OZAUKEE COUNTY · CEDARBURG & GRAFTON, WISCONSIN
CPA in Cedarburg & Grafton, WI — Tax, Accounting & Advisory for Small Business & Individuals
Cedarburg and Grafton business owners get direct CPA access, year-round tax planning, and accounting that fits how your business actually runs. No seasonal availability. No rotating staff. A CPA who knows your file and is reachable when it matters.
WHY JTA-CPA
Why Cedarburg & Grafton Businesses Choose JTA‑CPA
Cedarburg and Grafton have plenty of bookkeepers and seasonal tax preparers. What most of them have in common is that the person who signs you up isn’t the person doing your work. At JTA-CPA, you work with a CPA from the first conversation to the final return — every year.
Senior CPA on Every Engagement
You work with Steven directly — not a staff accountant who pulls your file in March. One experienced CPA handles your business return, your personal return, and your planning questions throughout the year.
Year-Round Availability
Quarterly estimated tax review, mid-year strategy, and year-end planning happen on schedule. If something changes in your business or personal situation, you have a CPA to call — not a voicemail queue.
Fixed Scope, No Billable Hours
Every engagement is quoted upfront with a clear scope. No surprise invoices when you ask a question in October. No billing anxiety. You know the cost before we start.
WORKING WITH CEDARBURG & GRAFTON BUSINESSES
The Cedarburg & Grafton Business Landscape — What We See Every Year
Cedarburg’s historic downtown along Washington Avenue and the Cedar Creek Settlement is one of the most distinctive small business districts in southeastern Wisconsin — independent retailers, restaurants, wineries, and tourism-driven businesses that depend on foot traffic and seasonal cycles. A few miles south, Grafton’s mix of light manufacturing, contractors, and retail along the Port Washington Road and Highway 60 corridor adds a different kind of business: steady, year-round operations with their own accounting needs. Ozaukee County is a growing market, and a lot of the businesses in it have outgrown the bookkeeper who got them started.
Retail, restaurant, and tourism businesses in Cedarburg deal with sales tax compliance, inventory accounting, seasonal cash flow, and point-of-sale systems that need to talk to QuickBooks correctly. Get any of that wrong and it shows up as a Wisconsin DOR notice or a year-end surprise. We set these systems up so the numbers are right every month, not just at tax time. Our guide to what triggers sales tax nexus liability covers the exposure points most Wisconsin retailers and restaurants overlook.
Many Cedarburg and Grafton business owners also have income outside the business itself — investment real estate, a side practice, or a spouse with separate income. Coordinating entity elections, depreciation, retirement contributions, and estimated payments across all of it is where a generalist preparer often falls short.
CEDARBURG & GRAFTON SPECIALTY SERVICES
What We Do for Cedarburg & Grafton Clients
- Sales tax compliance and Wisconsin DOR correspondence
- S-Corp reasonable compensation review and annual modeling
- Retail, restaurant, and hospitality accounting — inventory, POS integration, seasonal cash flow
- Retirement plan optimization — Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, defined benefit
- Multi-income coordination — business, real estate, investments
- Complex individual returns for high earners and multi-state filers
- QuickBooks setup, cleanup, and ProAdvisor support
- Entity structuring — S-Corp elections, LLC operating agreements, buy-sell
WHAT WE OFFER CEDARBURG & GRAFTON CLIENTS
Core Services for Cedarburg & Grafton Businesses & Individuals
Business and individual returns, S-Corp planning, sales tax guidance, and year-round estimated tax strategy for Cedarburg and Grafton business owners.
Monthly accounting, reconciliations, financial statements, and clean books — built around how retail, restaurant, and service businesses actually operate.
Setup, cleanup, training, and ongoing ProAdvisor support — including POS and inventory integrations for retail and restaurant businesses.
Reviews, compilations, and agreed-upon procedures for banks, partners, investors, and other stakeholders who need reliable financial statements.
SERVING CEDARBURG, GRAFTON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA
Cedarburg, Grafton, Ozaukee County & Beyond
JTA-CPA serves clients throughout Cedarburg and Grafton and across Ozaukee County — including Mequon, Port Washington, Thiensville, and Saukville — as well as clients across southeastern Wisconsin including Brookfield, Waukesha, and Milwaukee. Most work is handled remotely using secure file sharing, with in-person meetings available at our Racine office.
If you’ve been working with a bookkeeper who disappears after tax season, or a preparer who only surfaces once a year, you already know what that relationship is worth. Year-round access to a CPA who actually knows your situation is a different kind of service. Visit our FAQ for answers to common questions about working with JTA-CPA.
CPACIACISA
YOUR CEDARBURG & GRAFTON CPA
Steven Towne, CPA, CIA, CISA
Steven is the founder of Jackson Titus & Associates, with more than 15 years of experience in tax strategy, financial reporting, internal audit, SOX compliance, IT systems, and accounting operations. He works directly with every client — no junior staff, no handoffs, no rotating contacts. Based in Racine and serving clients throughout southeastern Wisconsin and the greater Milwaukee–Chicago region, including Cedarburg, Grafton, and Ozaukee County.
His credentials go beyond the standard CPA license. The CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) reflects deep experience in risk assessment, internal controls design, and organizational governance. The CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) means he understands how your accounting platforms and integrations work. He is also a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor with hands-on experience setting up and optimizing QuickBooks for retail, restaurant, and small business clients.
“Complex financial information doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. My focus is turning that complexity into clear insights that support better decisions and long-term stability.”
REAL RESULTS
From a DOR Sales Tax Notice to Clean Monthly Books — A Cedarburg Retail Business
A Cedarburg retail shop owner came to us after receiving a Wisconsin Department of Revenue notice questioning several months of sales tax filings. Their books had been maintained inconsistently for years — sales from their point-of-sale system weren’t reconciling with what was being reported, and nobody had caught it. We worked with the WI DOR to resolve the notice, then rebuilt the prior year’s books from the POS data so sales, sales tax, and inventory actually tied together.
Once the books were clean, we set up a monthly close process so the same gap couldn’t reappear, and reviewed the owner’s entity structure — moving from a sole proprietorship to an S-Corp reduced self-employment tax on a meaningful share of the business’s profit going forward.
A sales tax notice was the problem that brought them in. Clean monthly books and the right entity structure were the bigger, lasting win.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions from Cedarburg & Grafton Business Owners
How is JTA-CPA different from other Cedarburg and Grafton accounting firms?
The primary difference is who does the work. At larger firms and bookkeeping services, one person signs you up and someone else handles the day-to-day. At JTA-CPA, you work directly with Steven throughout the year — the same CPA who handled your onboarding, knows your entity structure, and reviews your quarterly estimates. No handoffs, no rotating contacts. See our About page for more on how the firm is structured.
Do you work with retail, restaurant, and tourism businesses in Cedarburg?
Yes. Retail, restaurant, and hospitality businesses are a regular part of our client mix, especially around Cedarburg’s downtown. We handle sales tax compliance and Wisconsin DOR correspondence, inventory and point-of-sale integration with QuickBooks, seasonal cash flow planning, and entity structuring for owners who are ready to move past a sole proprietorship.
Can I work with JTA-CPA remotely from Cedarburg or Grafton?
Yes — the majority of our clients work with us remotely. We use secure file sharing, digital document management, and video or phone meetings. Cedarburg and Grafton clients don’t need to come to our Racine office for day-to-day work, though in-person meetings are always available when you want them. Visit our FAQ page for more on how we work with remote clients.
What does year-round CPA service actually look like in practice?
It means you have a CPA reviewing your estimated tax payments each quarter, flagging planning opportunities mid-year when there’s still time to act, and available by phone or email when something changes in your business or personal situation. Most of the tax savings available to small business owners happen before the return is prepared — not during it.
GET STARTED
Ready to Work With a Cedarburg & Grafton CPA Who Knows Your File Year-Round?
Start with a free consultation. No pressure, no commitment — just an honest conversation about where you are and what you’re trying to build.
Serving Cedarburg · Grafton · Mequon · Port Washington · Thiensville · Ozaukee County
