle, phone, reimbursable expenses. Most S-corps run without one and lose deductions every year. We give you the template and the documentation chain.
- 04
Late election if it's worth it
You can elect S-corp retroactive to the start of the current year. Sometimes also for prior years. We model whether the late-election remedy is worth filing.
- 05
Solo 401(k) + retirement vehicle stacking
S-corps unlock retirement vehicles sole props don't get. We model Solo 401(k) employee + employer contributions, profit-share, and where the SEP-IRA still makes sense. Typically another $5K–$20K in deferred tax.
- 06
Year-ahead quarterly estimate plan
Quarterly estimates done right means no surprise April bill and no over-withholding. We model your estimates and write the schedule so you don't have to guess.
Three real households. Three real numbers.
Anonymized. Numbers are modeled year-one savings from recent engagements with S-corp candidates.
San Antonio contractor. S-corp existed but reasonable comp was never set and accountable plan didn't exist. Rebuilt the structure, surfaced ~$6.2K in misapplied tax, fixed vehicle election.
Solo consultant 4 years on 1099. Late S-corp election filed for current year, Solo 401(k) maxed, accountable plan built. Year-one savings $22,400, plus retirement vehicle unlocked for first time.
For most S-corp candidates, Standard is the right door in.
Single-entity scope, 3-year diagnostic, advisory delivery session, year-ahead plan. The fee credits 100% to your engagement if you continue with us.
Tax Analysis · Standard tier
3-year scope · single entity · S-corp election analysis · reasonable comp modeling · accountable plan · year-ahead estimate plan.
If you have additional rentals, multi-state filings, or a second entity, we'll route you to Comprehensive ($5K) on the Discovery call.
One 15-minute call. We confirm S-corp fit and the right tier.
The Discovery call is where we look at your specific income, expenses, and entity picture. If S-corp isn't right for you yet, we'll say so. If it is, we'll have you in the analysis within 48 hours.
Book the 15-min Discovery →