Case study · Tax

How to set quarterly tax estimates without the guesswork

A growing agency stopped overpaying estimates mid-year and rebuilt a predictable quarterly cadence tied to actual cash flow.

ClientRegional creative agency

Challenge

Where things stood

Revenue swung hard between project months, so prior-year safe harbor felt too high and cash sat idle in prepaid tax.

The founders were guessing each quarter from bank balances instead of year-to-date profit.

Approach

How we worked

We rebuilt estimates from trailing P&L, then stress-tested against a 13-week cash view so payments matched what the business could actually fund.

Payroll and owner draws were sequenced around due dates so personal and entity cash stayed separate.

Outcome

Where they landed

Estimates now update after each month-end close, with a short owner review instead of a scramble in the filing week.

The agency kept more working capital in-house without drifting into underpayment risk.

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