978-741-0095

Certified Public Accountants · Salem, Massachusetts

A Salem CPA who works for you, not for the IRS.

Steven Fafel, CPA, MST brings more than 25 years of tax and accounting experience, including time at the largest regional CPA firm in Boston, to individuals, business owners and anyone with an IRS problem.

Call 978-741-0095 Request a free consultation

Free initial consultation 530 Loring Avenue, Salem

Steven Fafel, CPA, MST, in a suit and tie
Steven Fafel, CPA, MST Bentley University · BS Accountancy, MS Taxation

Licensed, certified & on your side

The people you’ll sit across from

You’ll know who is doing your taxes.

A small Salem firm means the CPA who meets you is the CPA who works your file, and the person who answers the phone knows where your return is.

Portrait of Steven Fafel, CPA, MST

CPA · MS in Taxation

Steven Fafel, CPA, MST

Steven has more than 25 years of tax and accounting experience with individual and business clients. Before joining Leonard Fafel, CPA, he worked for the largest regional CPA firm in Boston. He regularly meets with people filing for the first time, people with complicated tax situations and people starting a business, and his research has helped clients save or recoup large sums of tax.

  • Has represented clients in front of the IRS
  • Experience with multi-state taxing authorities
  • Bentley University: BS in Accountancy and MS in Taxation
  • Former Treasurer of Temple Emanu-El of Marblehead
  • On- and off-road cyclist with the Marblehead Velo Club; long-distance charity rides and gravel events
  • Lives in Swampscott with his wife, Alyssa, and their twins
Call 978-741-0095 Meet the team

Since 2018

Darlene Hally

Office Manager and Tax Consultant

Darlene joined the firm in 2018. She converted every client file so the office could go paperless and store documents and returns more securely, and she keeps returns moving from preparation to delivery, tracking due dates and e-filing so they go in on time.

  • Handles all of the firm’s bookkeeping clients
  • Integrated many clients’ banking with QuickBooks
  • Lives in Peabody with her husband, Scott

Services

Three rooms, one front door.

Your own taxes, your business’s books and anything the IRS has sent: all of it handled under one roof on Loring Avenue.

For businesses & non-profits

Get back to running the business

Books, payroll and cash handled each month, with a CPA to call when a decision comes up.

Tax, all year

Pay what you owe and not a dollar more

Returns checked and rechecked, planning through the year, and help when the IRS writes.

Books a mess? We’ll catch up the year and file it

IRS problems

Twelve IRS problems. One door to knock on.

Forward us the letter. Audits, unfiled years, back taxes, liens, levies and the rest are handled efficiently, affordably and with extreme discretion, and rarely do clients even have to talk with the IRS.

  1. IRS audit representation Forward us the audit letter. Rarely do our clients even have to talk with the IRS.
  2. Non-filed tax returns Missed a year, or several? Get them filed before it gets worse.
  3. Back taxes owed Penalties and interest add up fast. There are several ways to resolve unpaid tax.
  4. Payroll tax problems Unpaid payroll taxes are the debt the IRS takes most seriously. Deal with it early.
  5. IRS liens A lien shows up on your credit and can block borrowing against your home.
  6. IRS levies We are often able to get levies released, so you can get even with the IRS.
  7. Wage garnishment A negotiated payment plan lets you keep your whole paycheck.
  8. IRS seizures Your home, car, boat or retirement funds are on the line. Don’t wait.
  9. Offer in compromise Find out whether you qualify to settle your tax debt for less than you owe.
  10. IRS payment plan If an offer isn’t right for you, a payment plan may be the way through.
  11. Innocent spouse relief Relief when a spouse or ex-spouse left you holding a tax bill that isn’t yours.
  12. Get your IRS file See what the IRS already knows about you before choosing a way to resolve it.
Call 978-741-0095 Free consultation with our tax specialist

The Second Look

Not sure last year’s return was right? Bring it in.

Returns done in a rush, done in software, or done by someone who no longer returns calls deserve a second pair of trained eyes. Use your free initial consultation for it. Sometimes there’s something to recover; sometimes you leave knowing it was right.

Request a Second Look Get the free tax organizer

  1. Call or request a consultation

    Tell us what’s nagging you: a refund that seemed small, a balance due you didn’t expect, a letter from the IRS, or just a feeling. 978-741-0095.

  2. Bring last year’s return

    Bring the return and any notices. If you’re planning ahead for this year, fill in the free tax organizer too.

  3. A CPA reads it line by line

    We go through it with you, explain what we see, and tell you plainly whether anything is worth amending or planning differently.

Free tools & guides

Help yourself, any hour of the day.

Organizers, deadlines, refund tracking and hundreds of answers, all on the firm’s client resource pages. No sign-up.

Questions

Before you call.

The questions people ask first. Anything else, the firm’s library has over 500 answers.

Do you offer a free consultation?

Yes. The firm offers a free initial consultation. Call 978-741-0095 or send a request through the contact page, and bring last year’s return if you have it.

Who will actually work on my return?

Steven Fafel, CPA, MST meets with new clients, people with complicated tax situations and people starting a business. Darlene Hally, the office manager and tax consultant, keeps returns moving from preparation to e-filing and handles the bookkeeping clients.

I haven’t filed in a few years. Can you help?

Yes. Non-filed returns are one of the twelve IRS problems the firm handles, along with back taxes, liens, levies, wage garnishment and payment plans. The sooner the returns are filed, the fewer penalties and interest pile up.

Will I have to talk to the IRS if I’m audited?

Rarely. You forward the audit notice to the firm and it is handled from start to finish, so you don’t need to take time off work to deal with the IRS yourself.

What does monthly bookkeeping include?

Each month or quarter the firm reconciles your bank account, prepares an income statement and balance sheet, cleans up your general ledger and gives you unlimited consultations. You can add payroll, tax planning and tax preparation.

My books are a mess. Is it too late to file?

No. If you own a small business and haven’t kept up your bookkeeping, the firm will prepare your books for the year, your Schedule C and your personal return, then help you set up a simple system for next year.

Do you work with non-profits?

Yes: Form 990 and 990-T, 501(c)(3) applications for new organizations, payroll, board training on financial statements and budgeting, and housing-allowance documentation for churches.

Where is the office?

Suite 102 at 530 Loring Avenue in Salem, Massachusetts. Call ahead to set up a time.

Free initial consultation

Call before the next deadline, or the next letter.

Whether it’s this year’s return, a business that’s outgrown a shoebox of receipts, or a notice you’d rather not open alone, the first conversation is free and the door on Loring Avenue is open.

Call 978-741-0095 Book your consultation

Leonard Fafel, CPA PC

Office 530 Loring Avenue, Suite 102, Salem, MA 01970-4256 Phone 978-741-0095 Email steven@fafelcpa.com

Please call ahead to set up a time. For your security, don’t email Social Security numbers or tax documents; the office will tell you how to share them safely.

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