Donna's Tax Service

What Donna's Tax Service does

Donna's Tax Service is a single-location, family-owned income tax preparation service operating from 588 Jewett Avenue in St. Albans Town (mailing address Swanton), Vermont. Founded in 1982 by Donna Tatro and joined by Rick Tatro in 2003, the practice serves individual taxpayers and small business owners — including specialized Vermont segments such as farming, maple sugaring, day care, rental property, and home-based businesses. The firm uses standard industry tax preparation software and processes all returns via electronic filing, with direct deposit offered at no additional charge.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer, walk-in model with no proprietary technology, no digital product platform, and no formal channel partners. Clients submit documents in person, via a 24/7 mail slot, mail, email, or fax. Turnaround is 10-14 days for basic personal returns and 21-28 days for complex self-employment, business, or rental returns. Pricing ranges from $80 to $160 per return based on form complexity, with payment accepted only in cash or check upon completion. The firm participates in the IRS Annual Filing Season Program for continuing education.

The company is actively operating but has announced it is no longer accepting new clients, signaling a capacity-constrained or wind-down posture. There are no funding rounds, acquisitions, patents, partnerships, or geographic expansion activities. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and headcount appears to be two principals supported by seasonal staff, with no external investors or holding company involvement.

Name

Donna's Tax Service

Legal name

Donna's Tax Service

Website

https://donnastaxservice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Donna's Tax Service is a family-owned income tax preparation practice in Swanton, Vermont, serving individual taxpayers and small businesses with electronic filing since 1982, operating on a walk-in and drop-off service model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Preparation Services

NAICS

Tax Preparation Services (541213), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)

Keywords

• Tax preparation services
• Income tax filing
• Business tax services
• Electronic tax filing
• Vermont tax preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Swanton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tax Preparation Services: The primary revenue stream is one-time fees for tax return preparation services. Fees are based on the complexity of the tax return and the forms required. Payment is accepted in cash or check only, due upon completion of the return.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Donna's Tax Service is a single-location tax preparation firm offering professional federal and Vermont state income tax preparation and electronic filing services for individuals and small businesses. The firm provides specialized return preparation for business types common in Vermont, including general businesses, day care, farming, maple sugaring, office-in-home, and rental property owners, with electronic filing and free direct deposit included.

Product overview

Donna's Tax Service is a single-location, service-based tax preparation firm offering income tax services to both individuals and businesses. The core service is income tax preparation with electronic filing, supported by specialized services for various business types (Day Care, Farming, Sugaring, Office In Home, Rental Property). The business operates primarily as a traditional tax preparation service without a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Income Tax Preparation Service Professional federal and Vermont state income tax preparation for individual taxpayers, including W-2 income, itemized deductions, charitable contributions, dependent care expenses, college education credits, property tax adjustments, and electronic filing with direct deposit refunds.
• Business Tax Preparation Income tax preparation services for various small business types including General Business, Day Care, Farming, Sugaring, Office In Home, and Rental Property, with specialized worksheets and Schedule C reporting requirements for each industry.
• QuickBooks Report Preparation

Quantifiable outcome

• Basic personal returns completed in 10-14 days; complex returns (self-employment, business, rental) completed in 21-28 days

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Direct peers

• Liberty Tax Service: Franchised retail tax preparation chain offering in-person individual and small-business return filing; comparable franchise-style, single-office economics to Donna's Tax Service.
• H&R Block: Largest US retail tax preparation chain with both DIY software (H&R Block Premium/Deluxe) and in-person retail offices offering individual and small-business tax return preparation — directly comparable service model to Donna's Tax Service but at national scale.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: National retail tax preparation franchise focused on individual and small-business returns, including walk-in offices in suburban and rural markets; competes for the same price-sensitive personal and small-business taxpayer segment as Donna's Tax Service.

Emerging players

• FreeTaxUSA: Budget DIY tax filing platform offering free federal returns, absorbing price-sensitive individual filers from local preparers like Donna's Tax Service.
• TaxAct: Lower-priced DIY tax software competing head-on with TurboTax, increasingly used by self-preparers who would historically have been walk-in retail customers.
• 1040.com: Discount DIY tax preparation platform targeting simple Form 1040 returns, another digital substitute eating into the walk-in personal return volume of local tax preparers.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Personal Tax (KPMG US): Big Four firm offering personal tax compliance and advisory at the high end; not a direct competitor for Donna's clients but illustrates the broader professional services continuum tax preparation sits within.
• Intuit TurboTax: Dominant US DIY tax preparation software with guided interview, live assist, and full-service (TurboTax Live) tiers including a human preparer option — directly substitutes for many of Donna's personal return services.

Regional players

• Vermont Society of CPAs / local CPA firms: Local Vermont CPA practices serving the same individual and small-business taxpayer base; compete on year-round advisory and audit services that Donna's Tax Service does not offer, making them adjacent substitutes in the same regional market.

Others

• Drake Software: Provider of professional tax preparation software used by independent tax preparers and small firms — likely the underlying software stack Donna's Tax Service relies on, and a strategic partner/enabler for the practice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donnas-tax-service

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Donna's Tax Service