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CPA Chelle Gott Maseko on preparing taxes and key 2025 changes
Summary
Chelle Gott Maseko, a CPA, outlines documents taxpayers should gather, highlights a 2025 child tax credit and a new senior deduction in the "1 Big Beautiful Bill," and explains options for IRS representation, bookkeeping best practices for small businesses, and estimated-tax timing.
Chelle Gott Maseko, CPA of Maseko Tax Services, told Community Voice listeners that basic preparation and correct documentation are the first steps toward a smoother 2025 filing season. "You need to have all the tax documents together," she said, listing W-2 wage statements, 1099-DIV forms for dividends and 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation as essential records.
Maseko said Connecticut taxpayers often miss a local property-tax statement that can generate a state property tax credit. "People do forget property taxes," she said, noting omission will not delay a return but can mean taxpayers lose a deduction that reduces taxable income.
On family and filing status, Maseko summarized standard rules: newly married taxpayers are treated as married on Dec. 31 for filing purposes, and head-of-household status requires dependents who lived with the filer for at least half the year. She highlighted the federal child tax credit for 2025: "the child tax credit, which is about $2,000 in 2025," adding the credit applies directly against tax liability.
Maseko flagged several items that affect withholding and business reporting. She urged workers to use Form W-4 to adjust withholding and cautioned that underpaying can trigger penalties and interest. For small-business owners she recommended year-round bookkeeping — recording income and expenses, maintaining a trial balance and profit-and-loss statement, and preserving payroll records that payroll providers such as Paychex or ADP may supply.
She identified common bookkeeping errors and changes to deductions: misclassification of expenses is frequent, and meal-deduction rules changed for 2025 — on-site employer meals will no longer be deductible while client meals remain 50% deductible and some employee social events may be 100% deductible.
Discussing new federal legislation she called the "1 Big Beautiful Bill," Maseko said, "So the 1 big beautiful bill was enacted on 07/04/2025," and called attention to a senior deduction of $6,000 (up to $12,000 for married couples filing jointly) that is separate from standard or itemized deductions. She noted the marginal tax-rate structure (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 36%, 37%) remains, although bracket thresholds were adjusted.
On enforcement and remedies, Maseko recommended not ignoring IRS notices and described options for taxpayers who cannot pay: installment agreements and offers in compromise. She referenced Form 433-A as a common financial statement used in those processes and advised taxpayers to bring IRS notices to a tax professional promptly to avoid accruing additional interest and penalties.
Maseko also outlined audit red flags, including repeated business losses and other patterns that draw IRS attention, but she said audits can also be selected randomly. Regarding technology, she cautioned that AI and software may miss complex income sources or niche deductions: professionals take continuing education to identify planning opportunities, she said, and remain necessary for complicated cases.
The interview closed with Maseko offering contact information for follow-up resources as given in the program (transcript spelling for the website and email was inconsistent) and advising listeners to consult IRS.gov or a tax professional for case-specific guidance.
The program ended with the host thanking Maseko and listeners; Maseko emphasized that early record-keeping and professional advice can reduce surprises at filing time.
