Steve Madsen, CPA

Tax Planning for Business Owners and Real Estate Investors

Steve Madsen, CPA, helps S Corporation owners, real estate investors, short-term rental owners, and other business owners make informed tax decisions before important planning opportunities expire.

Licensed CPA since 1993 | Founder of Madsen and Company | Serving clients nationwide from Utah

Schedule a Consultation

This 30-minute introductory conversation helps us understand your situation and determine whether a formal tax analysis is the appropriate next step.

Professional Experience

Since 1993

Licensed CPA

More than three decades of tax and accounting experience.

Firm Founder

Madsen and Company

Established Madsen and Company in 1995.

Planning-Focused

Tax Strategy

S Corporation, business, and real estate tax strategy.

Nationwide

Virtual CPA Advisory

Serving clients nationwide from South Jordan, Utah.

About Steve Madsen, CPA

Steve Madsen has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1993 and founded Madsen and Company in 1995.

For more than three decades, he has advised business owners, entrepreneurs, and real estate investors on tax planning, business structure, and compliance.

Steve started Madsen and Company to provide practical tax and accounting guidance to small businesses. Over time, he saw a recurring problem: many taxpayers did not receive meaningful tax-planning advice until their returns were being prepared.

By that point, the year had already ended, financial decisions had been finalized, and many opportunities to improve the tax outcome had passed.

That experience led Steve to develop a planning-first approach focused on evaluating tax consequences while clients still have time to act.

Today, his work focuses on helping clients coordinate business decisions, owner compensation, entity structure, investments, depreciation, retirement contributions, estimated payments, and tax compliance as part of one overall strategy.

Steve Madsen CPA founder of Madsen and Company with over 30 years of tax and accounting experience

Areas of Experience

S Corporation Tax Planning

Steve helps S Corporation owners evaluate the tax and compliance issues that can affect both the business and its shareholders.

Planning may include:

  • Reasonable compensation
  • Salary and distribution strategy
  • Payroll compliance
  • Retirement-plan contributions
  • Shareholder health insurance
  • Reimbursements and accountable plans
  • Estimated tax payments
  • Coordination of business and individual tax returns
  • Evaluating whether an S Corporation election remains appropriate

Explore S Corporation Tax Planning

Business-Owner Tax Strategy

Business tax decisions often affect more than the business return. Steve helps owners understand how entity structure, compensation, investments, and cash flow interact with their personal tax position.

Planning may involve:

  • Entity selection and restructuring
  • Owner compensation
  • Income and expense timing
  • Equipment and major purchases
  • Retirement contributions
  • Quarterly tax projections
  • Business acquisitions or dispositions
  • Coordination between business and individual taxes

Explore Tax Planning for Business Owners

Real Estate Tax Planning

Steve works with real estate investors on the tax consequences of acquiring, operating, improving, and disposing of rental properties.

Planning may include:

  • Rental-property depreciation
  • Cost-segregation coordination
  • Passive-activity limitations
  • Property acquisitions and dispositions
  • Entity and ownership considerations
  • Suspended passive losses
  • Correcting missed depreciation
  • Coordinating real estate activity with the taxpayer’s overall tax position

Explore Real Estate Tax Planning

Short-Term Rental Tax Planning

Short-term rental tax treatment depends on more than simply listing a property on Airbnb or VRBO. Average guest stay, material participation, personal use, services provided, and documentation can all affect the result.

Steve helps short-term rental owners evaluate:

  • Average-period-of-customer-use requirements
  • Material-participation standards
  • Passive versus nonpassive treatment
  • Personal-use limitations
  • Participation records and supporting documentation
  • Depreciation and cost segregation
  • The interaction between rental losses and other income

Explore Short-Term Rental Tax Planning

Depreciation and Accounting-Method Corrections

Real estate owners sometimes discover that depreciation was missed or calculated incorrectly on prior returns.

When appropriate, Steve helps clients evaluate depreciation corrections, including whether an accounting-method change and Form 3115 may be required. These decisions are coordinated with the client’s current-year tax strategy rather than evaluated in isolation.

Learn About Correcting Missed Depreciation

Steve’s Approach to Tax Planning

Steve’s approach begins with the client’s actual facts—not a predetermined list of deductions or strategies.

Before recommending a course of action, he considers:

  • Whether the strategy applies to the client’s circumstances
  • The projected federal and state tax consequences
  • Implementation requirements and deadlines
  • Recordkeeping and documentation
  • Potential risks and tradeoffs
  • How the strategy affects future tax years
  • Whether the expected benefit justifies the cost and complexity

The objective is not simply to produce the largest possible deduction. It is to help clients make informed, supportable decisions that fit their businesses, investments, and long-term financial goals.

“Tax strategy is not about knowing the rules—it’s about knowing when and how to apply them before the opportunity is gone.”

Steve Madsen, CPA

Planning Situations Steve Commonly Reviews

Examples of situations Steve helps clients evaluate include:

  • Determining whether an S Corporation election makes financial sense
  • Establishing reasonable compensation for an S Corporation owner
  • Coordinating salary, distributions, retirement contributions, and estimated payments
  • Evaluating a real estate purchase before closing
  • Reviewing whether cost segregation is appropriate
  • Determining whether a short-term rental may qualify for nonpassive treatment
  • Evaluating material-participation records
  • Correcting missed or incorrect depreciation
  • Coordinating business income with personal tax planning
  • Planning for equipment purchases or other significant expenditures
  • Estimating tax liability before year-end
  • Evaluating the tax consequences of a major business or investment decision

Specific recommendations depend on the client’s complete facts, eligibility, and applicable tax laws.

The Madsen Planning-First Framework™

Steve leads the application of the Madsen Planning-First Framework™, the firm’s structured process for diagnosing tax exposure, designing appropriate strategies, and maintaining tax efficiency as a client’s circumstances change.

The framework follows three stages:

Diagnose → Design → Maintain

This process is used across S Corporation planning, real estate tax strategy, short-term rental planning, and proactive advisory engagements.

Learn About Madsen and Company

Why Clients Work With Steve

Clients typically come to Steve because they want more than once-a-year tax filing. They want an experienced CPA who can help them understand their options before important decisions are finalized.

Clients value:

  • More than 30 years of CPA experience
  • Practical experience with business owners and real estate investors
  • Clear explanations of complicated tax rules
  • Balanced discussion of opportunities, costs, and risks
  • Planning based on the client’s actual circumstances
  • CPA-led planning and oversight
  • Coordination between tax strategy and tax preparation
  • Year-round guidance under ongoing advisory engagements

Client Experience

“Steve Madsen is an expert in this field and is great to work with. He is honest, hardworking, and has integrity.”

Nick H.
Co-owner of GTMS LLC · Google Review

Testimonials reflect individual client experiences. Tax outcomes depend on each client’s facts, circumstances, eligibility, and applicable tax laws.

Read More Verified Client Reviews

Professional Credentials and References

  • Licensed Certified Public Accountant in Utah since 1993
  • Founder of Madsen and Company, established in 1995
  • More than 30 years of tax and accounting experience
  • Based in South Jordan, Utah
  • Serving business owners and real estate investors nationwide

Professional profiles and business references:

Published Tax Planning Resources

Who Steve Works With

Steve primarily works with:

  • S Corporation owners and businesses considering an S Corporation election
  • Real estate investors
  • Short-term rental owners
  • Consultants and professional-service business owners
  • Business owners with multiple income sources
  • Clients with meaningful taxable income or financial complexity
  • Clients seeking proactive guidance rather than only transactional tax filing

Steve is based in South Jordan, Utah, and works with clients throughout Utah and across the United States through a virtual-first advisory model.

How a New Client Relationship Begins

Most new client relationships begin with a 30-minute introductory consultation.

During this conversation, Steve learns about your income sources, business or investment structure, current tax concerns, and planning goals. The purpose is to determine whether your situation warrants a formal tax analysis and whether Madsen and Company is the appropriate firm to assist you.

The introductory consultation does not include detailed calculations or individualized tax recommendations.

When a formal analysis is recommended, it is completed under a separate professional engagement. The analysis allows Steve to review the relevant documents, perform calculations, compare available options, and provide specific recommendations.

Following the analysis, implementation, ongoing advisory, and tax preparation services can be discussed based on your needs.

Professional Presence

Madsen and Company maintains professional profiles and business references across multiple platforms to help business owners verify credentials, experience, and areas of specialization.

Additional professional references include:

Schedule a Consultation With Steve Madsen, CPA

If you are a business owner or real estate investor looking for proactive tax guidance, schedule an introductory consultation to discuss your situation.

The conversation will help determine whether a formal tax analysis or ongoing relationship with Madsen and Company is the appropriate next step.

Schedule a Consultation

30-minute introductory conversation · Virtual appointments available nationwide

Last reviewed and updated by Steve Madsen, CPA: August 2026