Taxes, prepared by someone who will pick up the phone
SmartTaxIQ is led by Lashanda Carter, who has been preparing returns since 2003. The practice is deliberately small — enough capacity to file well, not so much that your return becomes a ticket number.
Lashanda Carter
Founder & Lead Tax Preparer
Based in Detroit, Michigan, filing for clients in all 50 states.
SmartTaxIQ is the tax division of Carter Cole & Associates LLC, a Detroit practice offering tax, credit, business formation and bookkeeping services since 2003.
23 years of returns, and the same conversation every spring
People arrive holding a document they don’t understand and a deadline they didn’t choose. Some of them have been avoiding the mail for a year. Some filed with software and got a number that felt wrong. Some have three unfiled years and assume they’re in more trouble than they are.
In almost every case the situation is more fixable than it feels. What’s missing isn’t a clever strategy — it’s someone willing to read the whole picture, say plainly what it means, and then do the work.
That is what SmartTaxIQ was built to be. Returns prepared properly, reviewed twice, and explained in language that doesn’t require a second opinion. Notices answered on your behalf. Quarterly payments set up so next April is a formality instead of an emergency.
The practice is remote by design. Clients file from Michigan, Texas, Georgia and everywhere in between, and none of them have to take an afternoon off to sit in a waiting room.
- Preparing individual and business returns since 2003
- Federal, state and multi-state filings
- Prior-year and amended returns, including unfiled years
- IRS notice response and installment agreements
- Year-round planning, not just filing season
Four commitments, held to in every return
Explain it, don't just file it
A return you don't understand is a return you can't act on. Every filing comes with a plain-language walkthrough of what the numbers mean and what changed.
Accuracy over optimism
Nobody here will promise a bigger refund to win your business. We claim what you qualify for and nothing else — that is what keeps a return defensible three years later.
Answer the phone
Tax questions don't only happen in April. Clients reach a person year-round, and notices get read the week they arrive rather than the following spring.
Price it up front
You get a flat quote before work starts, and a re-quote before any extra work. No invoice should ever be a surprise.
What clients say
“She helped me take my credit score from 420 to 740 in just a few months — and went back to fix my taxes from previous years too. She filed my amendments, found deductions I didn't even know I missed, and made sure I got the max return.”
“Lashanda's been doing my taxes for years and I trust her completely. She breaks everything down so it's easy to understand and never misses a detail.”
“I was going through a rough time and everything felt overwhelming. She took it off my plate, explained where I stood, and I finally stopped avoiding the mail.”
Never miss a tax deadline again
Quarterly dates, filing reminders and the deductions people miss — sent when they matter, not all year round. Free.
Ready to get it filed?
Start your return online in about ten minutes. You'll get a real preparer, a real review, and a plain answer on where you stand.
Monday – Thursday, 9:30am – 5:00pm ET · Every message answered within one business day.
