About
Tallybrook has prepared returns and kept books for Philadelphia households and small businesses since 2011, from one office in Old City.
Our story
Odessa Varnum spent thirteen years at a regional accounting firm in Center City. The firm's large clients got a partner on the phone the same day. The corner store owner and the freelance designer waited a week, and often got a bill they could not predict.
She opened Tallybrook in 2011 with two rules that still hold. Every client gets a fixed price in writing before work starts, and every call is returned within one business day.
The name is plain on purpose. A tally is a count you can check. That is the job.
Old City, Philadelphia, two blocks from the 2nd Street station on the Market-Frankford Line. Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday mornings from February through April 15.
The preparers
Each return is prepared by one of them and reviewed by another.
Founder and managing partner
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.
She grew up in West Philadelphia and has prepared returns for three generations of some families.
Certified Public Accountant, Pennsylvania. Reviews every business return.
Tax director
Malachi earned his enrolled agent license in 2012 and spent six years answering IRS and city notices before joining Tallybrook in 2016. He leads individual tax and handles back filings and penalty relief.
He lives in Fishtown and rides the El to the office.
Enrolled agent, licensed by the IRS. Leads individual tax and notices.
Bookkeeping and payroll lead
Yusra joined Tallybrook in 2019 after four years in the accounting department of a restaurant group, and became a CPA the year before. She runs the monthly close and every payroll.
She can tell you what a restaurant's food cost should be before you finish the sentence.
Certified Public Accountant, Pennsylvania. Leads bookkeeping and payroll.
Who to ask for
One phone number reaches all three.
| Preparer | License | Ask about |
|---|---|---|
| Odessa Varnum | CPA, Pennsylvania | Business returns, entity choices, planning |
| Malachi Trestrail | Enrolled agent, IRS | Individual returns, back filings, IRS and city letters |
| Yusra Pennington | CPA, Pennsylvania | Bookkeeping, payroll, restaurants |
Where our clients are
Three places we work most, and what tax questions come up in each.
Client letters
Sample reviews written for this demo. A live site would pull them from Google.
They quoted a fixed price in writing before starting, and the invoice matched it to the dollar. That had never happened to me with an accountant.
The upload page felt safer than emailing my W-2. I took photos on my phone, got a text confirming they arrived, and that was the whole process.
We added our sixth employee and payroll got complicated. Tallybrook took it over in one pay cycle, and the city Wage Tax filings have been on time every quarter since.
Questions people ask
Licenses, size and when we take new clients.
Yes. Odessa Varnum and Yusra Pennington are Certified Public Accountants licensed in Pennsylvania. Malachi Trestrail is an enrolled agent, licensed by the IRS. Every preparer holds a current IRS preparer tax identification number.
Three licensed preparers, two bookkeepers and an office manager. Small enough that the person who quotes your return is the one who signs it.
Until March 15 for individual returns. After that we file extensions for new clients and prepare the returns in May, when there is time to do them carefully.
Yes. CPAs and enrolled agents can both represent taxpayers before the IRS, and we handle Pennsylvania and Philadelphia audits as well. Representation is quoted separately from preparation.
Start here
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.
Center City
Fishtown
The Main Line