Credentialed Small-Business Tax Advisor — CPA or EA with New Jersey, CPG & QuickBooks Experience

About Dune Theory Dune Theory LLC is a New Jersey single-member LLC developing a premium cosmetic scalp-care product. The company is currently pre-revenue and expects a potential product launch in November or December 2026. During 2026, the company is incurring expenses related to: Formulation and product development Technical packaging consulting Product and packaging testing Branding and marketing Legal and professional services Contract-manufacturer evaluation Business software and administration Domestic and international contractors Payments are made through business bank and credit-card accounts, Upwork, Wise, and other vendor platforms. The company expects to sell through Shopify and will eventually hold packaging components and finished-goods inventory. The founder intends to maintain the routine bookkeeping while transaction volume remains manageable. We are not currently seeking full-service monthly bookkeeping. The engagement We are seeking an active Certified Public Accountant or Enrolled Agent who can provide year-round tax and accounting guidance for 2026 and potentially continue with us through 2027. The ideal advisor will help Dune Theory establish an accurate tax and bookkeeping foundation before launch, rather than waiting until tax-return season to reconstruct the company’s activity. The engagement will begin with a limited paid diagnostic milestone. Later work may include QuickBooks setup or review, year-end tax planning, preparation of the 2026 federal and New Jersey returns, and periodic 2027 advisory support. Current advisory needs The selected professional should be able to advise on: Federal and New Jersey treatment of a single-member LLC Schedule C reporting Identification of the company’s active-business commencement date Startup and organizational expenditures Product-development and formulation expenditures Packaging research, samples, testing, and commercial packaging Contractor and consultant expenses Manufacturing deposits and pilot-production charges Inventory and cost-of-goods treatment Owner contributions, owner draws, and reimbursements Business expenses paid personally by the founder Business mileage, travel, meals, and meeting documentation Domestic contractor documentation, including W-9 and potential 1099 obligations Foreign contractor documentation, including W-8 forms and services paid through Wise Upwork payment and reporting considerations New Jersey tax and sales-tax readiness Shopify and future multistate sales-tax considerations Estimated-tax requirements Whether and when an S-corporation analysis may become appropriate QuickBooks Online setup and chart-of-accounts structure We are looking for practical, supportable tax guidance—not aggressive deduction strategies. Potential continuing needs Subject to satisfactory performance, future work may include: QuickBooks Online setup or review Review of founder-maintained bookkeeping Year-end adjustment entries Inventory and COGS review November or December 2026 tax planning Contractor-reporting review before January deadlines Preparation and e-filing of the 2026 federal and New Jersey returns in 2027 Estimated-tax planning Quarterly 2027 tax and financial reviews Future S-corporation analysis Support responding to IRS or New Jersey notices Credential requirement Applicants must be either: An active Enrolled Agent in good standing with the IRS; or An active CPA licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction Uncredentialed tax preparers and general bookkeepers will not be considered for this advisory role. Shortlisted applicants must be willing to provide sufficient information for independent credential verification before engagement, including: Full legal name associated with the credential Credential type CPA license or EA enrollment number Issuing state or federal authority Current license or enrollment status Legal name of the accounting or tax firm, where applicable Confirmation of a current PTIN if preparing federal returns Identification of the individual who will actually perform and sign the work Dune Theory will independently verify CPA or EA credentials before funding the first milestone or sharing sensitive financial and tax documents. Applicants should not submit Social Security numbers, EFIN information, identification documents, or other sensitive personal information with the initial proposal. Required experience Strong candidates should have experience with: New Jersey individual and small-business taxation Single-member LLCs and Schedule C Pre-revenue or launch-stage companies Physical consumer products, beauty, wellness, retail, or e-commerce Inventory and cost of goods sold QuickBooks Online Startup and pre-opening expenditures Domestic and international contractors W-9, W-8, and 1099 documentation Owner-maintained bookkeeping Shopify or direct-to-consumer companies Year-round tax planning—not only tax-return preparation Cosmetics experience is helpful but not mandatory. Experience with inventory-based consumer-product companies is more important. Milestone 1 — Tax and Accounting Readiness Diagnostic Purpose: Evaluate professional fit and create a practical 2026–2027 tax and accounting roadmap. Timeline: 5–7 business days after credential verification and receipt of onboarding materials Initially, we would provide a controlled onboarding package containing: Company formation and tax-registration summary General 2026 expense summary List of bank, credit-card, and payment platforms Contractor and vendor overview Anticipated launch and revenue timeline Current bookkeeping approach Summary of expected formulation, packaging, manufacturing, and inventory activity Specific founder questions Sensitive source documents would be shared only through an agreed secure process after credential verification and execution of the engagement. Milestone 1 deliverables 1. Initial consultation One 60–90-minute video meeting to review: Business structure Current operations Anticipated launch Founder bookkeeping plan Major expense categories Contractor arrangements Inventory and manufacturing expectations 2026 and 2027 tax-planning needs 2. Written diagnostic and recommendations A concise written memorandum addressing: Entity and filing status Current anticipated federal and New Jersey filing treatment Known 2026 filing requirements Any missing registrations, elections, or compliance items Open questions requiring additional facts Expense-classification framework Preliminary guidance separating: Startup expenses Organizational expenses Current operating expenses Product-development or research-related expenses Packaging development and samples Commercial packaging and inventory CMO deposits and manufacturing costs Fixed assets or equipment Owner contributions Owner draws Founder-paid expenses and reimbursements The advisor should identify which conclusions are preliminary and which require review of additional records. Bookkeeping recommendations Recommended accounting software and plan level Preliminary chart-of-accounts structure Suggested treatment of vendors paid through Upwork and Wise Receipt and documentation standards Monthly reconciliation process Recommended reports to review Any classes, locations, tags, or tracking categories that would be useful Contractor-compliance review W-9 requirements W-8 requirements 1099 considerations Upwork payment documentation Wise transfer documentation Foreign-contractor recordkeeping January reporting calendar New Jersey and launch readiness NJ tax obligations that apply now Sales-tax preparations before launch Shopify and future nexus considerations Estimated-tax considerations Recommended tax calendar through the 2026 return filing Recommended continuing engagement The advisor should propose: Work that should be completed immediately Work that can wait until year-end Work required before commercial production Work required before January reporting deadlines Proposed later milestones Indicative fixed fees or fee ranges for those milestones 3. Readout meeting One 45–60-minute review meeting to: Explain recommendations Answer founder questions Identify decisions requiring follow-up Agree on any immediate corrective actions Determine whether both parties wish to continue 4. One clarification round One limited written clarification round addressing misunderstandings or incomplete recommendations. Milestone 1 exclusions The diagnostic should not automatically include: Full historical bookkeeping cleanup Categorization of every 2026 transaction Preparation of tax returns Filing amended returns Preparation of every 1099 Sales-tax registrations in multiple states Payroll setup S-corporation election preparation Audit or notice representation Monthly bookkeeping Formal reviewed or compiled financial statements Those items would be separately scoped. Proposal requirements Applicants should answer the following: 1. Are you an active CPA or Enrolled Agent? State your credential type and issuing authority. 2. How many New Jersey individual or single-member LLC returns do you typically prepare? 3. Describe your experience with pre-revenue or launch-stage businesses. 4. Describe your experience with inventory-based consumer-product, beauty, e-commerce, or Shopify companies. 5. How do you approach costs incurred before a company begins selling? 6. What experience do you have with QuickBooks Online and founder-maintained bookkeeping? 7. What experience do you have with Upwork, Wise, foreign contractors, W-8 forms, and 1099 questions? 8. Would you personally perform the work? If not, identify the role of anyone else who would participate. 9. Do you offer year-end planning and return preparation in addition to consulting? 10. What secure process do you use for exchanging tax and financial documents? 11. Do you provide a professional engagement letter? 12. What is your proposed fixed price and timeline for Milestone 1? 13. What is your indicative fee range for the 2026 federal and New Jersey return? 14. What availability do you have during November–December 2026 and February–April 2027? Please begin your proposal with: Dune Theory Tax Readiness Generic proposals that do not respond to the requested experience and credential requirements will not be considered. Recommended milestone roadmap Pre-contract step — Credential verification Timing: Before sensitive disclosures or funding We verify: -EA status directly through the IRS -CPA license through the issuing state and CPAverify -Active PTIN if the person will prepare the return -Professional identity and firm identity -Any visible disciplinary or enforcement information The IRS also maintains a searchable directory of credentialed federal return preparers with active PTINs. Milestone 1 — Tax and Accounting Readiness Diagnostic Timing: July or August 2026 This is the fit milestone. We should be able to stop after it without losing control of the books or tax process. Milestone 2 — Bookkeeping System Setup and 2026 Implementation Timing: After Milestone 1, only if needed Potential deliverables: -QuickBooks account review or setup -CPA/EA-approved chart of accounts -Opening-balance guidance -Owner contribution and draw accounts -Product-development and inventory categories -Vendor and contractor structure -Review of a sample or defined number of transactions -Written categorization guide -Monthly founder checklist -One follow-up review after the founder completes the first reconciliation The price should depend on transaction volume and whether cleanup is required. Milestone 3 — 2026 Year-End Tax Planning Timing: November or December 2026 Potential deliverables: -Review year-to-date P&L and balance sheet -Review actual launch and revenue status -Reassess the business commencement date -Review startup expenses and development costs -Review inventory, deposits, and COGS -Estimate federal and New Jersey tax liability Identify deductions requiring action before December 31 -Review contractor-documentation status -Determine whether estimated payments are needed -Preliminary 2027 S-corporation analysis, where warranted -Written year-end action list Milestone 4 — 2026 Tax-Return Preparation Price: Quoted after the advisor reviews the completed books Timing: Early 2027 The return milestone should specify exactly what is included, such as: Federal Form 1040 Schedule C for Dune Theory, assuming no entity election changes New Jersey resident return Business-related schedules and forms Electronic filing One tax-return review meeting Estimated-tax vouchers, where applicable Defined post-filing notice support Milestone 5 — Optional 2027 Quarterly Advisory Rather than starting with a monthly retainer, I would use quarterly fixed-price reviews. Each review might cover: Bookkeeping health Profit and cash-flow trends Estimated taxes Inventory and COGS Contractor compliance Sales-tax developments S-corporation timing Founder compensation Planning for the next production run