Paycheck and Contract Income: Records to Keep in Texas
The paperwork behind a year with both wages and contract or app income, and how to keep it straight.
Tax Prep & Bookkeeping in Gatesville, TX
Tax preparation and bookkeeping for Gatesville households, state and military families, and small businesses across Coryell County.
Serving Gatesville, the Coryell County seat
Gatesville sits where US 84 meets SH 36, on the Leon River. Its 1897 courthouse, designed by W.C. Dodson, anchors a downtown the National Register of Historic Places listed in 2026 as the Gatesville Downtown Historic District. The Census Bureau counts Coryell County as a central county of the Killeen-Temple metro area, and Fort Hood spans parts of both Bell and Coryell counties.
Moreno Financial Services is a veteran-owned tax preparation and bookkeeping practice based in Kempner. Jessica Moreno, who holds an M.S. in Accountancy and an MBA in Business Analytics, prepares the returns and keeps the books.
Returns for households with a state or military paycheck
Six Texas Department of Criminal Justice units operate in and around Gatesville: Crain, Hilltop, Hughes, Murray, O'Daniel and Woodman. By TDCJ's own unit listings, they employ more than 2,400 people between them. Kalyn Siebert builds heavy-haul trailers on West Main Street.
If your household's income starts with one of those paychecks, the return can still pick up complications: a spouse's side business, a rental, a move, or more than one employer in a year. We prepare individual returns from $250, with a clear fee quoted on a free 15-minute call before any work begins.
Military households can also read our Fort Hood page. Before any appointment, our checklist shows what to gather. After we prepare the return, we walk you through it and file when you are ready.
Bookkeeping for businesses on the square and out in the county
The downtown district covers twelve blocks around the courthouse. Out in the county, the 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 1,435 farms, with cattle and calves leading their sales. If you run a storefront downtown or a trade that works across the county, who is keeping your books this month?
Our monthly bookkeeping covers categorizing each transaction, reconciling bank and card accounts, and profit and loss reports you can actually read. Plans start at $600/mo. If the books are months behind, a catch-up cleanup comes first, and bookkeeping clients who need payroll can have it run on QuickBooks and Intuit.
Local help for Gatesville business owners
The Gatesville Chamber of Commerce works out of the restored Cotton Belt Depot on Business 36. The McLennan Small Business Development Center at McLennan Community College in Waco serves Coryell County. Neither is connected to us, and both are worth knowing if you are starting out.
Mother Neff State Park sits on the Leon River about 23 miles from town, by Texas Parks and Wildlife's count. A day out there is a better use of a Saturday than a shoebox of receipts, which is the part you can hand to us. Closer to downtown, Raby Park, established in 1910, has the municipal pool, and Faunt Le Roy Park on 7th Street has a playground, a pavilion and a skate park.
Questions from Gatesville
Do you prepare returns for TDCJ employees in Gatesville?
Yes. We prepare individual returns for Gatesville households, including households where a state paycheck is the main income and there is something extra on the side. Individual returns start at $250, and the exact fee is quoted before we begin.
I live in Gatesville and work at Fort Hood. Can you help?
Yes. Moreno Financial Services is veteran-owned and prepares returns for military households across the Fort Hood area. Start with a free 15-minute call and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
Can you catch up the books for a downtown Gatesville shop that is months behind?
Yes. A catch-up cleanup rebuilds the missing months so the books are usable again for decisions and for tax preparation. We scope the work and quote it on the free call.
Do I need to drive to Kempner?
Start with a free 15-minute call. We are based in Kempner, and on that call we explain how documents and meetings would work for you. Please do not send Social Security numbers or tax documents by email; we will tell you which secure channel to use.
Do you keep books for farm and ranch operations?
Tell us about your operation on the free call. We keep monthly books for solopreneurs and small teams, and we will tell you honestly whether yours is a good fit before any work begins.
Guides for Gatesville households and owners
Childcare & Family Tax Credits: What to Track
Provider details, birth certificates, custody papers and the IRS self-check tools, gathered before tax time.
Catch-Up Bookkeeping Before Tax Season
Months of unrecorded transactions are fixable. Here is the general order catch-up work follows.
Tax Records in Texas: Storing Them and Getting Copies
A home system for tax records: how to organize and protect them, dispose of them safely, and replace a lost copy.
Gatesville books or taxes? Call first.
The first call is free and takes about 15 minutes. We will tell you what the work looks like and what it would cost before anything starts.
Or call or text us at (254) 312-0404 · Kempner · Killeen · Copperas Cove · Harker Heights · Fort Hood · Central Texas