WV Tax & Accounting Services
Kurt Simmons CPA provides comprehensive tax and financial services to individuals and businesses throughout West Virginia (WV). With its energy sector and growing diversified economy, we understand the unique financial landscape that comes with doing business in West Virginia.
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 West Virginia clients without the need for an additional state license. This means West Virginia 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 West Virginia (WV)
WV Individual Tax Preparation
Comprehensive federal and West Virginia state tax return preparation, including complex returns with investments, rental properties, and self-employment income.
Learn More →WV Business Tax Services
Tax preparation and planning for West Virginia-based businesses including S-Corps, C-Corps, partnerships, LLCs, and sole proprietorships.
Learn More →WV Cryptocurrency Tax
Specialized crypto tax services for West Virginia investors and traders. DeFi, NFTs, staking rewards, and exchange reporting handled with expertise.
Learn More →WV Trader Tax Services
Mark-to-market elections, wash sale tracking, and tax optimization strategies for active traders in West Virginia.
Learn More →WV IRS Resolution
Professional representation before the IRS for West Virginia taxpayers facing audits, collections, liens, levies, or offers in compromise.
Learn More →WV 83(b) Elections
Equity compensation planning and 83(b) election filing for West Virginia startup employees and founders receiving restricted stock.
Learn More →WV Financial Statement Audits
Full-scope GAAS-compliant financial statement audits for businesses, nonprofits, and organizations requiring independent assurance.
Learn More →WV Review Engagements
Limited assurance engagements providing meaningful confidence in financial statements for lender requirements and stakeholder reporting.
Learn More →WV Compilations
Professionally prepared financial statements from management-provided data for internal reporting, small business needs, and bank presentations.
Learn More →WV Agreed-Upon Procedures
Targeted, customized engagements designed to address specific areas of concern with flexible scope tailored to stakeholder needs.
Learn More →WV Employee Benefit Plan Audits
DOL-compliant audits for 401(k), pension, and employee benefit plans meeting ERISA filing requirements and fiduciary obligations.
Learn More →WV Tax Strategy & Advisory
Proactive, year-round tax planning that identifies savings opportunities. Entity structure optimization, multi-state planning, and strategic initiatives.
Learn More →WV Cost Segregation Studies
Engineering-based analysis to accelerate depreciation deductions on commercial and residential rental properties, maximizing cash flow.
Learn More →WV Virtual CFO Services
Fractional CFO capabilities including financial modeling, cash flow management, KPI dashboards, and strategic financial leadership.
Learn More →WV Business Consulting
Operational assessments, process improvement, internal control design, and strategic planning to drive efficiency and profitability.
Learn More →WV Estate & Succession Planning
Comprehensive estate planning, business succession strategies, and wealth transfer optimization for business owners and high-net-worth individuals.
Learn More →WV 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 →West Virginia Audit Services in Detail
West Virginia 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:
West Virginia Energy & Severance Tax Audits
West Virginia is a major coal-producing state (the second-largest U.S. coal producer after Wyoming) and a significant natural gas producer through the Marcellus Shale (northern WV) and Utica Shale formations. We perform audits and reviews for WV coal operators, Marcellus/Utica gas operators, royalty owners, and the supporting service industry, with attention to severance tax compliance, depletion accounting, working interest vs. royalty interest classification, and reclamation accounting under WV's surface mining regulations.
West Virginia Nonprofit Audits
Audited financial statements for WV charities are routinely required by major West Virginia funders — including the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, the Beckley Area Foundation, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation (Pittsburgh-based but funds WV extensively), the United Way affiliates, and federal subrecipient grantors.
West Virginia 401(k) & Employee Benefit Plan Audits
West Virginia 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 West Virginia, including plans sponsored by Mylan / Viatris (Morgantown — pharmaceutical historical), WVU Medicine, Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC), Cabell Huntington Hospital, The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs — historic resort), Toyota Buffalo (Putnam County engine/transmission plant), Hino Motors, Procter & Gamble Berkeley County, Northrop Grumman / Coopers Rock, City National Bank, United Bank, WV-based coal operators (Alpha Metallurgical, Arch Resources, Consol Energy, Murray Energy historical), and EQT Corporation (Pittsburgh-based but with substantial WV Marcellus operations).
West Virginia Single Audits (Uniform Guidance)
West Virginia nonprofits, counties, school districts, 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.
West Virginia Reviews & Compilations
Where a full audit is not required, we deliver review engagements (limited assurance) and compilations (no assurance) — both routinely accepted by West Virginia lenders (City National Bank, United Bank, MVB Financial, Summit Financial Group, WesBanco) and stakeholders requiring CPA-prepared financial statements.
West Virginia (WV) Tax & Business Landscape
Key West Virginia Tax Numbers. Personal income tax: graduated, top rate 4.82% (recently reduced from 6.5% under HB 2526 reform; additional reductions scheduled to phase the top rate down further). Corporate income tax: 6.5% top rate (a Corporate Net Income Tax). Sales and use tax: 6% state, plus 1% local option in some municipalities; combined 6%–7%. Estate tax: none. Severance tax on coal, oil, and natural gas — significant components of WV state revenue. Pass-through entity (PTE) elective tax: rate matches personal IT, available since tax year 2022.
Filing Mechanics. Individuals (residents and nonresidents/PY) file Form IT-140. C-corporations file Form CIT-120. Partnerships file Form PTE-100; S-corps file Form PTE-100. PTE election is made on partnership/S-corp returns. Returns are due April 15 and administered by the West Virginia State Tax Department.
West Virginia Coal & the Marcellus Shale. West Virginia is the #2 coal-producing state after Wyoming (with most production from southern WV thermal coal and southern WV/northern WV metallurgical coal — Alpha Metallurgical, Arch Resources, Consol). The northern half of WV sits over the Marcellus Shale (with substantial production in Wetzel, Marshall, Tyler, Doddridge, Ritchie, Harrison, and Marion counties), and parts of WV access the Utica Shale below the Marcellus. Major Marcellus operators include EQT, Antero Resources, Southwestern Energy, Range Resources, and Chesapeake Energy. WV is also home to substantial royalty-owner activity — many WV families own inherited mineral interests dating back generations, often unaware until offered a lease. We handle severance tax compliance, royalty owner Schedule E with depletion, working interest vs. royalty interest classification, IDC (intangible drilling costs) under §263(c), depletion (cost vs. percentage; small-producer percentage depletion under §613A applies to oil/gas; coal generally limited to cost depletion or restricted percentage depletion), and §1031 like-kind exchanges of mineral interests.
WV Chemical Industry — The Kanawha Valley. The Kanawha Valley around Charleston (the so-called "Chemical Valley") has been a major U.S. chemical-manufacturing center for over a century. Major Kanawha Valley operators include Dow Chemical (acquired Union Carbide), Chemours (DuPont spinoff — Belle and Washington Works), Bayer CropScience historical (now part of Albemarle and other companies), and South Charleston Stamping/Mining operations. The Eastern Panhandle has separate manufacturing (Procter & Gamble Berkeley County, Macy's distribution).
Ascend WV — The Remote Worker Incentive. West Virginia launched the Ascend WV program in 2021, offering selected applicants $12,000 cash plus outdoor recreation perks (free outdoor gear, recreation passes, gym memberships, free coworking) to relocate to participating WV communities — Morgantown, the Eastern Panhandle (Shepherdstown, Martinsburg), Lewisburg, the Greenbrier Valley, and the New River Gorge area. The $12,000 cash incentive is generally taxable as ordinary income, and remote workers establishing WV residency face standard residency-establishment issues (severing prior-state domicile, especially if relocating from CA/NY/MA). We help Ascend WV participants establish unambiguous WV domicile, report the incentive correctly, and integrate the move with other tax planning.
West Virginia Economy & Who We Serve. West Virginia's economy spans energy (coal #2, Marcellus/Utica natural gas, increasingly renewables), chemicals (Kanawha Valley — Dow/Union Carbide, Chemours, Bayer historical), healthcare (WVU Medicine, CAMC, Cabell Huntington), manufacturing (Toyota Buffalo, P&G Berkeley County, Macy's distribution), education (West Virginia University Morgantown, Marshall University Huntington), tourism (New River Gorge National Park — newest U.S. national park; The Greenbrier resort White Sulphur Springs; whitewater rafting; Snowshoe Mountain skiing; Harpers Ferry), and federal government (federal Eastern District/CERN at FBI Clarksburg; the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center Martinsburg). Our typical WV clients include Marcellus/Utica royalty owners and gas operators, WV coal industry professionals, Kanawha Valley chemical industry employees, Ascend WV remote-worker transplants, real estate investors in the Eastern Panhandle (DC commuter belt), and rural Appalachian small business owners.
CPA Mobility in West Virginia. West Virginia 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 West Virginia Board of Accountancy mobility and firm registration requirements before commencing any engagement.
Cities and Communities We Serve. Our virtual-first practice serves clients across all of West Virginia, including Charleston (state capital; chemical industry — Kanawha Valley), Huntington (Marshall University; manufacturing), Morgantown (West Virginia University — Mountaineers; tech; Ascend WV), Parkersburg, Wheeling (northern panhandle), Weirton, Fairmont (FBI/CJIS Clarksburg adjacent), Beckley, Martinsburg (Eastern Panhandle DC commuter belt), Shepherdstown, Lewisburg (Greenbrier Valley), White Sulphur Springs (The Greenbrier), Clarksburg (FBI/CJIS), the Marcellus/Utica Shale counties (Wetzel, Marshall, Tyler, Doddridge, Ritchie, Harrison), the New River Gorge area, the Eastern Panhandle, and every West Virginia county.
Why West Virginia Clients Choose Us
- GAAS-compliant audit, review, and compilation experience for nonprofits, energy operators, benefit plans, and privately held businesses
- Deep expertise in WV-specific issues: WV's individual tax phase-down (4.82% top, dropping further), WV PTE elections, WV coal severance tax, Marcellus and Utica Shale natural gas tax (royalty taxation, depletion, IDC under §263(c), §1031), WV chemical industry tax (Kanawha Valley), Ascend WV remote-worker incentive reporting and residency planning, and WV royalty owner inherited mineral-interest issues
- 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 WV Morgantown tech-startup employees
- Technology-forward, virtual-first delivery — secure client portal, e-signature, and video consultations (essential for rural Appalachian clients)
- Transparent, fixed-fee engagements where possible — no surprise hourly invoices
West Virginia CPA — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a West Virginia-licensed CPA?
West Virginia 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 West Virginia Board of Accountancy firm-registration requirements before commencing attest engagements.
What is West Virginia's income tax rate?
West Virginia recently cut its top individual income tax rate to 4.82% (reduced from 6.5% under HB 2526 reform), with additional reductions scheduled to further phase down the top rate. The WV corporate income tax has a top rate of 6.5%. Form IT-140 is due April 15.
Does West Virginia have a SALT-cap workaround?
Yes. West Virginia enacted an elective Pass-Through Entity Tax effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2022. Eligible S-corps and partnerships pay an entity-level tax at the top individual rate on West Virginia-source taxable income, and members receive a corresponding credit on Form IT-140.
I receive WV coal or Marcellus/Utica natural gas royalty income. What special tax issues apply?
West Virginia is a major coal-producing state (#2 after Wyoming) and the Marcellus/Utica Shale formations underlie much of northern WV — generating substantial royalty income for WV mineral-rights owners (often inherited from generations back). Royalty issues include Schedule E reporting with depletion (cost vs. percentage; small-producer percentage depletion under §613A applies to oil/gas; coal is generally limited to cost depletion or restricted percentage depletion), WV severance tax compliance, working interest vs. royalty interest classification, surface vs. mineral estate splits, IDC (intangible drilling costs) under §263(c) for working interest holders, and the WV-specific issues of inherited mineral interests where heirs may not even know they own them until offered a lease.
What is Ascend WV and does it have tax implications?
Ascend WV is West Virginia's remote worker incentive program offering selected applicants $12,000 cash plus outdoor recreation perks (free outdoor gear, recreation passes, gym memberships, free coworking) to relocate to participating WV communities — Morgantown, the Eastern Panhandle (Shepherdstown, Martinsburg), Lewisburg, the Greenbrier Valley, and the New River Gorge area. The $12,000 cash incentive is generally taxable as ordinary income (Form 1099 reporting), and remote workers establishing WV residency face the standard residency-establishment issues (severing prior-state domicile, especially if relocating from CA/NY/MA). We help Ascend WV participants establish unambiguous WV domicile and report the incentive correctly.
I work in Kanawha Valley chemical industry (Dow, Chemours, etc.). What special tax issues apply?
The Charleston Kanawha Valley ("Chemical Valley") has been a major U.S. chemical-manufacturing center for over a century, hosting Dow Chemical (acquired Union Carbide), Chemours (DuPont spinoff — Belle and Washington Works plants), and various successor operations. We support Kanawha Valley chemical industry employees with executive comp planning (RSUs, deferred comp, stock options for Dow/Chemours/DuPont legacy executives), §409A NQDC plan elections, ESPP qualifying vs. disqualifying disposition, and the multi-state issues common to large multinational chemical companies.
Do you serve West Virginia clients outside Charleston?
Yes. Our practice is virtual-first, so we serve clients across all of West Virginia — including Charleston (state capital; chemical industry — DuPont/Chemours/Union Carbide Kanawha Valley), Huntington (Marshall University; manufacturing), Morgantown (West Virginia University; tech; Ascend WV), Parkersburg, Wheeling (northern panhandle), Weirton, Fairmont, Beckley, Martinsburg (Eastern Panhandle DC commuter belt), Shepherdstown, Lewisburg (Greenbrier Valley), the New River Gorge area, the Marcellus/Utica Shale counties, and rural Appalachian WV.