Taxes planned ahead. Film credits claimed in full.
CPA, MBA (Babson)
QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Advanced
Certified Tax Representation Consultant
Film & entertainment
Burlington, MA
Irene Wachsler, CPA, MBA plans the taxes and keeps the cloud books for Greater Boston small businesses, self-employed professionals and nonprofits, and for productions, cast and crew nationwide.
The badges Wachsler CPA publishes, from QuickBooks and tax representation to the film community Irene belongs to.
MS Business Administration, Babson College · BS Mathematics, University of Lowell
Speaker on cloud accounting in New York and Toronto, and on crypto taxation
Chair, MSCPA South Shore Breakfast Networking Forum
Who Irene works with
Specific help for the way you actually earn.
Film productions get their own section below. Here is what changes for everyone else.
Small business & self-employed
Stop finding out what you owe in April.
Most accountants file what already happened. Irene plans ahead: the right structure, quarterly estimates and the deductions you are entitled to, decided while there is still time to act.
Books in the cloudQuickBooks Online or Xero, set up and reconciled, with 24/7 access from anywhere.
Planning, not just filingEntity structure, estimates and year-round tax planning so the return holds no surprises.
Multi-state and SALTState and local tax and multi-state compliance when your work crosses lines.
A CPA in your cornerIRS and state letters answered for you, with representation if it comes to that.
Three states, two W-2s and a royalty check. One CPA.
Set work rarely stays in one place. Wachsler CPA files in every state you worked, tracks what you are owed and keeps the estimates ahead of the next gig.
Multi-state returnsFederal and multi-jurisdictional state compliance, prepared together.
Royalties trackedRoyalty tracking so you can see you are paid what you are owed.
Quarterly estimatesMulti-jurisdictional estimated payments planned around irregular income.
Cash flow and bill payMonthly cash-flow reporting, personal budgeting and family-office bill paying.
Charities, churches, synagogues and social organizations get books, filings and controls built for nonprofit rules, so the board can stay focused on the cause.
Form 990 and state returnsAnnual 990 and state information returns, filed on time.
Tax-exempt statusForm 1023 filings to obtain and keep exemption.
Audits, reviews, compilationsFinancial statements at the level your funders require.
Internal controlsControls upgrades and cash-flow stabilization.
Let us worry about the numbers while you focus on production.
Wachsler CPA runs a dedicated practice for filmmakers, studios, production companies, actors and crew, from Massachusetts and New York credits to the cost report your investors read.
For production companies
Cost reports and budgets
Royalty tracking and licensing audits
Profit participation reporting
Internal financial controls
Cash-flow analysis
Film amortization and revenue recognition
Quarterly estimated taxes
Audit and agreed-upon procedures
MA
Massachusetts film tax credit
Unlimited, transferable, refundable 25% credit
On above-the-line and below-the-line qualified spend
$50K minimum spend
NY
New York film tax credit
Audit or AUP to shorten ESD processing time
No minimum spend
1+ day of principal photography at a Qualified Production Facility
Credit terms as published on filmindustrycpa.com. Rules change; Irene confirms eligibility for your production.
The Slate · film credit estimator
Before the credits roll, claim yours.
Massachusetts pays back 25% of qualified production spend once you clear $50,000. Slate your project, enter what you plan to spend in the state, and see what the credit could be worth.
200+productions assisted
$36M+in film tax credits obtained
$60K–$5M+budgets handled
Shooting in New York? Switch the roll to NY to see what Irene needs from you.
Illustrative estimate at the 25% Massachusetts rate published on filmindustrycpa.com, not tax advice. Actual credits depend on qualified spend, certification and current state rules. See a sample credit tracker.
What lands on your desk
A credit tracker your investors can read.
Every production gets cost reporting that tags Massachusetts-qualified spend as it happens, so the credit claim at wrap is a total, not a scramble.
Cost report & budget-to-actual, line by line
Credit tracker: qualified vs non-qualified spend
Cash-flow report for the producer and investors
Royalty & profit participation reporting after release
Compare what you have paid in with what you actually earned this year, in every state you worked. The fourth-quarter federal estimate is due January 15.
Self-employed
Cast & crew
02
Place equipment in service by Dec 31
Cameras, lighting, computers and vehicles generally have to be bought and in use before year-end to be deducted on this year's return.
Small business
Productions
03
Decide on retirement contributions
A Solo 401(k) or SEP can shelter a large share of self-employment income. Deadlines differ by plan, so choose before the year closes.
Small business
Self-employed
04
Total your crypto gains and losses
Every sale, swap and crypto payment this year is a reportable event. Add them up now, while there is still time to plan around them.
Crypto
05
Collect W-9s before you need them
Form 1099-NEC is due to contractors and the IRS by January 31. Get a W-9 now from every crew member, contractor and vendor who may need one.
Small business
Productions
06
Reconcile royalties and residuals
Match statements to deposits so this year's income is complete and nothing you are owed is left on the table.
Cast & crew
07
Get MA spend documented before the books close
Massachusetts vendor invoices and payroll records belong in the credit tracker now, not in a shoebox at wrap.
Productions
General information for the 2026 tax year, not tax advice. Rules and thresholds change and depend on your situation; talk with Wachsler CPA before acting.
Principal CPA
Irene Wachsler, CPA, MBA
Firm
Wachsler CPA LLC, Burlington, MA
Education
MS Business Administration, Babson College BS Mathematics, University of Lowell
Chair
MSCPA South Shore Breakfast Networking Forum
Meet your CPA
Irene Wachsler, CPA, MBA. Principal CPA.
The same CPA who reconciles a Burlington shop's QuickBooks also prepares cost reports and credit claims for productions shooting across Massachusetts and New York. That range is the point: Irene sees how money moves in a small business and on a set, and plans taxes around both.
Her approach is personal, her response is prompt, and she works with you all year, not just at tax time. Clients across the country work with her in the cloud; locally, she will meet you at your office, a coffee shop or on Zoom.
A mathematician firstA BS in Mathematics and an MS from Babson. Numbers are the starting point, not the chore.
Inside the film communityMember of Women in Film & Video New England, the Massachusetts Production Coalition and the NYSSCPA Entertainment, Arts & Sports Committee.
Teaches other accountantsHas presented on moving firms to the cloud at the Long Island Tax Professionals Forum and conferences in New York and Toronto, and on crypto taxation.
Certified to represent youCertified Tax Representation Consultant and Tax Rep Network Gold Member, for when the IRS or the state writes.
Audits, liens, levies, unfiled returns and payroll tax debt. Irene answers the IRS for you, represents your case and negotiates payment plans, penalties and offers in compromise.
No. Most clients are Greater Boston small businesses and self-employed professionals. Wachsler CPA also serves nonprofits and crypto investors, and runs a dedicated film and entertainment practice for production companies, filmmakers, actors, cast and crew.
How much is the Massachusetts film tax credit?
As Wachsler CPA publishes it, Massachusetts offers a transferable, refundable 25% credit on qualified above-the-line and below-the-line spend, with a $50,000 minimum spend. Features, indies, documentaries, TV series, music videos, commercials, webisodes and multimedia projects can qualify. Use the Slate on this page for a quick estimate, then confirm eligibility with Irene.
Can you help with New York film credits too?
Yes. For New York, Wachsler CPA handles the audit or agreed-upon procedures (AUP) that shorten Empire State Development processing time. New York has no minimum spend, requires at least one day of principal photography at a Qualified Production Facility, and has a separate application for post-production only.
What is your film tax credit track record?
Wachsler CPA has assisted more than 200 productions with budgets from $60,000 to over $5 million, helping them obtain more than $36 million in film tax credits.
I work on sets in more than one state. Can you file for me?
Yes. Actors, cast and crew get multi-jurisdictional federal and state returns and quarterly estimated tax payments, plus royalty tracking and cash-flow reporting.
Do I have to come to the office?
No. Your books live in the cloud with 24/7 access, and clients across the United States work with the firm remotely. Local clients can meet Irene at their own office, at a coffee shop or on Zoom.
I received an IRS letter. What should I do?
Do not ignore it, because penalties and interest keep growing. Wachsler CPA responds to IRS and state correspondence for you, represents you, files missing returns and negotiates payment plans, penalties and offers in compromise.
How do I get started?
Request a free consultation on iw-cpa.com and you will also receive Irene's guide "Staying One Step Ahead of Tax Issues." Prefer the phone? Call 781-883-3174.
That's a wrap on guesswork
Plan 2026 now. Claim every credit. Start the new year ahead.
Request a free consultation and Irene's guide, Staying One Step Ahead of Tax Issues, comes with it.
