Ziptax

ZipTax has been trading in the Redding area since 1987; Heather Bockrath's family bought the practice in 2011 from its previous owner, Nat McTucker. Bockrath came to it after a long association with H&R Block, and positions the firm's pricing below the larger chain preparers in town. Returns are prepared by Master Tax Advisors and Enrolled Agents, whose experience the firm puts at an average of twenty years or more.

There are two offices, one in Redding and one in Anderson, and paperwork can arrive in person, through a secure drop box, or by fax; a return can also be completed start to finish by email and phone. Bookkeeping starts at $165 a month. Business work runs from sole proprietors, single-member LLCs, contractors and freelancers up to partnerships and S- and C-corporations, with payroll support alongside. The firm also sets out plainly when a CPA is the right fit for a business and when one is more than it needs.