LA Tax & Accounting Services
Kurt Simmons CPA provides comprehensive tax and financial services to individuals and businesses throughout Louisiana (LA). With its energy sector and unique franchise tax structure, we understand the unique financial landscape that comes with doing business in Louisiana.
Under the CPA Mobility Act, our CPA — licensed in Maryland, Delaware, and Florida — is authorized to provide the full range of attestation, tax, and advisory services to Louisiana clients without the need for an additional state license. This means Louisiana individuals and businesses receive the same comprehensive service as our home-state clients: financial statement audits, tax strategy, IRS representation, virtual CFO services, and every other service we offer — delivered through our technology-forward, virtual-first practice model.
CPA Services Available in Louisiana (LA)
LA Individual Tax Preparation
Comprehensive federal and Louisiana state tax return preparation, including complex returns with investments, rental properties, and self-employment income.
Learn More →LA Business Tax Services
Tax preparation and planning for Louisiana-based businesses including S-Corps, C-Corps, partnerships, LLCs, and sole proprietorships.
Learn More →LA Cryptocurrency Tax
Specialized crypto tax services for Louisiana investors and traders. DeFi, NFTs, staking rewards, and exchange reporting handled with expertise.
Learn More →LA Trader Tax Services
Mark-to-market elections, wash sale tracking, and tax optimization strategies for active traders in Louisiana.
Learn More →LA IRS Resolution
Professional representation before the IRS for Louisiana taxpayers facing audits, collections, liens, levies, or offers in compromise.
Learn More →LA 83(b) Elections
Equity compensation planning and 83(b) election filing for Louisiana startup employees and founders receiving restricted stock.
Learn More →LA Financial Statement Audits
Full-scope GAAS-compliant financial statement audits for businesses, nonprofits, and organizations requiring independent assurance.
Learn More →LA Review Engagements
Limited assurance engagements providing meaningful confidence in financial statements for lender requirements and stakeholder reporting.
Learn More →LA Compilations
Professionally prepared financial statements from management-provided data for internal reporting, small business needs, and bank presentations.
Learn More →LA Agreed-Upon Procedures
Targeted, customized engagements designed to address specific areas of concern with flexible scope tailored to stakeholder needs.
Learn More →LA Employee Benefit Plan Audits
DOL-compliant audits for 401(k), pension, and employee benefit plans meeting ERISA filing requirements and fiduciary obligations.
Learn More →LA Tax Strategy & Advisory
Proactive, year-round tax planning that identifies savings opportunities. Entity structure optimization, multi-state planning, and strategic initiatives.
Learn More →LA Cost Segregation Studies
Engineering-based analysis to accelerate depreciation deductions on commercial and residential rental properties, maximizing cash flow.
Learn More →LA Virtual CFO Services
Fractional CFO capabilities including financial modeling, cash flow management, KPI dashboards, and strategic financial leadership.
Learn More →LA Business Consulting
Operational assessments, process improvement, internal control design, and strategic planning to drive efficiency and profitability.
Learn More →LA Estate & Succession Planning
Comprehensive estate planning, business succession strategies, and wealth transfer optimization for business owners and high-net-worth individuals.
Learn More →LA Capital Markets Advisory
Securities compliance, FINRA regulatory guidance, and capital markets advisory for businesses navigating public offerings, private placements, and broker-dealer requirements.
Learn More →Louisiana Audit Services in Detail
Louisiana businesses, nonprofits, and benefit plan sponsors typically need an independent audit when state law, federal rules, lenders, grantmakers, or boards require external assurance. We perform GAAS-compliant attest engagements scoped to the specific assurance need — most commonly:
Louisiana Film Tax Credit Audits
Louisiana's Motion Picture Production Tax Credit — one of the most established film incentives in the country — requires CPA-prepared cost reports for productions claiming the credit. We perform Louisiana Film Tax Credit audits and cost certifications in accordance with Louisiana Department of Revenue and Louisiana Economic Development requirements, validating that production expenditures meet qualified-spend criteria and supporting the credit calculation.
Louisiana Nonprofit Audits
Under Louisiana's Charitable Solicitations regulations, audited financial statements are routinely required for charities with annual revenue exceeding $500,000. Audited statements are also expected by major Louisiana funders — including the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Community Foundation of Acadiana, the Helis Foundation, and federal subrecipient grantors.
Louisiana 401(k) & Employee Benefit Plan Audits
Louisiana plan sponsors filing Form 5500 generally require an ERISA-compliant audit when the plan has 100 or more participants with account balances at the start of the plan year. We perform full-scope and §103(a)(3)(C) limited-scope benefit plan audits for 401(k), 403(b), and defined-benefit plans across Louisiana, including plans sponsored by Louisiana petrochemical and oil/gas companies (along the Mississippi River corridor and in Lake Charles), Shell, ExxonMobil, Marathon, Cheniere Energy LNG operations, Ochsner Health and other healthcare systems, the Port of New Orleans/South Louisiana logistics employers, and Louisiana's growing tech and film sectors.
Louisiana Single Audits (Uniform Guidance)
Louisiana nonprofits, parishes, school boards, and pass-through subrecipients that expend $1,000,000 or more in federal awards in a fiscal year are subject to the Single Audit requirements of 2 CFR Part 200.
Louisiana Reviews & Compilations
Where a full audit is not required, we deliver review engagements (limited assurance) and compilations (no assurance) — both routinely accepted by Louisiana lenders and stakeholders requiring CPA-prepared financial statements.
Louisiana (LA) Tax & Business Landscape
Key Louisiana Tax Numbers (Post-2025 Reform). Personal income tax: Louisiana's 2025 tax reform moved the state from a graduated structure (1.85% / 3.5% / 4.25%) to a flat 3% personal income tax effective for tax year 2025. Corporate income tax: simplified to a flat 5.5%. Sales and use tax: 5% state (raised from 4.45% in 2025), plus parish/local; combined rates approximately 10% in many areas — among the highest combined sales tax rates in the U.S. Estate tax: none. Pass-through entity (PTE) elective tax: rate matches personal IT (3% post-reform), available since tax year 2019 — among the earliest state PTEs in the country. Louisiana Motion Picture Production Tax Credit: 25% transferable base credit on qualified production expenditures, plus 15% for Louisiana resident labor and 5% for productions outside the New Orleans metro.
Filing Mechanics. Individuals file Form IT-540 (residents) or IT-540B (nonresidents and part-year residents) by May 15 — NOT April 15 (one of the few states with a different individual income tax deadline). C-corporations file Form CIT-620 (Corporation Income and Franchise Tax). Partnerships file Form IT-565; S-corps file Form CIFT-620. PTE election is made on partnership/S-corp returns. Returns are administered by the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
Louisiana's Civil-Law Legal System. Louisiana is the only U.S. state with a civil-law legal system (descended from French and Spanish legal traditions, not English common law). This affects estate planning materially: Louisiana has unique forced heirship rules requiring a portion of an estate to pass to certain forced heirs (descendants under 24 or with permanent disabilities), usufruct and naked ownership concepts, community property, and unique succession procedures. Standard out-of-state wills and trusts may not work as expected in Louisiana. We coordinate with Louisiana succession attorneys for civil-law-compliant planning.
Louisiana Economy & Who We Serve. Louisiana's economy is anchored by oil and gas (Gulf of Mexico offshore; the Haynesville Shale; the Mississippi River refining and petrochemical corridor), petrochemicals (Shell, ExxonMobil, Dow, Marathon along "Cancer Alley"/the chemical corridor), LNG export (Cheniere's Sabine Pass; Cameron LNG — Louisiana is now the largest U.S. LNG export hub), shipping/maritime (Port of South Louisiana — the largest tonnage port in the U.S.; Port of New Orleans), tourism (New Orleans, Mardi Gras, jazz, Cajun culture, food), film and entertainment ("Hollywood South" — supported by the LA Film Tax Credit), seafood (shrimp, crawfish, oysters), agriculture (rice, sugarcane, soybeans, cotton), and a growing tech and aerospace sector. Our typical LA clients include oil and gas industry professionals, petrochemical workers, film and entertainment professionals, real estate investors, restaurant and hospitality operators, and high-net-worth families navigating Louisiana's unique civil-law estate planning.
CPA Mobility in Louisiana. Louisiana has adopted CPA mobility provisions under the Uniform Accountancy Act. Kurt Simmons holds active CPA licenses in Maryland, Delaware, and Florida, and we confirm all applicable Louisiana State Board of CPAs mobility and firm registration requirements before commencing any engagement.
Cities and Communities We Serve. Our virtual-first practice serves clients across all of Louisiana, including New Orleans (largest city; tourism, port, film), Baton Rouge (state capital; LSU; petrochemical), Shreveport (Haynesville Shale), Metairie, Lafayette (Cajun country; oil and gas service hub), Lake Charles (LNG; petrochemical), Bossier City, Kenner, Monroe, Alexandria, the Mississippi River industrial corridor, Cajun country, the Gulf Coast, and every Louisiana parish.
Louisiana Economy & Who We Serve. Louisiana's economy is driven by oil and gas (particularly offshore), petrochemicals along the Mississippi River corridor, the Port of New Orleans and South Louisiana, seafood and agriculture, tourism, and a growing film production industry. We support Louisiana energy professionals, maritime operations, and real estate investors.
CPA Mobility in Louisiana. Under the AICPA/NASBA CPA Mobility Act adopted by Louisiana, a CPA licensed in good standing in another U.S. state may provide attestation, tax, and advisory services to Louisiana clients without obtaining a separate Louisiana license. Kurt Simmons is a CPA in active good standing in Maryland, Delaware, and Florida, and is fully authorized to provide the complete range of CPA services to Louisiana (LA) individuals, businesses, and nonprofits under this mobility framework.
Cities We Serve. While our practice is virtual-first and not tied to any single office, we regularly work with clients in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Metairie, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Kenner, and throughout the rest of Louisiana.
Why Louisiana Clients Choose Us
- GAAS-compliant audit, review, and compilation experience for nonprofits, benefit plans, oil/gas operators, film productions, and privately held businesses
- Deep expertise in LA-specific issues: Louisiana's 2025 tax reform (flat 3% personal / 5.5% corporate), the May 15 personal income tax deadline, Louisiana Motion Picture Production Tax Credit (claim and credit-purchase strategy), civil-law succession and forced heirship planning, oil/gas severance tax and ITEP, and Louisiana sales tax compliance (one of the highest combined rates)
- Capital markets background — Kurt Simmons has passed the Series 65 examination (Passed; not currently held as an active license) in addition to holding the CPA
- Specialized practices in cryptocurrency taxation, active trader tax, and 83(b) elections for LA tech/oil-and-gas startup employees
- Technology-forward, virtual-first delivery — secure client portal, e-signature, and video consultations
- Transparent, fixed-fee engagements where possible — no surprise hourly invoices
Louisiana CPA — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Louisiana-licensed CPA?
Louisiana has adopted CPA mobility provisions under the Uniform Accountancy Act. Kurt Simmons holds active CPA licenses in Maryland, Delaware, and Florida, and we confirm any applicable firm-level Louisiana State Board of CPAs registration before commencing attest engagements.
What is Louisiana's income tax rate, and when is the LA return due?
Following Louisiana's significant 2025 tax reform, the state moved from a graduated personal income tax (1.85% / 3.5% / 4.25%) to a flat 3% personal income tax effective for tax year 2025. Corporate income tax was similarly simplified to a flat 5.5%. Importantly, Louisiana's individual income tax return (Form IT-540) is due May 15 — NOT April 15. This is one of the most commonly missed filing deadlines for new Louisiana residents.
How does the Louisiana Film Tax Credit work?
Louisiana's Motion Picture Production Tax Credit is one of the most established film incentives in the country — a 25% transferable credit on qualified Louisiana production expenditures, plus an additional 15% for Louisiana resident labor and 5% for projects shot outside the New Orleans metropolitan area. The credit is freely transferable, creating an active secondary market where productions sell credits to LA taxpayers (typically at 88-92 cents on the dollar). We help production companies claim the credit and individual LA taxpayers purchase credits to reduce state tax liability.
Does Louisiana have a SALT-cap workaround?
Yes. Louisiana was actually one of the first states to enact a Pass-Through Entity Tax — effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2019. Eligible S-corps and partnerships pay an entity-level tax tracking the personal income tax rate (3% post-2025 reform), and members receive a corresponding credit on Form IT-540.
Louisiana has civil law (descended from French/Spanish), not common law. How does that affect my estate planning?
Louisiana is the only U.S. state with a civil-law legal system, descended from French and Spanish legal traditions rather than English common law. This affects estate planning materially: Louisiana has unique "forced heirship" rules requiring that a portion of an estate pass to certain forced heirs (descendants under 24 or with permanent disabilities); usufruct and naked ownership concepts; community property; and unique succession procedures. Standard out-of-state wills and trusts may not work as expected in Louisiana. We coordinate with Louisiana succession attorneys for civil-law-compliant planning.
What special tax issues apply to Louisiana oil and gas operations?
Louisiana's oil and gas industry — anchored in the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River industrial corridor, and the Haynesville Shale — faces specialized issues: severance tax (state mineral revenue tax), royalty interest and working interest accounting, intangible drilling cost (IDC) federal deductions, depletion (cost vs. percentage), Louisiana sales/use tax exemptions for qualified industrial users, and Louisiana Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) property tax abatements. We support Louisiana operators, royalty owners, and oilfield services companies with these specialized accounting and tax issues.
Do you serve Louisiana clients outside New Orleans?
Yes. Our practice is virtual-first, so we serve clients across all of Louisiana — including Baton Rouge (state capital; LSU; petrochemical), Shreveport, Metairie, Lafayette (Cajun country; oil and gas), Lake Charles (LNG; petrochemical), Bossier City, Kenner, Monroe, Alexandria, the Mississippi River industrial corridor, Cajun country, the Gulf Coast, and every Louisiana parish.