Fishtown, 19125
A tax and accounting firm for Fishtown.
Freelancers, restaurants, bars and studios along Frankford Avenue, two stops up the El from our Old City office.
The tax picture here
What do clients in Fishtown ask us?
Fishtown runs on small businesses: designers and developers working from rowhouses, restaurants and bars on Frankford Avenue, studios and shops in old factory buildings. Almost all of them share one fact. They are unincorporated or newly incorporated, and they file city business returns.
Since tax year 2025, that includes everyone. A freelancer who earned $30,000 now files a BIRT return, where before the first $100,000 was exempt. We see more first time filers from Fishtown and Kensington than from anywhere else in the city.
Getting to the office
From Fishtown, take the Market-Frankford Line from Girard or Berks toward Center City and get off at 2nd Street. The office is two blocks from the station.
First BIRT return
We register you with the Philadelphia Tax Center, confirm your Commercial Activity License and file the BIRT and Net Profits Tax returns together.
Restaurants and bars
Monthly books with food and labor cost on one page, tip reporting in payroll, and the city's 10% Liquor Tax returns filed on time.
Freelancers and makers
Quarterly estimates so April is quiet, and a yearly check on whether an S corporation would save you money.
The numbers
What are the current city rates?
The four figures that come up most.
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.
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.
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
The Main LineQuestions people ask
Fishtown, answered.
What clients from this area ask most.
I freelance from my apartment in Fishtown. Do I need to file with the city?
Yes. You need a Commercial Activity License, a BIRT return and a Net Profits Tax return, all starting with your first year of freelance income.
I only made a few thousand dollars on the side. Does that count?
It does. Starting with tax year 2025 there is no minimum for the BIRT return. The tax on a few thousand dollars is small, and filing keeps you in good standing with the city.
Do you work with restaurants and bars?
Yes. About a fifth of our bookkeeping clients are restaurants, bars and cafes. Yusra Pennington, who leads bookkeeping, spent four years in a restaurant group's accounting department.
What is the Philadelphia Liquor Tax?
A 10% city tax on the sale price of drinks that contain alcohol, paid by the customer and sent to the city by the bar or restaurant. It is separate from Pennsylvania sales tax and has its own return.
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.