HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2023 happened quickly!
The IRS announced that the filing season will officially start on January 29, 2024. I would however recommend waiting until after 1/31 to ensure you have all your tax documents. Most refunds should be within 21 days, however refunds which include Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) will be held until mid February.
In consideration of limited time during the season, I prefer you to upload your docs through SmartVault. I am trying to avoid too many sit down appointments. This will likely be the first year since 2020 that they won’t extend the deadline (yikes) Please log into your SmartVault account (taxesbyrachel.smartvault.com) where you can securely upload your tax documents to me. If you have not activated your account yet, please search your inbox for “SmartVault”- there should be an email inviting you to it. If you forgot your password, there is a reset link. You do not need to schedule an appointment with me unless you want to. If you want to schedule a phone call with me to discuss things, I must have docs at least 3 business days prior to appt. If you prefer to drop off your documents, that is an option too.
I get to know so much about each of you, so I always like to give you a little update on me and my family.
2023 was BUSY… but great! All 3 kids are officially in grade school, travel sports were definitely fully back and we got in some good vacations. Most of all, our family is healthy! I hope you can all say the same! The three kids sure keep us busy with cheer, baseball and basketball. I feel like a mom taxi most days but trying to soak it all up because I know how fast they’re growing!
Our daughter, Karlee, just turned 16 in November 2023! She’s officially DRIVING! It creates new worries, but what a help it is to me too! She’s a sophomore in high school and still keeping those great grades while juggling two cheer teams (sideline and competition cheer). She definitely continues to make us proud. She is the best big sister to both of her brothers.
Our son, Drake, just turned 13. He’s in seventh grade and doing great as well! Between travel baseball, OTL and currently in basketball, he definitely keeps us the busiest, but we absolutely love it! We got to travel to Cooperstown, NY during summer 2023 for a big baseball tournament – It was a trip of a lifetime! He truly is great at all sports and its so fun to watch! He’s the perfect middle child – doesn’t require a ton of attention and goes with the flow most of the time. He has such a big heart and of course little brother, Trent, adores his brother and wants to be just like him!
Our son, Trent, will be 6 in March 2024. Although he was a big surprise in 2018, he has completed our family perfectly. He makes us laugh daily! He loves being a part of everything and adores his sister and brother. He started kindergarten in 2023 and is doing great and making new friends at his new school. He still loves all sports (just like his brother) and got to join his own baseball teams during 2023. He did tee ball in the spring of 2023 and rookies ball in the fall. He’s a natural! He might want to add football this year! Enjoying all the small moments again because we know how fast it goes!
Donny & I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary last May – time flies when you’re having fun! When I reflect on the last year, it was definitely filled with lots of MEMORIES – an adult trip to Cabo, our big family vacation to New York (Cooperstown and the city) during the summer, lots of Padres games, camping, and a Havasu trip! I cherish these days with the kids because I know they’ll be grown up and out before we know it! I certainly hope 2023 was fun and manageable for you as well. Mostly, I hope it was full of good health, happiness and success.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!… and as much as I truly appreciate all the referrals over the years, unfortunately I have reached my max and will NOT be accepting new clients this year (until the kids are grown and I can spend even more time at the office)! ha
Rachel