Welcome to First State CPAs & Associates

Full-Service Accounting, Tax Preparation, Tax Planning and Bookkeeping for Individuals and Businesses Nationwide

At First State CPAs, we make YOUR life less taxing!

First State CPAs & Associates specializes in providing first-rate business accounting, tax preparation, and advisory services. Our team of dedicated professionals has the experience, insight, and business acumen to identify the best accounting solutions and tax strategies for maximizing deductions and credits, as well as improving overall business performance.


First State CPAs, Dover DEWe specialize in bookkeeping, payroll, income tax return preparation, and retirement planning, and serve a nationwide clientele consisting of individuals and businesses of all types and sizes (LLC, partnerships, C & S Corporations), as well as trusts and estates. As financial problem solvers, we provide practical advice and proactive solutions with personalized service. We are affordable, experienced, and friendly, and we tirelessly study and research the ever-changing world of tax law and regulation so that we can help every client realize the greatest possible savings and return on investments. Our office is conveniently located in Dover, Delaware. Please contact us today to find out more about how we can make YOUR life less taxing!

Tax
Services

First State CPAs, Dover DE - Tax Services
A comprehensive approach to both business and personal taxes that leverages veteran expertise with a passion for client satisfaction.

Accounting
Services

First State CPAs, Dover DE - Accounting Services
An uncompromising commitment to the most reliable accounting techniques and practices for both individuals and businesses.

Software
Services

First State CPAs, Dover DE - Software Services
Installation, setup and training for all versions of Quickbooks from in-house Advanced Certified Quickbooks ProAdvisors.

Retirement
Planning

First State CPAs, Dover DE - Retirement Planning
Invaluable guidance from in-house Certified Retirement Counselors with investments, risk management, estate planning and more.

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๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—”๐—œ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜†๐˜‡๐—ฒ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€?

If you arenโ€™t even totally sure where your business's bottlenecks are, take another step back. Ask AI (ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini are great options to start with) to analyze your systems or data.

(NOTE: Make sure to turn off the "Train the Model" setting in your account ๐˜‰๐˜Œ๐˜๐˜–๐˜™๐˜Œ doing the below.}

You can upload CSVs, Excel files, or PDF reports, and put in prompts likeโ€ฆ

โ€ข "Analyze this sales export from last year. Which products have the highest margins and which ones are plateauing?"
โ€ข "Look at this customer list. Can you segment them into 'VIPs,' 'At-Risk,' and 'New' based on their purchase frequency?"
โ€ข "Review these operating expenses. Where am I seeing the biggest month-over-month increases?"
โ€ข "Here is my current onboarding process for new clients. Where am I likely losing time or risking human error?"
โ€ข "Iโ€™m considering a subscription model versus a one-time fee. Can you list the pros, cons, and a break-even projection for both?"
โ€ข "I'll describe my competitor's service. Tell me three areas where I can differentiate my customer experience to save time while adding value."

These kinds of questions arenโ€™t meant to replace your judgment. The conclusions and applications can be incorrect, or not the most important ones YOU or a skilled advisor would identify.

But they can surface patterns and gaps faster than working through the material alone. And we're available to help you take the insights even further for your business.
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๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜… ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ?

Once your return is filed and accepted, the IRS typically processes refunds within 10 to 21 days. Historically, more than 9 out of 10 refunds are approved within 21 days of e-file acceptance.

But that estimate assumes a straightforward return. Certain factors can slow the process.

For example, if you claim credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Tax Credit (CTC), your refund might get delayed by about a month. Federal law requires the IRS to hold those refunds temporarily while eligibility is verified.

And if you mail in a paper return instead of filing electronically, the process can take 6-8 weeks (or longer, depending on processing volume). This is simply because the IRS must manually enter the information into its system before processing begins.
... See MoreSee Less

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜… ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ?

Once your return is filed and accepted, the IRS typically processes refunds within 10 to 21 days. Historically, more than 9 out of 10 refunds are approved within 21 days of e-file acceptance.

But that estimate assumes a straightforward return. Certain factors can slow the process.

For example, if you claim credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Tax Credit (CTC), your refund might get delayed by about a month. Federal law requires the IRS to hold those refunds temporarily while eligibility is verified.

And if you mail in a paper return instead of filing electronically, the process can take 6-8 weeks (or longer, depending on processing volume). This is simply because the IRS must manually enter the information into its system before processing begins.

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป?

For 2026, the updated income thresholds may give you more room to qualify, but your income level and business type still matter.

Thatโ€™s why weโ€™re currently booking strategy sessions to help clients understand how the updated thresholds apply to their situation and identify planning opportunities for this tax season and beyond.

Send us a message if youโ€™d like to find out whether your business may qualify.
... See MoreSee Less

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป?

For 2026, the updated income thresholds may give you more room to qualify, but your income level and business type still matter.

Thatโ€™s why weโ€™re currently booking strategy sessions to help clients understand how the updated thresholds apply to their situation and identify planning opportunities for this tax season and beyond.

Send us a message if youโ€™d like to find out whether your business may qualify.
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First State CPAs
& Associates
18 S. State St,
Dover, DE 19901
 (302) 736-6657
Business Hours
 
January 1st January 31st
Mondayโ€“Friday:8amโ€“5pm
Saturday & Sunday:closed
 
February 1st April 15th
Mondayโ€“Thursday:8amโ€“6pm
Friday:8amโ€“5pm
Saturday:By appointment
Sunday:closed
 
April 16th December 31st
Mondayโ€“Thursday:8amโ€“5pm
Friday, Saturday & Sunday:closed