CPA firm in Old City, Philadelphia
Philadelphia taxes, done on time and explained.
Tallybrook prepares tax returns, keeps books and runs payroll for households and small businesses in Philadelphia, where the city adds four taxes of its own to the federal and state list.
- Fixed prices in writing before any work starts
- Wage Tax, BIRT, Net Profits and School Income Tax handled
- Documents sent through a secure upload page, never by email
What we do
Four services, one set of books.
Each one has a fixed price, quoted in writing before any work starts.
- No. 01
Individual tax returns
Federal, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia returns for employees, freelancers and landlords.
from$375per return - No. 02
Small business tax
BIRT, Net Profits Tax and federal returns for sole proprietors, LLCs, partnerships and S corporations.
from$1,150per year - No. 03
Monthly bookkeeping
Books closed by the 10th of each month, with a one page report you can read in five minutes.
from$350per month - No. 04
Payroll
Paychecks, Philadelphia Wage Tax withholding, quarterly filings and W-2s for teams of 1 to 50.
from$95per month
Sample prices written for this demo.
The Philadelphia part
Which taxes does Philadelphia add, and at what rate?
Most accountants handle federal and state. In this city that leaves four more taxes on the table.
Rates published by the City of Philadelphia as of October 2026. Wage Tax rates took effect July 1, 2026. BIRT, Net Profits Tax and School Income Tax rates are for tax year 2025.
A Philadelphia household can owe tax to three governments on one paycheck. A Philadelphia freelancer files up to five returns a year. Since tax year 2025, when the city ended its $100,000 exemption, every business here files a Business Income and Receipts Tax return, including people who only freelance on the side.
Tallybrook was built around those rules. Every return we prepare starts with one question: which city filings apply to you? Then we price the whole set as one job.
Working from home for a city employer?
Non-residents can request a Wage Tax refund for days their employer required them to work outside Philadelphia.
Freelancing on the side?
You need a Commercial Activity License, a BIRT return and a Net Profits Tax return, whatever you earned.
The calendar
What is due next?
Federal, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia dates on one list, counted down from today.
| Date | What is due | Who collects it | Time left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2026 | Extended 2025 individual returns: Form 1040 and PA-40, for anyone who filed an extension in April | Federal Pennsylvania | Upcoming |
| Nov 2, 2026 | Third quarter payroll return, Form 941. October 31 falls on a Saturday, so it moves to Monday | Federal | Upcoming |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Fourth quarter 2026 estimated tax payments, federal and Pennsylvania | Federal Pennsylvania | Upcoming |
| Feb 1, 2027 | W-2 and 1099-NEC forms to recipients and filed, fourth quarter Form 941, and the Philadelphia Wage Tax fourth quarter return | Federal Philadelphia | Upcoming |
| Mar 15, 2027 | 2026 S corporation and partnership returns: Forms 1120-S and 1065, with K-1s to owners | Federal | Upcoming |
Dates that fall on a weekend are shown moved to the next business day. The highlighted row is the next deadline, counted in Philadelphia time.
How it works
From first call to filed return in four steps.
Most individual returns are filed within ten business days of the last document arriving.
Twenty minute call
We ask what changed this year and tell you which returns you need.
Fixed quote
You get a price in writing the same day. It does not change unless the facts do.
Upload and prepare
You send documents through the secure page. We prepare the returns, usually within ten business days.
Review and file
We walk you through the summary by phone or video, you sign electronically, and we file.
How documents travel
Your W-2 should never sit in an inbox.
A tax return holds everything a thief needs: your name, address, Social Security number, income and bank account. So nothing with those details moves by email at Tallybrook, in either direction.
- Files are encrypted on the way to us and while stored
- Every upload is checked for malware before anyone opens it
- Staff sign in with a password and a code from their phone
- Only your preparer and reviewer can open your files, and every view is logged
- Upload links expire after seven days and work for one client only
- A written security plan, required of tax preparers by federal rules, reviewed every January
Who does the work
Two CPAs and an enrolled agent, all in one office.
Odessa became a CPA in 1998 and spent thirteen years at a regional firm in Center City, where the smallest clients waited longest for a call back. She opened Tallybrook in 2011 to give those clients a firm of their own.
Malachi Trestrail leads individual tax and answers notices. Yusra Pennington runs bookkeeping and payroll. Every return is prepared by one of them and reviewed by another, and no work is sent to outside preparers.
Where our clients are
Old City office, clients across the region.
Three places we work most, and what tax questions come up in each.
Center City
Fishtown
The Main LineClient letters
What clients say.
Sample reviews written for this demo. A live site would pull them from Google.
I freelanced for three years without knowing I owed the city a BIRT return. Malachi filed the back years, got the penalties reduced and set up quarterly reminders. I sleep fine now.
Our books used to arrive in March in a shoebox. Yusra closes them by the 10th of every month and sends one page I can read on the train. Our tax bill stopped being a surprise.
I live in Ardmore and work in Center City. Odessa found that my employer had withheld the resident Wage Tax rate for two years and got the difference refunded.
Questions people ask
Before you call.
Short answers to what new clients ask first.
What taxes does a Philadelphia resident pay on a paycheck?
Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, Pennsylvania income tax at a flat 3.07%, and the Philadelphia Wage Tax, which is 3.735% for residents as of July 1, 2026. Your employer normally withholds all of them.
Do I have to file a Philadelphia return if I am self-employed?
Yes. Starting with tax year 2025, everyone doing business in Philadelphia files a Business Income and Receipts Tax return, whatever their revenue. Sole proprietors and partners also file a Net Profits Tax return. Both are due April 15.
How much does Tallybrook charge?
A household return with W-2 income starts at $375 and covers the federal, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia filings. You get a fixed price in writing before we start, and the invoice matches it. The pricing page lists every service.
How do I send you my tax documents?
Through the secure upload page. Please do not email W-2s, 1099s or anything with a Social Security number on it. The upload page encrypts files on the way to us and confirms by text when they arrive.
Can you help with a letter from the IRS or the city?
Yes. Send us the letter through the upload page. Most notices have a deadline printed on the first page, so send it the day it arrives. If we prepared the return, answering the first letter is free.
Do I need to come to the office?
No. About two thirds of our clients never visit. Everything can be done by phone, video and the upload page. If you prefer a desk and a handshake, the office is in Old City, two blocks from the 2nd Street station.
Start here
Tell us what you need.
A few details and a real accountant calls you back within one business day. The first call is free and takes about twenty minutes.
(215) 555-0137Old City, Philadelphia. Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5:30 PM. Saturday mornings from February through April 15.