American Tax Service

What American Tax Service does

American Tax Service LLC is a privately held, single-office full-service accounting firm established in 1969 and headquartered at 420 SE 29th St, Suite A, Topeka, KS. It serves individuals and small-to-medium businesses in the Topeka region and surrounding communities with tax preparation and planning, IRS issue resolution (including Offers in Compromise and audits), bookkeeping and financial statement preparation, payroll processing, entity selection and restructuring, QuickBooks setup and support, and financial and retirement planning referrals. The practice is built around a five-person team led by President Kurt C. Guth, whose credential stack — Enrolled Agent, CISA, Series 65, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and P&C insurance license — supports a one-stop-shop service model. Underlying technology is conventional: Intuit QuickBooks as the core accounting platform and ShareFile as a secure client portal for document exchange; no proprietary software, API, or mobile app is offered.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through fee-for-service professional engagements with quote-based pricing, supplemented by financial planning referral commissions and insurance commissions. The go-to-market model is local and referral-driven: word-of-mouth from a claimed 4,000+ returning clients, Topeka Chamber of Commerce and NFIB community memberships, online reviews, and a basic Facebook presence. Distribution is in-person at the Topeka office with secure portal-based document exchange; no remote or multi-location service delivery exists.

On November 20, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada appointed Stephen J. Donell as Permanent Receiver for American Tax Service LLC and related entities in an FTC and State of Nevada enforcement action alleging that since 2019 the firm and its owners operated schemes impersonating government agencies and inflating taxpayer debts. The receiver is authorized to manage assets, retain professionals, and suspend operations as needed to preserve the estate — a development that materially overshadows the firm's otherwise stable 50+ year operating history.

Name

American Tax Service

Legal name

American Tax Service LLC

Website

https://atstopeka.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Tax Service is a privately held, single-office Topeka, KS accounting firm (founded 1969) offering tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, IRS representation, and financial planning referrals to ~4,000+ individuals and small businesses in the regional market. The five-person practice uses QuickBooks and a ShareFile client portal, and is currently under federal court receivership following a 2025 FTC enforcement action.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Preparation and Accounting Services

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412), Tax Preparation Services (541213)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll & Employment Tax Services (BPAHABAD), Tax Return Filing, Processing & Assessment (BPAIADAC)

Keywords

• Tax preparation services
• Accounting services
• Payroll processing
• Financial planning
• IRS representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Tax Services: Fee-for-service tax preparation and planning services for individuals and businesses. Services include tax return preparation, tax planning for the upcoming year, withholding advice, and IRS issue resolution including Offers in Compromise and IRS audits.
2. Accounting Services: Ongoing accounting and bookkeeping services including general ledger preparation, financial statement preparation, monthly/quarterly/annual bookkeeping, payroll processing, cash flow forecasting, and budgeting for businesses.
3. Payroll Services: Payroll processing services for businesses to streamline payroll operations and ensure compliance with payroll tax requirements.
4. Financial Planning Referrals: Referral services for retirement planning and financial planning. Kurt C. Guth is an investment advisor representative providing financial planning guidance.
5. QuickBooks Support and Consultation: QuickBooks setup, support, and review services including initial setup guidance, software installation assistance, and financial statement review.
6. Entity Selection and Business Restructuring: Consulting services helping businesses choose the right entity type and restructuring advice for tax optimization and liability management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

American Tax Service is a full-service accounting firm providing tax preparation, tax planning, and accounting services to individuals and small-to-medium businesses. Its core offerings include tax preparation and IRS issue resolution, ongoing bookkeeping and financial statement preparation, payroll processing, business entity selection and restructuring, and financial planning referrals. QuickBooks setup, support, and consultation is offered as an add-on service, supported by ShareFile-based secure client document exchange.

Product overview

American Tax Service is a full-service accounting firm (established 1969) offering a unified suite of professional tax and accounting services. The core offering consists of Tax Preparation and Planning, Accounting Services, Payroll Services, Financial and Retirement Planning, and Entity Selection and Restructuring. QuickBooks Assistance is offered as an add-on service to support clients using QuickBooks software. The company serves both individuals and businesses in Topeka, KS and surrounding communities, positioning itself as a comprehensive financial advisory practice rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax Preparation and Planning

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• QuickBooks (Intuit)coreTechnology or IntegrationStaff members are certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors, providing setup, support, and consultation services for QuickBooks users. The firm offers QuickBooks setup guidance, installation assistance, software and accounting guidance, and financial statement reviews using the QuickBooks platform.
• Topeka Chamber of CommerceminorOthersFirm membership in the local business community organization for networking and visibility within the Topeka business community.
• National Federation of Independent BusinessesminorOthersFirm membership in advocacy organization for small businesses, providing resources and advocacy representation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• 1-800Accountant: Virtual accounting and tax services firm serving SMBs and individuals with bookkeeping, tax preparation, and entity formation services directly competing for the same target market.
• Padgett Business Services: Franchise network of small-business accounting, payroll, and tax services firms serving SMB clients with a very similar one-stop-shop service menu and local office model.
• Bookminders: Outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services provider serving small businesses with recurring monthly bookkeeping, essentially the same back-office service line American Tax Service offers.
• AccountingDepartment.com: Provider of outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, and CFO services for small and mid-sized businesses with a service mix overlapping the accounting-and-payroll core of American Tax Service.

Broad incumbents

• H&R Block: National tax preparation chain that competes head-to-head with American Tax Service for individual and small-business returns, but at massive scale and price points well below the local full-service firm model.
• Liberty Tax Service: Franchised retail tax preparation chain competing for the same individual and small-business tax clientele, with comparable walk-in service delivery model.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: National retail tax preparation franchise offering similar individual and small-business filing services; directly comparable consumer-facing tax prep positioning but with a much larger office footprint.
• CBIZ / Marcum LLP: Mid-market accounting and advisory firm offering tax, accounting, and payroll services to small and mid-sized businesses; representative of larger competitors that could acquire American Tax Service's client book.

Emerging players

• Intuit TurboTax Live: Intuit's live-assisted DIY tax product that pairs customers with credentialed tax professionals virtually, emerging as a tech-enabled alternative to traditional local tax preparation offices.
• Intuit QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping: QuickBooks-branded live bookkeeping service staffed by ProAdvisors, targeting the same QuickBooks-using small businesses that American Tax Service supports.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/atstopeka
• Xx.com/atsanywhere

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Tax Service