Certified public accountants · Chattanooga, since 2009
Clear books. Returns on time. A CPA who calls you back.
Fernley Whitcomb is a seven-person firm on Cherry Street. We prepare federal returns, and the Georgia and Alabama ones for state-line commuters; we keep the books, run payroll and file Tennessee franchise & excise tax for local businesses. On time, and explained in plain English.
- Four CPAs and an enrolled agent
- Replies within one business day
- Fixed fees, quoted before we start
- years on Cherry Street
- 17
- households we file for
- 640+
- businesses and nonprofits
- 180
- states we file returns in
- 23
01 — Services
Everything the IRS and the state expect from you, handled.
Most clients use two or three of these. One team, one portal, one invoice.
All services- 01Individual tax returnsFederal returns, Georgia and Alabama nonresident returns, and year-round planning for households.From $325 a return
- 02Business tax & Tennessee F&EPartnership, S corporation and C corporation returns, Tennessee franchise & excise, and business tax.From $1,440 a year
- 03Monthly bookkeepingReconciled books every month, a close by the 15th and reports you can actually read.From $350 a month
- 04PayrollPay runs, direct deposit, quarterly payroll returns and year-end W-2s, done by people who answer the phone.From $65 a month + $9 per employee
- 05Advisory & fractional CFOBudgets, cash forecasts, pricing and the numbers behind big decisions, without a full-time CFO.From $1,250 a month
- 06Nonprofits & audit readinessForm 990s, fund accounting, grant tracking and books that are ready when the auditor arrives.From $1,680 a year
- 07IRS notices & representationLetters read, answered and resolved by an enrolled agent, from a CP2000 to a full examination.From $250 per notice
02 — Who we serve
We know your industry’s paperwork
Half our clients are households. The other half run something: a kitchen, a crew, a practice, a cause. These are the ones we know best.
Restaurants & hospitality
POS and delivery-app deposits reconciled weekly, tips run through payroll, and sales tax filed by the 20th.
Trades & contractors
Job costing, retainage and crews working on both sides of the Georgia and Alabama lines.
Healthcare practices
Dental, therapy and medical practices organized as PLLCs, with owner pay and F&E planned together.
Nonprofits
Form 990s, restricted funds and grant reports, and books that are ready before the auditor arrives.
Creators & freelancers
Quarterly estimates, 1099-K reconciliations and a home office deduction that holds up.
Real estate
Rental schedules, depreciation, 1031 exchange timelines and agents’ self-employment tax.
03 — Tennessee
No income tax on wages. Still plenty to file.
Tennessee doesn’t tax your paycheck, but it does tax businesses, sales and, for commuters, the state next door might tax you.
What you still file in TennesseeHouseholds
A federal return, plus a Georgia or Alabama nonresident return if you work across the line.
LLCs and corporations
Franchise & excise tax every year, with quarterly estimates once the tax reaches $5,000.
Anyone who sells
Sales tax (9.25% combined in Chattanooga) and the state, county and city business tax.
04 — Clients
What clients say after tax season
We were nineteen months behind on our books when we called. Royce had us caught up by the spring, and now I get a P&L on the 15th that I actually read.
Coretta D. · Owner, a soul food restaurant downtown
I drive to a plant in Georgia every day and had no idea I owed Georgia anything. Lavonne sorted out three years of returns without making me feel stupid.
Booker T. · Maintenance supervisor, East Ridge
A CP2000 letter landed the week of my sister’s wedding. Etta read it, called me the next morning and had the response filed before the deadline.
Farrah K. · Wedding photographer
Grier walked our board through what an auditor would ask for, and our first audit came back with no findings. Our board chair still brings it up.
Celestine R. · Executive director, a youth literacy nonprofit
05 — Getting started
Three steps, no surprises
The next free consultation is this week, Eastern time.
- 1
A free 30-minute consultation
In person, by video or by phone. Tell us what’s going on; we’ll tell you what you need and who would handle it.
- 2
A fixed-fee proposal
Within two business days: the scope, the monthly or annual fee, and the dates we’ll deliver by.
- 3
Your checklist and portal
A personal document checklist and a secure portal for uploads and e-signatures. No attachments by email.
Talk to a CPA this week
The first 30-minute consultation is free: in person on Cherry Street, by video or by phone. We’ll tell you what you need, what it costs and when it will be done.