RACINE COUNTY · SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
CPA for the Milwaukee–Chicago Corridor
Tax, accounting, and advisory for SE Wisconsin businesses — including multi-state filings across Wisconsin and Illinois. Direct access to a CPA, CIA, and CISA on every engagement.
500 College Ave, Racine, WI · Serving the Corridor Since 2008
THE CORRIDOR ADVANTAGE
The CPA Firm Built for the Corridor
Southeastern Wisconsin is not a single market — it’s a corridor. Businesses based in Racine, Kenosha, or Milwaukee routinely do work in Lake County, DuPage County, and the Chicago north suburbs. Owners live on one side of the state line and operate on the other. Employees cross between jurisdictions. Income flows across both states.
Most CPA firms are built for one state. They know Wisconsin deeply or they know Illinois deeply — but rarely both. If you’re operating across the corridor, you’ve likely felt that gap. JTA–CPA is based in Racine, at the center of that corridor, and brings CPA, CIA, and CISA credentials to every engagement. You work directly with Steven Towne on every matter — no junior staff, no handoffs. See transparent, flat-fee pricing.
WHO WE SERVE
SE Wisconsin Businesses We Work With
Small Business Owners
Whether you run a service business in Racine, a retail operation in Kenosha, or a professional practice in Milwaukee, the tax and accounting decisions you make compound over time. We provide year-round support — quarterly planning, entity structure review, and clean books — so you’re not reacting to last year’s numbers every April.
Contractors & Manufacturers
Trade contractors and manufacturers across SE Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois face a common set of challenges: job costing, equipment depreciation, multi-state payroll, and S-Corp compensation. Wisconsin and Illinois handle depreciation conformity and sales tax exemptions differently — we know both sides of that equation.
Professional Services Firms
Attorneys, advisors, and consultants operating across the corridor have income characterization and multi-state allocation issues that require careful planning. We work with professional service owners who bill in multiple states and need a CPA who understands how both Wisconsin and Illinois source that income.
MULTI-STATE EXPERTISE
Why the Corridor Demands a Different Kind of CPA
Multi-State Tax Filing — Wisconsin and Illinois
Filing in both states is not simply filing twice. Wisconsin and Illinois diverge in how they treat depreciation (Wisconsin often decouples from federal bonus depreciation), how they source business income, and what qualifies for exemption or credit. A Wisconsin return that correctly reflects federal bonus depreciation may require a full Wisconsin add-back in the same year. We model both returns before year-end, not after filing.
Illinois Does Not Tax Retirement Income — Wisconsin Does
For business owners with income on both sides of the state line, residency and sourcing decisions have real dollar consequences. Illinois exempts retirement income, pension distributions, and IRA withdrawals entirely. Wisconsin taxes them. For clients approaching a transition — selling a business, shifting from active to passive income, or planning a move — these differences matter significantly in the year they happen and the years that follow.
Wisconsin Sales and Use Tax — Manufacturing and Contractor Exemptions
Wisconsin’s manufacturing and contractor exemptions are specific and frequently misapplied — either too broadly, creating audit exposure, or too narrowly, resulting in overpayment. Illinois has its own exemption framework on the other side. If your business buys materials, equipment, or tooling and operates in both states, you need a CPA who understands both sets of rules and applies them accurately.
S-Corp Reasonable Compensation Across the Corridor
S-Corp owner-operators face ongoing scrutiny on officer compensation — particularly in profitable, established businesses. We model salary against distributions annually, taking into account both the federal position and Wisconsin’s treatment of S-Corp income, to keep your structure defensible and tax-efficient year over year.
JTA–CPA provides full-service tax and accounting support built for the corridor — meaning every engagement accounts for both Wisconsin and Illinois obligations as standard practice, not as an afterthought. Whether you need standalone tax prep, ongoing monthly accounting, or integrated advisory across both states, every matter is handled directly by Steven Towne.
Full-Service CPA Support Across the Corridor
Individual and business returns for Wisconsin and Illinois, including S-Corps, Partnerships, and C-Corps. Multi-state filings are modeled together — not filed separately — so depreciation add-backs, income sourcing adjustments, and credit allocations are handled consistently between both states. Quarterly estimated tax review is included with all ongoing engagements. Multi-year catch-up filings available for clients behind on prior years.
Learn more about tax services →Monthly reconciliations, P&L, balance sheet, and financial close for businesses with operations on both sides of the state line. Chart of accounts and reporting structure are designed from the start to support dual-state tax preparation — so year-end filing doesn’t require rebuilding records that weren’t organized with both states in mind. Clean books, delivered every month, with year-end tax coordination built in.
Learn more about accounting services →Setup, cleanup, and ongoing ProAdvisor support for corridor businesses using QuickBooks Online or Desktop. Includes multi-state class and location tracking, job costing for contractors, POS integration for retail and restaurant operations, and structured chart of accounts that supports both Wisconsin and Illinois reporting. Training available for owners and bookkeeping staff.
Learn more about QuickBooks advisory →Reviews, compilations, and agreed-upon procedures for lenders, investors, and stakeholders requiring financial assurance. Internal audit and control design for businesses that have grown past informal processes and need documented procedures, segregation of duties, or audit-readiness work. CIA and CISA credentials bring depth in control design and information systems risk that most small business CPAs don’t carry.
Learn more about assurance services →JTA–CPA serves the full Milwaukee–Chicago corridor from our Racine office — centrally positioned between Milwaukee to the north and the Illinois state line to the south. Most client work is handled remotely through a secure client portal, which means geography rarely limits who we work with. We have active clients across southeastern Wisconsin and into northeastern Illinois, all managed on the same consistent, year-round basis regardless of location.
The Markets We Serve
Milwaukee · Racine · Kenosha · Mount Pleasant · Brookfield Waukesha · Cedarburg & Grafton Menomonee Falls · Pewaukee · New Berlin Oak Creek · South Milwaukee · Caledonia Sturtevant · Pleasant Prairie
Gurnee · Lake Forest · Libertyville Waukegan · Zion · Antioch North Chicago · Grayslake · Round Lake Lake Bluff · Highwood · Highland Park
Most work is completed remotely via secure file sharing and video. Documents are exchanged through our encrypted client portal — no fax, no drop-off required. Our office at 500 College Avenue, Racine, WI is available for in-person meetings when you want them, and is accessible from both the Milwaukee metro and the Chicago north suburbs within 45–90 minutes.
WHY IT MATTERS
Direct Access to a CPA, CIA, and CISA
Most regional CPA firms handle volume through staff leverage. You onboard through an intake process, your work is handled by an associate, and you reach a CPA when something escalates. That model works for institutional clients. It rarely works for the businesses we serve.
At JTA–CPA, every engagement is handled by Steven Towne directly. The CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) and CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) credentials are uncommon in a practice focused on small and mid-size businesses. They reflect depth in internal controls, risk assessment, and financial systems that most small business CPAs simply don’t have.
CASE STUDY
SE Wisconsin Contractor Operating Across the State Line
A mechanical contractor based in Kenosha came to us with three issues: they were filing in both Wisconsin and Illinois but handling the depreciation add-back inconsistently, they had overpaid Wisconsin sales tax on exempt manufacturing inputs for two prior years, and their S-Corp compensation had never been formally reviewed.
We filed amended returns to recover the sales tax overpayment, restructured the multi-state depreciation treatment going forward, and conducted a reasonable compensation analysis that reduced their overall tax burden without creating IRS exposure.
The client now has a defensible multi-state structure and a quarterly planning cadence that keeps them ahead of both state obligations.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it matter that my CPA knows both Wisconsin and Illinois?
Wisconsin and Illinois diverge on depreciation conformity, income sourcing, retirement income treatment, sales tax exemptions, and pass-through entity tax treatment. A CPA who files accurately in one state but doesn’t track the other will either leave money on the table or create compliance exposure. We manage both sets of rules as part of our standard workflow.
Do I need to come to your office?
No. Most corridor clients work with us entirely remotely using secure file sharing. We schedule calls, video meetings, and document reviews as needed. Our 500 College Avenue office in Racine is available for in-person meetings when you want them.
What size business is a good fit?
We work best with established businesses — typically $500K to $10M in revenue — that are past the startup phase and need proactive, year-round support rather than once-a-year tax prep. We also work with individuals with meaningful multi-state income, real estate holdings, or significant transition events on the horizon.
When does it make sense to review my entity structure?
When your business crosses state lines, generates consistent net income above $75,000, or has experienced a significant change — acquisition, partnership addition, ownership transition — your entity structure and compensation design deserve a fresh look. We run those analyses as a standard part of onboarding and revisit annually.
How is JTA–CPA different from the larger regional firms?
The large SE Wisconsin firms — CLA, RitzHolman, SVA, Vrakas — have deep benches and broad capability. They serve institutional clients well. For established small businesses that want direct CPA access, year-round communication, and a professional who knows your books without being briefed every time, the boutique model works better. You’re not a file number here.
YOUR CPA
Steven Towne, CPA, CIA, CISA
Steven brings over 15 years of experience in tax, accounting, internal audit, and financial systems — with specific experience advising businesses that operate across the Wisconsin–Illinois border. He founded JTA–CPA in 2008 and has worked with contractors, manufacturers, professional services firms, and business owners across southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois throughout his practice.
Every engagement is handled directly — no junior staff, no handoffs, no rotating contacts. The CIA and CISA credentials are not common at the small business level and reflect a depth in internal controls, systems risk, and audit practice that expands what JTA–CPA can offer beyond standard tax and accounting work. For clients who need a bank memo, an agreed-upon procedures engagement, or a review of their financial controls, those credentials matter.
GET STARTED
Ready to Work with a CPA Who Knows the Corridor?
If you run a business across southeastern Wisconsin or into the Chicago north suburbs and you’ve been managing two states with a CPA who really only knows one, let’s talk. Schedule a free consultation and we’ll walk through your current structure, your filing obligations in both states, and where there’s room to improve.
JTA–CPA · 500 College Ave, Racine, WI 53403 · 630-338-9359
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