Tax preparation in Portland by a licensed CPA

Tax preparation in Portland means more than one return

Most Americans file two returns each spring: one to the IRS and one to their state. A Portland household can easily end up with four or five. On top of Form 1040 and the Oregon OR-40, a city resident may owe the Portland Arts Tax, and higher earners may also owe the Metro Supportive Housing Services (SHS) tax and the Multnomah County Preschool for All (PFA) tax. Each one has its own form and its own test for who owes it.

That is why preparing a return here takes local knowledge. The SHS tax applies to people who live inside the Metro boundary. PFA applies to Multnomah County residents. Two neighbors a few miles apart can end up with different filing lists, and people who live somewhere else but earn income inside those areas may need to file as well. A careful tax preparer checks where you lived and where you worked during the year before deciding which returns you need.

When you send a request through Accountants Portland, it goes to a licensed CPA in our Portland area network who prepares these returns every season. You get one person looking at your whole picture instead of a separate answer for each form.

What goes into your federal, Oregon and local returns

Your federal return is the starting point. Wages from a W-2, freelance pay reported on a 1099-NEC, interest, dividends, retirement withdrawals and the sale of stock or property all feed into Form 1040. If you run a side business as a sole proprietor, the income and expenses from that business go on Schedule C, which is the federal form for reporting self employed profit or loss.

Oregon builds on those federal numbers. Full year residents file Form OR-40. If you moved into or out of the state during the year, you usually file Form OR-40-P as a part year resident. People who live in another state but earn Oregon income, such as many Vancouver residents who commute across the river, file Form OR-40-N. For tax year 2025, Oregon also returned surplus revenue through the kicker, a credit on the 2025 return equal to 9.863 percent of your 2024 Oregon personal income tax liability, for people who filed a 2024 return and had a liability that year.

Local taxes come last but they matter just as much. For tax year 2026, the Arts Tax is $50 for most filing statuses and $100 for married couples filing jointly. It applies to Portland residents age 18 and older who meet the city's income threshold. For tax year 2025, the SHS tax is 1 percent of Oregon taxable income above $125,000 for single filers or $200,000 for joint filers, and Metro raised those thresholds to $128,000 and $205,000 for tax year 2026. PFA is 1.5 percent above $125,000 single or $200,000 joint, plus another 1.5 percent above $250,000 single or $400,000 joint. The City of Portland Revenue Division handles all three, and returns can be filed through Portland Revenue Online.

What to bring to your Portland tax preparer

Getting your papers together before the first conversation saves time and cuts down on follow up questions. Most of what you need shows up by mail or in an online account early in the year, and employers had until 2/2/2026 to send out W-2 forms for 2025.

If you moved during the year, write down the dates. Your move date decides whether you file as a full year or part year Oregon resident, and whether city and county taxes apply for the months you lived here.

Self employed clients should also bring a summary of business income and expenses, a mileage log if they drive for work and records of any equipment they bought. Photos of receipts are fine as long as they are readable. If something is missing, bring what you have and the CPA will tell you what else is needed before the return can be finished.

• Last year's federal and Oregon returns, plus any Portland, Metro or county returns you filed
• A W-2 from every employer you worked for during the year
• 1099 forms for freelance pay, interest, dividends, brokerage sales and retirement payouts
• Form 1098 for mortgage interest, plus your property tax statement
• Records of estimated payments sent to the IRS, Oregon or the City of Portland
• Income and expense totals if you are self employed or rent out property
• Any letters from the IRS, the Oregon Department of Revenue or the Portland Revenue Division

Tax deadlines Portland filers should mark

Individual federal returns are generally due 4/15. If that date lands on a weekend or a legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Tax year 2025 returns were due 4/15/2026. Oregon uses the same date, and so do the Arts Tax and the SHS and PFA returns, which keeps the local calendar simpler than it first looks.

Need more time? IRS Form 4868 gives you up to six more months to file, which moved the tax year 2025 deadline to 10/15/2026. Oregon honors the federal extension, so a separate Oregon extension is only needed if you owe Oregon tax and did not get a federal one. Keep in mind that an extension gives you more time to file, not more time to pay. Interest, and sometimes penalties, start on any tax still unpaid after the original due date.

Self employed people, landlords and anyone with income that has no withholding also face estimated tax dates during the year. For 2026, federal estimated payments are due 4/15/2026, 6/15/2026, 9/15/2026 and 1/15/2027.

Why choose a CPA in Portland over a seasonal preparer

Plenty of seasonal preparers do honest work. The differences show up in training, licensing and what happens if the IRS writes to you later. In Oregon, CPAs are licensed by the Oregon Board of Accountancy. To earn that license, a person must pass the Uniform CPA exam, complete an ethics course and exam, and log at least 12 months of supervised experience.

Representation is the bigger gap. The IRS states that CPAs, attorneys and enrolled agents have unlimited representation rights, so they can speak for you in audits, collection matters and appeals. A preparer who holds only a PTIN, the preparer tax identification number the IRS issues to paid preparers, and no other credential cannot represent clients on returns prepared after 2015.

You can check any Oregon CPA's license status yourself on the Board of Accountancy's Licensee Lookup. The Board suggests doing exactly that before you hire anyone.

How to get a quote for your return

Tell us what you need and a licensed CPA who works with people like you gets in touch with a clear, fixed quote. The short form asks about your income types, where you lived during the year and whether you own a business or rental property, so the CPA can price the work before you agree to anything.

Many clients start with one return and later ask for help with planning, estimated payments or a business filing. The same CPA can stay with you year round, so next spring starts with someone who already knows your file and your local tax picture.

The quote comes before any work begins, so you can compare it, ask questions about what it covers or simply decide it is not the right fit. If your situation changes after you accept, for example a late 1099 or a second state, the CPA will tell you before doing extra work.

Common questions