A clearer place to start.

An Enrolled Agent is a federally licensed tax professional. Matthew can represent taxpayers before the IRS in federal tax matters, including conversations related to notices, audits, collections, appeals, and other resolution questions within the scope of the engagement. State representation depends on the state and the matter.

Yes. Brick Taxes serves clients remotely across the United States through a secure online client portal and mobile app. The practice is based in Brick Township, New Jersey.

There are four formats: in-office, completely remote, hybrid, and secure mailbox drop-off. The right starting point depends on how you prefer to share documents and review the work.

The secure portal and mobile app support document upload, return and briefing review, IRS-valid e-signatures, and online payment. They give you a secure place to work with Brick Taxes and a live status view of your return inside your client workspace — they are not an IRS filing-status tracker. For official IRS refund status, use the IRS Where's My Refund? tool.

You can discuss back taxes, unfiled returns, penalties, payment plans, audits, collections, and appeals, along with related IRS or state tax matters. The available next steps depend on the facts and scope of the matter.

Use the booking links below to choose an in-office, phone, mailbox, quarterly, or IRS/state tax-resolution appointment. If you are unsure which option fits, call or email before booking.

Call Brick Taxes at 732-540-1040 or email info@bricktaxes.com. You can also use the contact form to send a question without sharing sensitive tax documents.

A CP2000 is a notice about income the IRS believes was underreported. It is not an audit; it is usually generated when the IRS computer-matches your return with W-2s, 1099s, bank records, or other information reported to the agency. The notice gives you a response deadline, usually 30 days. You can agree and sign the response, disagree and explain why with supporting documents, or request more time. Interest and penalties can continue to accrue while the matter is unresolved. An enrolled agent can respond on your behalf and handle the back-and-forth. Brick Taxes enrolled agents represent taxpayers before the IRS on CP2000 matters. Read our full CP2000 guide. If a message asks for sensitive information, learn how to spot a fake IRS request.

For 2026, you can contribute up to $7,500 to a traditional or Roth IRA — or $8,600 if you are age 50 or older, which is the $7,500 limit plus a $1,100 catch-up contribution. (IRS Notice 2025-67; IRS 2026 retirement plan limits)

Traditional IRA contributions may be tax-deductible depending on your income and whether you are covered by a workplace plan, and the account grows tax-deferred with withdrawals generally taxed as income. Roth IRA contributions are made with after-tax dollars, grow tax-free, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free, but income limits can reduce or eliminate how much you can contribute. Read our Roth conversion and RMD strategy guide.

The home sale exclusion may let a single filer exclude up to $250,000 of gain from selling a primary home, or a married couple filing jointly exclude up to $500,000. Usually, you must have owned and lived in the home as your main home for at least 2 of the 5 years before the sale, although exceptions can apply. The exclusion is for your main home, not a rental or investment property; depreciation claimed for a home office or rental portion generally has to be recaptured. If your gain exceeds the exclusion, report the sale on Form 8949 and Schedule D. For a New Jersey homeowner, the federal exclusion and NJ reporting still need to be considered together.

Self-employment tax covers Social Security and Medicare for self-employed people, who generally pay both the employee and employer shares. The combined rate is 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security up to the annual wage base plus 2.9% for Medicare, with an additional 0.9% Medicare tax above applicable thresholds. It is figured on Schedule SE using net profit from Schedule C. You may deduct the employer-equivalent half of the tax. Self-employment tax is paid with your return and, for many business owners, through estimated payments during the year. For the payment side, see our quarterly estimated-tax guide.

Self-employed taxpayers generally use a pay-as-you-go system because no employer is withholding tax from each check. Estimated payments are usually due roughly quarterly, and skipping them or paying too little can result in an underpayment penalty. Brick Taxes can help set up an estimated-tax payment plan that matches the timing and size of your income, including income that changes from month to month.